
Death and Disaster: 1923
Thursday, 8th of February
On February 8th 1923, William and Matthew set off to work with their lunches packed ready to descend into No. 4 Mine.
William was just a young lad when he started working in mines. Likely starting at the picking tables, he later joined his older brother, Matthew, underground. William worked as a trapper, opening and shutting the doors in the mine that were essential to its ventilation.

This page of the census shows the Mitchell Family on lines 32 to 38. By 1911, it appears the family had already lost their patriarch, as the mother, Margaret, is written down as the head of the household and no men of the house are mentioned. She had three sons and four daughters. Her youngest was less than a year at the time. By the 1921 Census, the household had shrunk down to two sons, William and Matthew, and two daughters, Beatrice and Jemime.
Only Matthew returned to his mother and two sisters that day…
When an explosion erupted in a section of No. 4 Mine, a poisonous gas, known as ‘afterdamp’ swept through the tunnels. This thick, smothering, methane-rich gas, suffocated and killed thirty-three men.

When an explosion erupted in a section of No. 4 Mine, a poisonous gas, known as ‘afterdamp’ swept through the tunnels. This thick, smothering, methane-rich gas, suffocated and killed thirty-three men.
Amongst them was William. He was found with an Italian miner, Girolomo Martinellli, endearingly known as ‘Mummy’, by the community. According to some accounts, they were found lying by the side of the trackway, near William’s job site, with Girolomo’s jacket around William’s head in an attempt to protect the young boy from the poisonous gas.

Some miners managed to reach safety, escaping the gas and breathing in the fresh Cumberland mountain air again. A gallant rescue team took to the depths to safely pull fellow miners back to the surface. Arthur Watson, in particular, bravely re-entered the mine to help his colleagues, after initially escaping and calling for help at the time of the disaster.


Dräeger helmets allowed rescuers to safely breathe in a mine even if there was still lingering poisonous gasses.

These electrical lamps were safer and more reliable than their past counterparts. They were used by rescue teams after a disaster.

Designed in 1909, the Pulmotor was the first device capable of reviving miners who lost consciousness from lack of oxygen.
This map shows the location of each of the men who died in the explosion.
