Franklin C: Royalton, IL: Oct 27, 1914, Gas Explosion

(Satellite)

Roger Kujawa posted two images with the comment: "Royalton, ILLINOIS - North Coal Mine Day of Explosion - Oct. 27, 1914 post card. That’s all the info I have."

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This is the first time I have tried working back from a location to a coal mine name. Given that the postcard referred to it as "North Mine," I'm assuming it was the mine with the index of 57. (I wonder where the boundary was between mine 57 and mine 145.)

Map

Directory

GenealogyTrails

Indeed, it was the Franklin Coal and Coke CO., Mine #1. 52 men died because of a gas explosion. The explosion occured soon after the men started their shift at 7:00am. [GenealogyTrails] "Up to 11 o'clock rescue parties were unable to penetrate more than 1,500 feet in the workings, but at that hour the rescue car came from Benton, Ill., with four hours supply of oxygen. This made possible a further penetration of the mine by the rescue parties. General Superintendent MITCHELL said he could not account for the explosion as the mine had been in continuous operation and no gases had been detected. Lines of hose were carried down two shafts and attempt was made to direct streams of water thru cross shafts to the burning level. The bases made it dangerous for the fire fighters to approach close enough to do effective work. Experts said the fire could be controlled only by sealing both entrance shafts and pumping water into the mine until all the chambers were flooded. This, however, will not be done until all hope of rescuing the imprisoned miners is abandoned."[GenDisasters]

392 men were at work when the explosion happened. 13 of them were members of the newly formed Protection of the Holy Virgin Mary Church. It is a Russian Orthadox church and services were held in Slavinian until around 1971. [TheSouthern-2015]

Wayne Hinton has an in-depth explanation of the rescue work and some photos. And this is one of several gas explosions that Wayne Hinton describes.

According to my 2005 SPV Railroad Atlas, Mine #7 was a little south of Mine #1.

PhotoGrammar

RoyaltonIllinois
[Just when I thought I understood the mines, I come across a source that indicates the 1914 explosion was in Mine #7 instead of Mine #1. And there was another explosion on Sept 28, 2018, that killed 21 miners. Judging from the number of smokestacks in tipple photos, my current theory is that Mine #7 was the rebuilding of the tipple of Mine #1 in 1923.]

Satellite

As I was looking for evidence of abandoned railroads, I noticed a couple of large cemeteries. The coal mine donated land after the 1914 explosion. Not only do miners have to contend with the risk of explosions, they also died because of occupational hazards such as black lung disease and being crushed by machinery and roof collapses. I wonder if any other town in Illinois has a higher ratio of cemetery plots to houses as does Royalton.

I first noticed all of the cemeteries near the town when I determined the topo map was less accurate than the Abandoned Railroads Map further below.

1968 Christopher Quadrangles @ 1:24,000

Abandoned RRs

The green line at the top of this map is an abandoned Illinois Central branch. The mine was served by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway. [GenDisasters] My 2005 SPV Railroad Atlas indicates that the SIMS had a branch coming north from the route below Royalton that is now operated by the Union Pacific. That atlas indicates the SIMS was acquired by the Missouri Pacific and that the MoPac abandoned it. My 1928 RR Atlas has that line, but there was no room for them to label it. In fact, there are so many railroads in the area because of coal mines that the map doesn't have room to label the route that still exists. But other routes in the area are labelled MoPac, so I assume that would be the 1928 name of  this branch as well.

I could not figure out how the MoPac branch ran north through Royalton until I looked at a 1938 aerial photo.

1938 Aerial Photo

Abandoned RRs plus Paint

I added red lines where I think the MoPac/SIMS branch was and where the IC curved around to join it. Below, I zoom into the tipple area.

1938 Aerial Photo
at photo resolution

Update:
Scotts Oddyseey Holy Cow... look at that Right Angle turn. I have a video coming up about one of those that totally decimated a Circus Train.

In response to this comment, I posted the above 1938 aerial with the comment: "Here is a 1938 aerial from my notes on the coal mine to show the curve was smoother than my drawing. They had a small yard north of the connection.
https://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/.../franklin-c..."

Scotts Oddyseey 1938... so there were still limits on cars and car length (30' cars, not more than 17 cars). I guess if this location is flat, then it is a nice gentle curve. I keep forgetting I am in PA, so the idea of a turn like that is just crazy (because where I am there is nothing without a >1% grade).