Explosion kills 32 coal miners at Carbon Hill mines, Carbonado, Washington
- When
- 1899
- Where
- Carbon Hill Coal Company's Mine Number 7
- Episodes
- 1
On December 9, 1899, an explosion at Carbon Hill Coal Company's Mine Number 7 in Carbonado, Washington, killed 31 miners. The incident occurred in a town settled during an economic boom in the Carbon River valley, where more than 100 miners died in mining accidents in and around Carbonado.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Carbonado is a town in Pierce County, Washington, located near the Carbon River. It was settled during an economic boom in the region. The town's history as a coal mining center is evidenced by abandoned mines and company houses. Mining accidents in and around Carbonado resulted in more than 100 deaths, including the specific incident at Mine Number 7.
The Explosion. On December 9, 1899, an explosion occurred at Carbon Hill Coal Company's Mine Number 7. The disaster killed 31 miners. This event is part of the broader history of mining accidents in the area, which claimed over 100 lives. The specific toll for this incident is recorded as 31, differing from the legacy hint of 32.
Mining Hazards. Coal mining is considered hazardous due to factors such as flat-lying rock strata, incompetent rock, methane gas, and coal dust. These conditions contribute to the frequency of accidents in underground coal mining. The Carbonado incident exemplifies the dangers associated with these environmental factors in mining operations.
People involved
- Miners · Victims
Sources
- Carbonado, Washington Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28
- Mining accident Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-02
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.