I want to thank Ms. Rickmar and Ms. Warner again for posting articles like this. The reason for the thanks this time is that articles about "the mines" give a dramatic insight into the life of "Joe Average" in the "Lead Belt" back in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It is possible that a lot of modern day people are not aware of how dangerous a job "mining" can be. Some story's have came out and still come out once in awhile on coal mining (mainly shaft mining and not strip mining) and how dangerous it was and really still is today. John Llewellyn (John L.) Lewis rose to fame in the 1930s as a champion of the coal miners. He had started as early as 1911 but it was not until later that he rose to national power. I have been in "Bloody Harlan" (Harlan, Ky. Harlan Co. the site of the famous May 5, 1931 battle) and eastern Kentucky in Appalachia. As late as the mid 1990s, I saw men doing into "horizontal shaft mines" that were no more than 16" tall. I know from personal experience there that the men would go in for an 8 hour shift. They stayed in and never came back out until the shift was over. They lay on their sides to eat or what ever for the entire time. Not only was it a small opening but it would be cold and damp or even wet. When the men came out, you could not see anything but their eyes and their mouths. I am not joking one bit. If anybody thinks that mining of any sort is or was glamorous, read these postings by these two lady's .. the articles tell the truth. We who do not or did not have to do this kind of work should be very thankful and count our blessings. Just an opinion of mine. ----- Original Message ----- From: B. Warner To: mostfran@rootsweb.com Cc: Glen.Cook@state.co.us Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2008 9:21 PM Subject: [MOSTFRAN] Dallas Cook Killed By Cap Explosion (1927) THE LEAD BELT NEWS, Flat River, Missouri, Friday, February 25, 1927. DALLAS COOK KILLED BY CAP EXPLOSION. Dallas Cook, of Esther, a driller employed by the St. Joseph Lead Company in their No. 16 shaft, Rivermines Division, was terribly mangled by an explosion of blasting caps about eight o'clock Wednesday morning and died in Bonne Terre Hospital, shortly after noon. Funeral services will be held from the family home in Esther today (Friday, but details had not been determined in time for publication in this issue). Cook was born May 29, 1879 and was 47 years, eight months and 24 days old when he met his tragic death. Details of the accident will never be known as the victim was alone at the time the explosion occurred. Other workmen hearing the detonation and his frantic calls for help, rushed to him and found both hands shot off at the wrist, his abdomen terribly injured and apparently injured about the chest and face. They rushed him to the surface and procured medical and surgical aid for first aid treatment, after which he was hurried to the Bonne Terre Hospital. He was conscious to the last, but was unable to give any explanation of the explosion as the shock seemed to have impaired his memory. It is known that a full box of blasting caps, 100 in number, exploded in his hands but whether this explosion was caused by attempting to remove a cap from the box with a sharp instrument or from some other cause cannot be determined. Cook was one of the most careful drillers in the employ of the company. He enjoyed an enviable reputation for the manner in which he handled and cared for his explosives, always exercising the greatest care in keeping his dynamite and caps at the proper distance apart and the surroundings carefully cleaned. Wednesday morning he entered the heading which he was drilling and found that the shots from the previous shift had left the rock in such a manner that it would be difficult for the shovelers to get to it without extra efforts because of uneven floor. He decided that it would be a help to them if he would drill several "nifters," or small holes in the floor, using them to shoot away the uneven portion in order that the shovelers could lay additional track and get close to their rock. He had drilled four shallow holes and talked to his companions for a few minutes before going back to prepare the light charges for these small shots. It was at this time that the explosion occurred. Evidence indicated that he had removed the box of caps from his storage box, closed the larger box and was standing a few feet in front of it when the accident happened. These caps, one of them of sufficient power to cause serious damage when it explodes, are packed in metal boxes of one hundred each and are packed snugly to prevent friction. They are loaded with fulminate of mercury, an exceptionally powerful and sensitive explosion, which responds instantly to either friction or heat, a slight prick with any sharp instrument or the touch of a flowing coal being sufficient to fire them. It is presumed that Cook either attempted to remove the first cap from the box with some instrument or that he was thinking of other things at the time and forgot to remove a cigarette from his mouth, thus allowing a portion of the hot ashes to drop into the box as he held it against his abdomen and pulled the lid off. Which theory is correct will probably never be known. The eldest son of the unfortunate man, who was working on the underground transportation lines, was in the heading with his crew at the time and was one of the first to reach the victim. He assisted in getting him to the surface and accompanied him to the hospital. Mrs. Cook and other members of the family were notified and taken to the hospital also, all being with him as he passed away. He leaves his widow and five children, Elmer, Truly [Trudy?], Bernice, Geraldine and Glenwood, a number of more distant relatives and a large number of friends. He was one of the most congenial and best liked men in the district and was always ready to go out of his way to help someone else. [Note, This miner's name is listed as "William Dallis Cook" on his death certificate.]