1937 14 FATALITIES
1957 5 FATALITIES
Written by Coleen Mielke
2023
Evan
Jones of Ireland, came to Alaska in 1917 and became the superintendent of
the Doherty Mine on Moose Creek. Later he was the superintendent of the Eska
and Chickaloon Mines. In 1920, he organized the Evan Jones Coal Company with
4 other Anchorage investors: Z.J. Loussac, Oscar Anderson,
Jack Collins and Dr. Frank Blythe. They leased 2,240 acres
of land on the south slope of Wishbone Hill, north of Palmer, Alaska and
opened the Jonesville Coal Mine.
On October 26, 1937, there were 19 men working at the mine, when a large underground explosion killed 14 of them; only Hjalmer Houser, Jack Angeli, Oscar Jyhla, Car Edman and Victor Raide survived.
The first person to report the disaster was Harry Drake, a mine foreman, who telephoned Oscar Anderson in Anchorage and told him a large explosion inside the mine had trapped 19 men and asked for doctors, nurses and medical supplies to come as soon as possible.
Dr. A.S. Walkowski and Dr. Howard Romig raced from Anchorage to the mine (on a gas powered railroad speeder car) and found that 4 men had escaped the mine uninjured and a 5th man, Vic Raide needed medical attention for a broken leg, broken ribs and extensive burns. The condition of the other 14 men trapped in the mine was not known immediately.
When the explosion occurred, Jake Angeli was working about 350' from the gangway. He said, "I had just looked at my watch and it was 2:10 when, all at once, it was like a shot passed by my head like a wave. I stood there for a few seconds and then I told Carl Edman, who was with me, that I thought it was a gas explosion and that we better find the trouble. We started out and met a big black cloud of stinking, choking smoke that nearly blinded us. We bent low to get our heads out of the fumes. As we rushed towards the entrance, we found Vic Raide and moved him to a safer spot, away from the falling timbers and planks."
While the doctors attended to Raide's injuries, he drew a detailed map, showing the rescuers where each of the men should be found.
Hjalmer Houser said that he and Otto Nakkola were together when they felt the concussion of the explosion. They tried to get to safety but decided to go back into the mine to help their friend, Augustine Yerbich. "We climbed and climbed and we were both gasping for breath. Our eyes were smarting and watering and just as I thought I was done for, I felt fresh air. I couldn't go another inch, so I just hung there with my nose in the fresh air. After a while, I wrapped my shirt around my eyes and nose and went back into the shaft to find Nakkola. I told him, 'Come on, try once more', but he didn't move. He weighed 230 pounds and I couldn't budge him. He died 6' from the surface."
Scores of laborers dug, in 6 hour shifts, trying to get through the 35' mass of dirt, rock and timbers that lay 300' from the entrance to the mine. Fourteen men died that day.
The Alaska Commissioner of Mines filed an official report concerning the cause of the Jonesville explosion. The Commissioner, the U.S. Bureau of Mines safety engineer and three of the most "experienced and dependable" coal miners in the district participated in the investigation. They determined that the immediate cause of the explosion was a body of flammable gas and explosive coal dust that was ignited when one of the miners lit a cigarette near the face of the gangway. They also blamed Jonesville mine officials for not testing the mine atmosphere for flammable gas as well as their failure to stop miners from carrying smoking supplies and matches into the mine.
In 1957, 6 independent miners were working at the 750' level of the 1000' Evan Jones Slope Mine north of Palmer, Alaska. Mid-morning on January 18th, one of the miners, Merrit Long, left the main shaft on a routine chore. Minutes later, a large explosion shook a 35' mound of rock, dirt and timbers onto the floor of the shaft about 300' from the mine entrance.
An 80 man crew, directed by Don Hill, a manager of the Evan Jones Coal Company worked frantically to reach the miners, while cave-ins near the mines entrance slowed their progress. The explosion had ripped a large ventilator fan from its housing, deep within the mine, cutting off a large part of the mines fresh air supply and endangering the rescue workers.
Family and friends of the trapped miners waited in the frigid 5° to 10° weather for word. Two days after the explosion, the 5 victims were found dead at the 750' level.
In the 12/31/1958 the Alaska Commissioner of Mines wrote the following about the 1957 Jonesville accident: "The miners were killed by flame and forces of an underground explosion set off by an under-burdened shot in the presence of an explosive mixture of methane and air and/or coal dust."
On October 26, 1937, there were 19 men working at the mine, when a large underground explosion killed 14 of them; only Hjalmer Houser, Jack Angeli, Oscar Jyhla, Car Edman and Victor Raide survived.
Those that perished were:
| NAME |
AGE |
BORN |
HOME |
NOTES |
BURIED |
| Joseph Cernick |
1908-1937 |
New Mexico |
Washington |
Worked at mine 8 months, son of Frank and Alma Cernick |
Washington |
| Robert Nakki |
1890-1937 |
Finland Immigrated 1910 |
Worked at mine 1 year + fished at
Bristol Bay. Wife and 2 daughters World War I veteran |
Anchorage, AK |
|
| Jack Saarela |
1904-1937 |
Finland |
Juneau, AK |
Son of August and Johanna Saarela |
Anchorage, AK |
| Augustine Yerbich |
1914-1937 |
Illinois |
Son of Peter Yerbich and Nadala
"Dolly" Mistic. Also worked at Fern Gold Mine |
Nebish, Minnesota |
|
| Axel Huittla |
1889-1937 |
Finland Immigrated 1906 |
Old timer in Alaska but only short
time at mine. Had a brother in Ketchikan |
Anchorage, AK |
|
| Frank Joseph Melznik |
1906-1937 |
Chicago |
Worked at Lucky Shot gold mine + Jonesville |
Anchorage, AK |
|
| John A. Mattson |
1876-1937 |
Sweden |
Colorado |
Husband of Eleanor Mattson 6
children |
Wheat Ridge, Colorado |
| Leslie Lampson |
1911-1937 |
Wisconsin |
Sanborn, Wisconsin |
Son of William and Anna Lampson
- worked at mine 4 months |
Anchorage, AK |
| Pete Ferreni |
1886-1937 |
Brescia, Italy |
Immigrated 1903 worked for AK RR
many years |
Anchorage, AK |
|
| Otto Nakkola |
1896-1937 |
Finland Immigrated 1908 |
Worked at mine 2 years + fished
at Bristol Bay + prospected around Flat |
Anchorage, AK |
|
| Abel Edward Asikainen |
1894-1937 |
Kaavi, Finland |
Immigrated 1912 |
Worked at mine 4-5 months, had a
daughter Violet in Crosby, Minnesota |
Anchorage, AK |
| Paul Williams |
1894-1937 |
Smolensk, Russia |
3 years at Jonesville |
Anchorage, AK |
|
| Peter Olson |
1904-1937 |
Helgeland, Norway |
Immigrated 1924, changed name to
Peter Olson in Anchorage, Alaska 1935. |
Anchorage, AK |
|
| Josef Lucas |
1886-1937 |
Brno, Czechoslovakia |
Had a sister Mary Walenchik at Roslyn,
Washington |
Anchorage, AK |
The first person to report the disaster was Harry Drake, a mine foreman, who telephoned Oscar Anderson in Anchorage and told him a large explosion inside the mine had trapped 19 men and asked for doctors, nurses and medical supplies to come as soon as possible.
Dr. A.S. Walkowski and Dr. Howard Romig raced from Anchorage to the mine (on a gas powered railroad speeder car) and found that 4 men had escaped the mine uninjured and a 5th man, Vic Raide needed medical attention for a broken leg, broken ribs and extensive burns. The condition of the other 14 men trapped in the mine was not known immediately.
When the explosion occurred, Jake Angeli was working about 350' from the gangway. He said, "I had just looked at my watch and it was 2:10 when, all at once, it was like a shot passed by my head like a wave. I stood there for a few seconds and then I told Carl Edman, who was with me, that I thought it was a gas explosion and that we better find the trouble. We started out and met a big black cloud of stinking, choking smoke that nearly blinded us. We bent low to get our heads out of the fumes. As we rushed towards the entrance, we found Vic Raide and moved him to a safer spot, away from the falling timbers and planks."
While the doctors attended to Raide's injuries, he drew a detailed map, showing the rescuers where each of the men should be found.
Hjalmer Houser said that he and Otto Nakkola were together when they felt the concussion of the explosion. They tried to get to safety but decided to go back into the mine to help their friend, Augustine Yerbich. "We climbed and climbed and we were both gasping for breath. Our eyes were smarting and watering and just as I thought I was done for, I felt fresh air. I couldn't go another inch, so I just hung there with my nose in the fresh air. After a while, I wrapped my shirt around my eyes and nose and went back into the shaft to find Nakkola. I told him, 'Come on, try once more', but he didn't move. He weighed 230 pounds and I couldn't budge him. He died 6' from the surface."
Scores of laborers dug, in 6 hour shifts, trying to get through the 35' mass of dirt, rock and timbers that lay 300' from the entrance to the mine. Fourteen men died that day.
It took 2 days to get all 14 men
out of the mine,
their bodies were taken to Anchorage by railroad car.
Z.J. Loussac, Vice President of Evan Jones Coal Company
reported that "the bodies are badly mangled and burned
and I doubt they will be identified".
their bodies were taken to Anchorage by railroad car.
Z.J. Loussac, Vice President of Evan Jones Coal Company
reported that "the bodies are badly mangled and burned
and I doubt they will be identified".
The Alaska Commissioner of Mines filed an official report concerning the cause of the Jonesville explosion. The Commissioner, the U.S. Bureau of Mines safety engineer and three of the most "experienced and dependable" coal miners in the district participated in the investigation. They determined that the immediate cause of the explosion was a body of flammable gas and explosive coal dust that was ignited when one of the miners lit a cigarette near the face of the gangway. They also blamed Jonesville mine officials for not testing the mine atmosphere for flammable gas as well as their failure to stop miners from carrying smoking supplies and matches into the mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1957 JONESVILLE SLOPE MINE
In 1957, 6 independent miners were working at the 750' level of the 1000' Evan Jones Slope Mine north of Palmer, Alaska. Mid-morning on January 18th, one of the miners, Merrit Long, left the main shaft on a routine chore. Minutes later, a large explosion shook a 35' mound of rock, dirt and timbers onto the floor of the shaft about 300' from the mine entrance.
An 80 man crew, directed by Don Hill, a manager of the Evan Jones Coal Company worked frantically to reach the miners, while cave-ins near the mines entrance slowed their progress. The explosion had ripped a large ventilator fan from its housing, deep within the mine, cutting off a large part of the mines fresh air supply and endangering the rescue workers.
Family and friends of the trapped miners waited in the frigid 5° to 10° weather for word. Two days after the explosion, the 5 victims were found dead at the 750' level.
In the 12/31/1958 the Alaska Commissioner of Mines wrote the following about the 1957 Jonesville accident: "The miners were killed by flame and forces of an underground explosion set off by an under-burdened shot in the presence of an explosive mixture of methane and air and/or coal dust."
The men who lost their
lives on 1/18/1957 were:
| NAME |
BORN
|
FAMILY |
NOTES |
| Phillip Vincent Doherty |
1919 Ireland |
Wife: Mary Katherine Rush Sons:Phillip Jr., Paul and Mark |
Buried in Pennsylvania |
| John Elvin (Steve) Fowler |
1921 Oklahoma |
Son of John W. and Nellie Fowler |
Buried in Utah |
| Sam Rasmus Kwandahl |
1900 Norway |
Immigrated 1921 |
Born: Soren Rasmussen Kvamsdal Became US Citizen and changed his name in 1956. Buried in Palmer, Alaska |
| Glenn Vore |
1920 Ohio |
Wife: Daisy Gill Vore Daughter: Goldie Grace |
Buried in Palmer, Alaska |
| Nick Uzelac |
1915 Utah |
Wife: Aleen Olson Uzelac Children: Roberta and Irene |
Buried in Palmer, Alaska |