Banner Mine disaster
On April 8, 1911, a coal mine explosion near Littleton, Alabama killed 128 people, making it one of the 15 deadliest U.S. mine disasters. The exact cause is unknown, but investigators think a spark may have ignited gas, killing seven miners and disabling a ventilation fan. Without the fan, deadly gas filled the mine and 121 more miners suffocated. About 40 workers escaped. The Banner Mine was run by Pratt Consolidated Coal Company, owned by Tennessee Coal & Iron. Seventy-two of the dead were black convicts leased from the state and Jefferson County. The disaster helped Governor Emmet O’Neal push a mine safety law through the Alabama legislature.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:02 (CET).