On April 26, 1907, a methane gas explosion underground kills seven coal miners in Black Diamond, located in east King County. Four of the men are found dead in the mine and three others die after they are rescued.
An inquiry by the coroner and the state inspector of mines determined that the deaths were "caused by an explosion of a pocket of gas, which was brought down by an unavoidable cave and ignited by some unknown miner." According to this report, the firm that owned the mine, Pacific Coast Company, was not at fault.
The dead miners were:
- Max Bentley, 27, married, one child (home in Golden, Colorado)
- Joe Belmonti, 23, Italian, unmarried
- Philip Domenico, married, one child
- Albert Domini, 25, unmarried
- Rees T. Reese, 48, married, five children
- Michael Mikokocyk (or Mitchell), 37, married, three children
Sources:
The Seattle Daily Times, April 27, 1907, p. 2, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 27, 1907, p. 2, Ibid., April 29, 1907, p. 5.
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