On Monday May 13, 1940, a mine gas explosion in the 2rd level north of the Occidental coal mine claimed the life of Pete Bago, a veteran miner of Austrian heritage. The 54-year-old Bago left behind a wife and four children. At the time he was packing timber when the force of the explosion threw him against center posts holding up the mine roof. That same accident burned the arms, hands, face and neck of John Mihelich of Enumclaw and Pete Stefanovich of Palmer. The two injured miners were rushed to Auburn hospital by the Maddux ambulance service after first aid was administered by Dr. Leo DeMerchant of Enumclaw. Eleven other miners escaped without incident and brought their injured colleagues to the surface. The County Coroner in suit and hat is seen attending to Mihelich as he’s placed on the stretcher. John Spaulding is to the right in white shirt, jacket and holding a pipe. He was the bookkeeper for Palmer Coking Coal Co. which operated the mine. The Occidental underground coal mine was located north of Bayne on the west side of the Cumberland-Kanaskat Road. It operated from 1928 to 1945 producing over 384,000 tons of coal. This photo was one of several by the Enumclaw Courier-Herald whose news story about the incident appeared in their May 17, 1940 issue.
Notice: The second of two Black Diamond Historical Society tours of Franklin, previously scheduled for April 4th has been cancelled due to Coronavirus and COVID-19 concerns.
