Marie mine disaster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Marie mine disaster (31 May 1892) was a fire in the Marie ore mine in Příbram, present-day Czech Republic, which killed 319 miners.[1] It is considered the worst mining disaster in Czech history and one of the deadliest in the world.[2]
 Illustration of recovery efforts | |
| Date | 31 May 1892 |
|---|---|
| Location | Příbram, Austria-Hungary |
| Deaths | 319 |
Event
The fire started in the Marie mine on 31 May 1892 at approximately 1pm, and subsequently spread toxic fumes to the neighboring Anna, Prokop, Vojtěch and Franz Josef I mines. Some miners died immediately, while others had time to write letters to their families. Rescue work largely concluded around 7pm.[1][2] By the afternoon of 1 June, some miners were still underground and alive; most could not be saved but at least one miner was rescued on that day.[3] Overall, 319 miners died and 516 survived, with most victims dying of smoke inhalation.[2]
Cause
The fire was likely caused when miner Emanuel Kříž decided to change the wick in his lamp, but mistakenly dropped the remnants of it which sank into a cellar beneath him. After checking with three other miners for fifteen minutes and observing no fire, they left for the surface.[2] The first signs of fire were observed two hours later.[4] However, at Kříž's trial, experts from the Mining Academy argued the cause could not be definitively concluded.[2]
