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MINING COAL - COSTS -
Poisonous
Gases
Underground coalmines were dangerous places to work. The
miners not only had to contend with the cold, dark environment
with the constant danger of falls of rock, but also with the
air they breathed. Coal contains
methane gas,
which is released when the coal is mined. A tremendous amount
of methane was produced in the Crowsnest mines. A study from
the 1920s estimated that 3,640 cubic feet of methane gas was
given off for every ton of coal produced.
Known by the miners as firedamp, methane when
concentrations become high enough, is highly explosive –
the slightest spark could set it off.
The very
fine coal dust produced by mining also posed a danger – it
was usually the combination of methane and coal dust which
caused explosions that killed hundreds of miners in the
Crowsnest coal field over the years.
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