Customer Reviews

Fire and Brimstone: The North Butte Mining Disaster of 1917

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On 8 June 1917 an enormous 1,200 foot cable of wire, insulation, and lead sheathing, weighing five pounds per foot, was being lowered into the Granite Mountain copper mine in Butte, Montana. It kinked as it was going down the mine shaft, and in attempting to untangle it, the cable came loose, tearing down the shaft, ruining equipment, but harming no one. In the operation to recover the hopelessly damaged cable, however, part of the insulation caught fire. The resulting smoke and conflagration killed 164 miners, which is significant enough as the worst hard-rock mining disaster in American history. It also sparked labor violence and affected national politics even to the attempt of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to pack the Supreme Court with justices who saw things his way. Everything from the small flame that started the fire to the national repercussions is examined in _Fire and Brimstone: The North Butte Mining Disaster of 1917_ (Hyperion) by Michael Punke. Readers will be reminded of the coal mining disasters from earlier this year and the continuing danger of working underground, but will also get short course in the history of American copper mining and the associated labor movements of the first half of the twentieth century.

After the cable had been lost, the problem started with the crew that descended 3,740 feet to retrieve it. A carbide lantern (battery lamps were available, but were dim and heavy) caught the oil-soaked insulation on fire, and the crew could not stop it. There were over 400 men working in the mine, and as word spread about the fire, they scrambled through the labyrinthine tunnels attempting to find a way out or somehow to keep clear of the poisonous gases (mostly carbon monoxide). Many of the men attempting to leave the mine by their customary means were overcome. Others who knew that side tunnels connected to distant mine shafts found that solid walls blocked their escape; the walls, ironically made to keep smoke from getting from one mine to another, were illegal because they had no doors. In two cases, miners walled themselves up in mine tunnels to barricade out the deadly fumes. The company assured everyone that it would be getting a generous $750,000 to the families of the dead, but it didn't even come close. After the accident, there was an understandable push to restart unionism, but Anaconda portrayed strikes by the union as a plot by German forces, and especially by the leftist International Workers of the World, which the public feared. Anaconda did whatever it could to divide the prospective unions by ethnic lines or by job specialty. It also took hold of the Montana government, helping to found "Councils of Defense" that had intimidating capacity to outlaw the German language or effectively ban First Amendment rights. Senator Burton K. Wheeler, who had made a name for himself as district attorney by refusing to crack down on labor organizers after the disaster, helped usher in the New Deal changes when he became a senator from Montana, but he also became a leading opponent of FDR's court-packing scheme.

Readers will not only notice similarities to recent mining disasters, but also to the current political atmosphere. Fear of poorly-understood aggressors led to curtailment of citizens' rights and to the increase in executive power, with corrections to the abuses coming only eventually. Punke does not belabor the similarities, but easily moves from the specific accident to the broader view of effects on Montana and national politics. It is a grim tale at all levels.

Michael Punke does an excellent job of weaving the history of the time with the story of the North Butte mining disaster. I don't read alot of history, but found this one of the most interesting, hard-to-put-down books I've read of any non-fiction genre. You can smell the smoke, feel the panic and appreciate the courage of the men and women of Butte. To get a real sense of this history, visit Butte, Montana. It's one of the most fascinating and strong communities on the planet.

This is an excellent read. Michael Punke tells a compelling story of the worst hard-rock mining disaster in history and describes in detail the political unrest and ethnic tensions in our country at the dawn of the 20th century. Most interesting of all is the gripping adventures of the men who are trapped more than 2000 feet below ground trying to survive fire, poison gasses, and despair - hoping rescuers will soon arrive. Highly recommended . . . a book you will not want to put down.

Since reading Punke's first novel, The Revenant, I have anxiously awaited his next effort. Fire & Brimstone certainly does not disappoint. Like the Revenant, Fire & Brimstone is a meticulously researched and colorful historical novel. However, Fire & Brimstone has significant relevance to today's world given the recent mining tragedies in West Virginia and elsewhere. Other modern day themes include all powerful energy companies, labor strife and environmental issues. Punke also brings to life a wide range of characters from that tragedy and era. I highly recommend Fire & Brimstone.

Michael Punke has an incredible ability to make the story jump off the page. Too many non-fiction writers are turgid; Punke is anything but. I highly recommend it.

This book was based on the history of the incident and politics of the day. The author did an excellent job bringing it all together for a look back at that era.

FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: THE NORTH BUTTE MINING DISASTER OF 1917 provides a 'you are there' history of a disaster which began just before midnight on June 8, 1917, when a fire trapped over four hundred men underground. As they fought to survive below, politics and local changes intersected above in a book which covers not just the mining disaster's circumstances, but its lasting implications for labor relations.

Diane C. Donovan

California Bookwatch

Being born and raised in Butte, this book is especially informative and interesting. I never knew about most of the information presented here, the history of Butte reads like a novel. I'm only half way through and can't wait to pick it up and start again.

this book talks about the times during my great uncles' times when they worked in the copper and iron ore mines. I'm hoping to get a more complete picture of life they lead and rough times they had to go through.

I bought this book as a gift for a friend who is a "mining history" buff. What a quality book (hard cover with dust jacket). I happened to read the first few pages and couldn't put it down. Needless to say, I had to read the book before I could give it away. I'll be buying another copy for a different friend (who I know will really appreciate it).

It is difficult to say the book was enjoyable, being written about such a gut-wrenching subject. However, the author does a good job of covering the heroic and very human aspects of it. I learned alot about mining, what people do to make a living and their actions in dire circumstances.

Since the disaster happened in 1917, reading it was like travelling back in time to 1917. The author paints a full picture, not just of the disaster and people but of the political, economic and environmental conditions surrounding the disaster.