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galleries on multiple levels. Such complexity was intended to facilitate access for rescuers in the case of an accident—it also helped the coal to be brought to the surface—but it contributed to the large loss of life by allowing the dust explosion to travel further and then by increasing the debris which had to be cleared by the rescuers. About 110 km (70 mi) of tunnel are believed to have been affected by the explosion. Gérard Dumont of the Centre historique minier de
Lewarde has shown that the plans of the mine existing at the time of the accident were difficult to interpret: some measured the depth of galleries by reference to the minehead, others by reference to sea level.
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There is evidence favoring both these hypotheses. Blasting was being done in the area believed to be the source of the explosion, after initial attempts to widen a gallery had been abandoned the previous day for lack of success. Many workers in the mine used lamps with naked flames (as opposed to the
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Such appeals became widespread, and were supplemented by the sale of special collections of postcards depicting the disaster. The different appeals were eventually subsumed by an official fund—itself established by a law enacted only four days after the explosion—and a total of 750,000 francs was
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arrived at the scene on 12 March. The first funerals occurred on 13 March, during an unseasonal snowstorm; 15,000 people attended. The funerals were a focus for the anger of the mining communities against the companies which owned the concessions, and the first strikes started the next day in the
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It is a call for social justice that comes to the nation's representatives from the depths of the burning mines. It is the harsh and suffering destiny of work that, once more, manifests itself to all. And would political action be something else than the sad game of ambitions and vanities if it
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was deliberately delaying the reopening of blocked shafts to prevent coalface fires (and hence to save the coal seams): more recent studies tend to consider such claims as exaggerated. The mine was unusually complex for its time, with the different pitheads being interconnected by underground
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Rescue attempts began quickly on the morning of the disaster, but were hampered by the lack of trained mine rescuers in France at that time, and by the scale of the disaster: some two-thirds of the miners in the mine at the time of the explosion perished, while many survivors suffered from the
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stated that "I have the strongest hope that our discussion... will lead to an understanding which is desirable for all." However, the following day the strikers rejected the concessions offered by the mining companies and the number of strikers reached 46,000.
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The slow progress of the rescue exacerbated the tensions between the mining communities and the companies. By 1 April only 194 bodies had been brought to the surface. There were many accusations that the
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The primary cause of the Courrières catastrophe could not be determined with absolute certainty. This is what generally happens in catastrophes where all the witnesses to the accident are gone.
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raised. This at a time when the daily wage for a miner (a well-paid job compared to other manual work) was less than six francs. Over half the total was contributed by the
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About 500 miners were able to reach the surface in the hours immediately after the explosion. Many were severely burned and suffering the effects of mine gases.
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which swept through the mine. However it has never been ascertained what caused the initial ignition of the coal dust. Two main causes have been hypothesized:
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A large explosion was heard shortly after 06:30 on the morning of
Saturday 10 March 1906. An elevator cage at Shaft 3 was thrown to the surface, damaging the
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540:"Courrières, mars 1906 : Lewarde présente une reconstitution en 3D sur le déclenchement de la tragédie et le parcours des rescapés"
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The disaster at the Courrières mine was one of the first in France to be reported on a large scale by the media of the day. The
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on 26 April 1942, which killed 1,549 miners. A coaldust explosion, the cause of which is not known with certainty, devastated a
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The first public appeal for funds to help the victims and their families was established the day after the explosion by
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didn't propose to itself the liberation of the workers' people, the organisation of a better life for those who work?
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581:(1906-03-31). "13 levende Minearbejdere frelste i Courrières" [13 living miners saved in Courrières].
497:"catastrophe du 10 mars 1906 « Catastrophe de Courrières » : une expression impropre !"
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L. L. (1906-03-11). "Frygtelig
Grubekatastrofe i Frankrig" [Horrible mine disaster in France].
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It is generally agreed that the majority of the deaths and destruction were caused by an explosion of
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601:(1906-04-05). "Endnu et "levende Lig" i Courrières" [Another "living corpse" in Courrières].
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The postcard, postmarked 1906-04-08, is in the archives of the Centre historique minier de
Lewarde.
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Courrières area, extending quickly to other areas in the départements of the Pas-de-Calais and the
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762:"Commemorating France’s Worst Mining Tragedy: 1099 Workers Perished to Profit the Bosses"
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was publicized and quickly extended itself to the entire region. Minister of
Interior
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191:(102 people killed). The mine was 2 km (1 mi) to the east of
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394:. Clemenceau's first visit was filled with optimism and ex-president
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visited the region twice, but "no promises were kept", according to
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had specified the basis for a (relative) freedom of the press, and
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effects of gas inhalation. Expert teams from Paris and from
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Ignition of methane by the naked flame of a miner's lamp.
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Courrières 10 mars 1906 : la terrible catastrophe.
201:(about 220 km, or 140 miles, north of Paris).
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Polish immigration to the Nord-Pas-de-Calais coalfield
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Catastrophe!: The 100 Greatest
Disasters Of All Time
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353:of the next day, socialist and pacifist politician
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
258:Courrières mine disaster - Rescuer equipped with
16:1906 coal mine explosion in Pas-de-Calais, France
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340:was available nine days after their discovery.
330:Law on the Freedom of the Press of 29 July 1881
703:Lille: Editions La Voix du Nord. 48 pp.
850:Industrial accidents and incidents in France
375:(Central Committee of French Coal Mines, an
369:Compagnie des mines de houille de Courrières
347:, a Lille daily newspaper. In the newspaper
296:A group of 13 survivors, known later as the
173:Compagnie des mines de houille de Courrières
128:illustration of the Courrières mine disaster
513:Journal officiel de la République Française
225:An accident during the handling of mining
175:. Victims lived nearby in the villages of
542:(in French). La Voix du Nord. 2006-03-05.
312:. A final survivor was found on 4 April.
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
772:"Ils étaient 1099, morts pour le profit"
373:Comité central des houillières de France
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485:(in French). Le Monde. March 10, 2006.
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423:, a 2016 brass band contest piece by
324:Miners' strike in Pas de Calais, 1906
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528:(in French). Libération. 2006-03-06.
47:adding citations to reliable sources
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752:Centre historique minier de Lewarde
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455:Stephen J. Spignesi (2004).
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642:"The French Mining Strike"
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820:Labor disputes in France
309:Médaille d'or du courage
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668:"To-Days Telegrams"
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796:50.4154°N 2.8900°E
770:. Translated from
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