Joseph, Emma and F. G. [Frank George] Burton
Page by Bob Leathers
Joseph and Emma Burton. (Hanna Basin Museum)
Life Story
1851 December: Joseph "Joe" Burton was born in England. (1900 US Census)
1854 February: Emma Allcock was born in England. (1900 US Census)
1872 January 24: Joseph, age 20 and Emma Allcock married in England.
1880: Joseph "Joe" and Emma Burton came to America. (1900 US Census)
1908 March 28: Joseph "Joe" Burton, age 56, was killed in the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine in Hanna. Joseph was the Forman of the No. 1 Mine at the time of his death. His body was not recovered from the mine.
March 28, 1908 marked another explosion in the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 mine in Hanna,
Mine No. 1 has always been gaseous, feeders being frequently broken into. For some years preceding the disaster of 1903, a section of the mine is said to have smoldered behind airtight bulkheads. The 1903 explosion resulting in the loss of 169 miners is said to have been caused by the breaking out of gas and its ignition by a blown-out shot, while coal dust raised by the gas explosion likewise resulted in a series of local explosions. The mine was opened up shortly after the disaster and operated continuously up to the present time.
Referring to the mine map, Figure 4, it will be noted that entries No. 8 and No. 10 extend south from the east slope for a distance of about 1,600 feet. No rooms had as yet been started from these entries. On Friday, March 20th, the face of the upper entry of No. 10 (the haulage way) was set on fire. (Mines and Minerals, May 1908)
On the 20th of March, eight days before the 1908 explosion of Hanna Mine No. 1, John Burton and William Bailey were working in No. 10 entry. They fired a shot about 11 P.M., which set fire to the coal. They tried to secure water with which to extinguish the flames but were unable to do so, as the pipeline was out of order. They then attempted to extinguish the fire by spreading the burning coal over the floor of the entry. They believed they had the fire out and later started out of the mine. On their way out along the entry, they met fire boss John Evans and informed him of what had happened. Evans investigated and later told Burton and Bailey that the fire was out.
On the evening of Saturday, the 21st, John Evans, in making his rounds, discovered fire in the same entry. He reported it to the mine foreman, Burton. By this time, the fire had gained such headway that it was found necessary to stop it off. (1908 MIR)
1908 June 26 (Letter 1 below) David Thomas - County and Prosecuting Attorney from Evanston, Wyoming, wrote to Governor B.B. Brooks. In his letter he wrote:
"I am requested by Mrs. Burton, a lady 78 years of age, whose son, Joe Burton, late foreman of that mine, and her grandson, F.G. Burton are dead in the mine, to ask you to urge the Inspectors to do all in their power to get the bodies out of the mine; she says she cannot sleep, and the thought of her dear ones in that fearful hole almost kills her."
"I do not know what kind of man Bird is when it comes to work or his character, but I do know that Young has no nerve in a mine where there has been a disaster. I have seen him tried and he didn't make good." "I would thank you to quietly intimate to Bird that you would regard it as a favor if he were to favor the idea of at least making a trial towards the recovery of the bodies, and not to discourage the idea at the meeting. I write you plainly and with full confidence on this subject, because I fear, from what I have heard, that Bird wants to see the mine sealed and a monument erected over it to commemorate the dead. This I regard as a bad move coming from the Inspector of the District and creates a hard feeling against him among the camps."
"Mrs. Elias is very restless so much so that we are having her come to Evanston for a few days, believing the change will be beneficial."
1908 March 28: Joseph Burton's son George Burton was also killed in the 1908 explosion. He was buried in Almy, Wyoming.
1911 November 11: Emma (Allcock) Burton died in Evanston, Wyoming at the age 57 and was buried in Evanston, Wyoming.
The following is an account of life at the Hanna coal mines as written by Emma Wallwork Burton, granddaughter of mine foreman, Joseph Burton. Emma wrote this in her mid-eighties as she remembered living in Hanna, Wyoming when she was eight years old. (1908)
The following is an account of life at the Hanna coal mines as written by Emma Wallwork Burton, granddaughter of mine foreman, Joseph Burton. Emma wrote this in her mid-eighties as she remembered living in Hanna, Wyoming when she was eight years old. (1908)
“Here we are on my grandmother’s porch looking toward the mines. We see a pump pumping water from the mines. Look at it steam! It’s hot! It is flowing toward the town. The boys, my uncles, carried it to grandmother’s house. She used it to do her washing in.
“I lived in Two Town. Some of the hot water reached us, now warm enough for little kids like me to play in. We lived on First Street. Between the mines and our street was a big building, I know not what for but thought it might be a store house. I’ve seen them take things from there up to the mines. Oh, yes. There was a cold-water tap. Now on our street, I don’t know how many houses, but for every four houses there was a water tap where we got our water. Then down the alley ran a string of garbage cans and an out-house or back-house as I should say. It was partitioned into four sections. Two to be used by our street and two to be used by the next street. Between the out-houses was a large garbage can to be used by the people who used the outhouses. The garbage collector, with a four-horse team, pulled under, and pulled a string and the bottom opened dropping the garbage into the wagon. The wagon was also unloaded at the dumps, as they called it. Sometimes, we kids would follow it and see what we could find.
“I told you we lived in Two Town.The first street was a string of houses that Finnish people lived in. On the end, toward town, was the hospital. One time a man got drunk and set himself afire and he died. They took him out the back door. He had a dog that followed to the front, of course he didn’t know they took the man, his master, out the back door. They tried to drive him away but he’d just come back until he nearly died of starvation. My uncle got him and we brought him to Evanston where he lived out his life as our pet.
“The row of people back of us that used the other two sections of the back-house were Negro. So us kids saw the rear ends of Negroes, be it male or female. Then there was a row of houses facing the railroad tracks. They were people of different races.
“Near the hospital was an underpass that you used to get to One Town. This is where most of the shopping places were. Coming out of the underpass you were headed straight to the store. Here you could buy most anything. Coming out of the store, you could look to your right and see a row of business places. I can’t remember just what they sold but one large building they called Finnish hall, meaning a lodge belonging to the Finnish people. The only school in town was up above this street. I guess it was so full, no room for more, and I was sent to school in the Finnish Hall. The teacher, a man, must have been of Finnish blood. But I remember him telling a story entitled, “Who Stole My Golden Arm.” It nearly frightened all of the kids out of their wits.
As you turned to your right you could see stores of all kinds. I remember a shoe store, dishes, and stew pot stores, tubs to do your washing in, no washers as I remember. You did your washing on a wash board and on an old-fashioned paunch made by the husband. He usually helps the mother paunch the clothes. Of course, there were tin wash tubs. These were used to wash with a wash board, and of course no bath tubs so people used tin tubs. Just lean over it to wash the upper part of your body, then sit in it to wash your rear. Now pull yourself out and sit on a stool to wash your feet. I guess you have a towel handy to dry yourself. Don’t you feel good though!
“Along this street was a candy store run by a lady they called Millie Marsh. She sold penny candy. One time a young fellow said, “Girls, come in the candy store and I’ll buy you a nickels worth of penny candy. “Millie fixed each of us a sack of candy and the boy ran saying, “You girls run, I don’t have any money!” Millie let us keep the candy and we were to pay for it when we got a nickel. I’m sure everyone did pay.
“There was a back-house next to Millie’s candy store. One time there was a frightened scream coming from the back-house. It was my sister that had left school looking for me, her big sister. Then I had to take her back. When school was out my father had to come take us home. I remember looking up toward the school and there was a sunbonnet flying from one of the poles. I thought it was mine that Iner Evand had grabbed from me one day.
“Above Two Town was a lot more rows of houses and ditches. I know not what the ditches were but my dad worked there to keep them clean so the water would keep moving. At noon my mother used to fix Dad a dinner in his dinner bucket, putting enough in it for my dinner too.
“The dinner bucket had three parts to it. In the bottom part, larger than the others, was coffee. The next level the miner’s dinner, then another compartment for dessert, usually a piece of pie. I used to get great pleasure from this walking home with my dad. You know there was no such thing as an automobile.
“Somewhere in the vicinity was another part of Hanna called Three Town. My father was working here. I understood to guard the store, that was often in the daytime.
“Near three Town was a large reservoir to pipe cold water to the different camps. We used to walk up there. Mother pushing the baby buggy with a lunch packed in the front of it at the baby’s feet. Oh, how we enjoyed those picnics.
“You see, the coal mine wasn’t working. They had decided there was gas in the mines so the coal miners were laid off. Oh, I must tell you about the horses. They kept horses down in the mines to pull the loaded cars where they wanted them. They kept the horses down the mines all their lives, taking hay down to feed them. Then they made it a law that they should be taken to the surface every weekend. They made a wire enclosure to let them in. Oh, what a sight to see it. It seemed that their eyes shown like diamonds and their tails stood up in the air as they circled around in the enclosure. When they tired out they just stood like statues. I often wondered myself how they felt to go back down.
“My grandfather told my father they had all the gas out and all the men would be called back Monday, this was Saturday. But my mother asked my father not to go back until all the men did, so he didn’t. And that night, bambo!, and the mine exploded. And my grandfather, Joseph Burton was down there in it.
“The next morning they gathered a rescue squad to go down and see if they could bring the bodies of those down there out. My mother just said to me, “Emma, take that rug out and shake it.” There I was on the porch and bambo!, she went again. It seemed to me that timber and dirt flew clear to the sky. But every door in the camp opened with men and women crying and screeching toward the mine. But now there they are, workers and rescue party buried alive. I seem to remember they got some of the rescue men’s bodies out. Oh, lucky me, my father was about to go down but he thought, “Oh, I can’t go down with this nice coat on.” His sister-in-law had said, “here, take Jim’s coat and bambo!, she went again, killing all the rescue party. I seem to remember they got some of the rescue party’s bodies out. My father got to the mine and stopped to hang Jim’s coat in the pump house and bambo!, she went again. So my father wasn’t in it, although he knew his father was.
“We then moved back to Evanston with all our memories. I’ll never forget. I understand they sealed the mine. I heard there was an explosion before that.
“I should have told you about Jap Town. It was to the right above Two Town. They had times when they had the most beautiful display of fireworks, supposed to be Jap Big Day.
“Oh, I remember they had a ball park and a bandstand below Jap Town. I can’t seem to remember when they used the bandstand but it had a beautiful lawn in the yard where it stood. We kids used to play on the lawn. Near here was a big boarding house, where I suppose the single miners slept and ate.” (Gert Milliken Collection: Given to Muriel by Lillian Banner, )
Burton, F. G. [Frank George] (Inquest) (MIR) (MM)
Cemetery: Alma, Wyoming
Born: 1871
Died: Mar. 28, 1908
Age: 37 y's
Note: Frank Burton worked as a Trackman in the No. 1 mine. On Saturday, March 28th, while the mine was idle, a fire crew consisting of 18 men entered the Number 1 mine to put out a fire burning in entry number 10. The mine exploded about three in the afternoon killing all the men in the fire crew. A rescue crew was organized and entered the mine to search for survivors. A second explosion occurred the same day about ten thirty in the evening. Frank and 41 other members of the rescue crew were killed in the second explosion. His body was found on Sunday, August 16, 1908, on day 142 after the explosion, identified and removed from the mine. He was buried in Almy, Wyoming. (BL)
Note: George was killed in the 1908 explosion of Union Pacific Coal Company’s No. 1 mine in Hanna. He was buried in Almy, Wyoming. (BL)
More at: Hanna Miner Monument
Cemetery: Alma, Wyoming
Born: 1871
Died: Mar. 28, 1908
Age: 37 y's
Note: Frank Burton worked as a Trackman in the No. 1 mine. On Saturday, March 28th, while the mine was idle, a fire crew consisting of 18 men entered the Number 1 mine to put out a fire burning in entry number 10. The mine exploded about three in the afternoon killing all the men in the fire crew. A rescue crew was organized and entered the mine to search for survivors. A second explosion occurred the same day about ten thirty in the evening. Frank and 41 other members of the rescue crew were killed in the second explosion. His body was found on Sunday, August 16, 1908, on day 142 after the explosion, identified and removed from the mine. He was buried in Almy, Wyoming. (BL)
Note: George was killed in the 1908 explosion of Union Pacific Coal Company’s No. 1 mine in Hanna. He was buried in Almy, Wyoming. (BL)
More at: Hanna Miner Monument
Cemetery: Alma, Wyoming
(Image from Ancestry)
Burton, Joseph (Inquest) (MIR) (MM)
Born: 1850
Died: Mar. 28, 1908
Age: 58 y's
Hanna Monument: At the top of Hanna No. 1 Hill stands a Memorial Monument dedicated to the men who lost their lives in the explosions of the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine in Hanna. The Monument also marks the area where 28 of the men - like Joseph Burton - were killed, but not recovered and their bodies remain at the bottom of the mine.
Note: Joseph Burton worked as the Foreman of the No. 1 mine. On Saturday, March 28th, while the mine was idle, a fire crew consisting of Joseph and 17 other men entered the Number 1 mine to put out a fire burning in entry number 10. The mine exploded about three in the afternoon killing all the men in the fire crew including Joseph. A rescue crew was organized and entered the mine to search for survivors. A second explosion occurred the same day about ten thirty in the evening killing an additional 41 miners. Joseph's body was not found. His remains remain at the bottom of the mine. (BL)
Note: Joseph Burton was killed in the March 28, 1908 explosion of Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine in Hanna. His body was not recovered from the mine. (BL)
More at: Hanna Miner Monument
More at: Hanna Mine Explosion Monument
Born: 1850
Died: Mar. 28, 1908
Age: 58 y's
Hanna Monument: At the top of Hanna No. 1 Hill stands a Memorial Monument dedicated to the men who lost their lives in the explosions of the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine in Hanna. The Monument also marks the area where 28 of the men - like Joseph Burton - were killed, but not recovered and their bodies remain at the bottom of the mine.
Note: Joseph Burton worked as the Foreman of the No. 1 mine. On Saturday, March 28th, while the mine was idle, a fire crew consisting of Joseph and 17 other men entered the Number 1 mine to put out a fire burning in entry number 10. The mine exploded about three in the afternoon killing all the men in the fire crew including Joseph. A rescue crew was organized and entered the mine to search for survivors. A second explosion occurred the same day about ten thirty in the evening killing an additional 41 miners. Joseph's body was not found. His remains remain at the bottom of the mine. (BL)
Note: Joseph Burton was killed in the March 28, 1908 explosion of Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine in Hanna. His body was not recovered from the mine. (BL)
More at: Hanna Miner Monument
More at: Hanna Mine Explosion Monument
Hanna Mine Explosion Monuments on Hanna No. 1 Hill. Sept. 2023. (Image by Bob Leathers)