Barnacarroll marks Butte Mining Disaster centenary

HERO Michael Conroy will be remembered in Barnacarroll this Friday.

Michael Commins

A Mayo man who died in a vain attempt to rescue stranded miners in Butte, Montana, 100 years ago will be remembered and honoured at a special gathering in Barnacarroll Church on Friday evening, June 9.
Michael Conroy, a native of Mace, Claremorris, lost his life along with Peter Sheridan from the borders of Monaghan and Armagh, when they were caught in the back-draft of a blazing fire below them, as they were lowered down the mine in a double-deck cage. Neither were miners but both worked as station tenders.
The fire in the Speculator Granite Mountain Mine shocked America and is still the worst mining disaster in US history with 168 people losing their lives on June 8, 1917. The copper-mines were at full production because of wartime needs.
Jarlath Sweeney from Claremorris, one of the organisers of the gathering in Barnacarroll Church, says the commemoration is generating a lot of interest. “Family, relatives and friends are travelling from the United States, Britain and across Ireland to attend the special commemoration for Michael Conroy, the station tender who gave up his life in a brave effort to rescue stranded fellow miners.
“To commemorate the heroic endeavours of Michael Conroy and Peter Sheridan and those that died in the tragedy, a special ceremony will be held in Barnacarroll Church with a memorial Mass on June 9 at 7.30 pm, followed by the unveiling of a replica of the memorial stone as erected in Michael’s memory at Holy Cross Cemetery, Butte.
“There will also be a welcome function for the relatives to meet at the adjacent community centre. Display boards will feature a selection of documents and photos of family memorabilia and from the mine site in Butte.
“The Gold Medal for bravery posthumously awarded to Michael Conroy will be presented by his grandson, Michael, during the Mass ceremony. Local schools are involved researching further into the incident and producing the Mass booklet.”
Tracy Thornton from the Montana Standard newspaper has compiled a story on Michael Conroy and Peter Sheridan for a special supplement to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the disaster.
She estimates that at least 38 of the 168 who died were from Ireland. Among them was another Mayo man, Peter Hastings from Drummin, Westport. Other Irish surnames among those who perished included Brady, McGuinness, Moran, Murphy, Murray, O’Neill, Lowry, Lavery, Kelly, Kennedy, Keane, Joyce, Geraghty, Fitzsimmons, Fagan, Durkan, Doherty, Dillon, Curran, Fitzharris and Callaghan.

An account of the incident
The following narrative is an account of the incident at the time. “On the evening of June 8, 1917, 410 men were lowered into the Granite Mountain shaft to begin another backbreaking night shift. Earlier in the day, a crew had begun the process of lowering a three-ton electric cable down the shaft to complete work on a sprinkler system designed to protect against fire. “At 8pm the cable slipped from its clamps, and fell into a tangled coil below the 2400 foot level. As it fell, the lead covering was torn away, exposing a large portion of oiled paraffin paper, which was used to insulate the cable.
“At 11.30pm that night four men went down to examine the cable. One of the men accidentally touched his handheld carbide lamp to the cable insulation, which immediately ignited the oily paper. The flame then spread to the shaft timbers, quickly filling the Granite Mountain and Speculator shafts with thick, toxic smoke.
“In the confusion that ensued, just over half of the men working the depths of the Granite Mountain shaft were able to find an escape to the surface. One group of 29 men built a bulkhead to isolate themselves from the smoke and gas for 38 hours before making their way to safety.
“At the 2254 foot level, another group of eight men were found behind a makeshift bulkhead over 50 hours after the start of the fire. Two of these men died shortly before their rescue, but the other six were recovered safely.”
Antoinette Keane (Conroy) from Claremorris, whose late father was from Mace, has been immersed in the commemorations plans over the last few weeks. She will deliver the address of welcome for visitors in Barnacarroll Church and is overwhelmed with the response from family and friends of the Conroy family and extended relatives leading up to the occasion. 
“One hundred years on, the story of these two men has impacted on so many people both at a local level, and beyond. It’s as if we are reliving that shocking event all over again. We are reminded of the terrible loss of life, and the unbearable grief that ensued.
“Our thoughts are with Michael and Peter leading up to the centenary of the incident but we must never forget all the other Irish men who died so tragically on that fateful night. Butte and Ireland are bonded forever, and we will honour all miners who lost their lives on the night of June 8 and 9, 1917.
“Michael was a first cousin of my grandfather Thomas Conroy from Mace who was married to Catherine Walsh, also from Mace. Three of Michael’s granddaughters and his grandson are making the journey from the UK. Eamon Corcoran is coming home from San Francisco and his brother Peter is travelling from New York.
“Fr Martin O’Connor, Ballindine, who is another cousin, will be the chief celebrant at the Mass so it is going to be a very special and poignant occasion for all of us.”
The flags of Montana and the USA, along with the Mayo and Irish flags, will be flown outside Barnacarroll Church for the commemoration ceremonies on Friday evening.
The ceremonies in Barnacarroll will coincide with events planned for Butte which includes the staging of a dedicated musical, ‘No Greater Love’, featuring the Irish heroes caught up in the disaster. Jerry O’Sullivan, the producer of the musical, was a recent visitor to Claremorris and called to the local gaelscoil to talk about the Mine Disaster centenary events planned in Butte, his home city.
Other church ceremonies are also planned in Butte to commemorate those who lost their lives in the disaster. Butte still has a strong Irish community that includes the descendants of many people from the Irishtown region of south Mayo.