May 20, 1900
Egypt’s short-lived success halted in 1895. On December 20, a major explosion killed thirty-nine miners. Headlines read “Forty-Three Dead – Terrible Explosion of Fire Damp [sic] at Cumnock Mines” and “The Dead Recovered” painted a somber picture of Egypt’s legacy. Death, the great equalizer, did not discriminate based on the color of one’s skin. Relief funds poured in to support the families of those killed. Once again, the
Unfortunately, even with the 1895 disaster and the subsequent legal changes, the region could not stop another accident. On May 22, 1900, another explosion claimed twenty-two lives. The culprit: firedamp, again. Interestingly enough, this disaster does not claim as much attention as Cumnock’s first disaster (with few interpretive resources acknowledging this moment). Perhaps this is because the accident killed half as many men (though certainly a death toll that is worthy of note). Regardless, the large loss of life left the region reeling, and Cumnock could not outpace the accident and the resulting negative image.
Of the twenty-two men killed in the accident, nineteen hailed from Chatham County. Similarly, by 1895, Black men accounted for over half of the fatalities. The company shipped the body of supervisor John Conolley, to his family in Pennsylvania. Two of the men killed are buried in Mecklenburg County, NC. At the time of writing, I have located some of the local burials, but unfortunately, many are lost to time. This is likely the result of forgotten graves or the lack of funds for adequate markings.
| Name | Birth Date | Age | Race/Ethnicity | Hometown or Birth Location | Burial Location |
| Allie Bynum | Colored | ||||
| Westly Clegg | White | ||||
| John Connelly | White | Pennsylvania | |||
| Joe Fagan | Colored | ||||
| Jno Gatewood | White | ||||
| Robert Gatewood | White | Paw Creek Presbyterian Church, Mecklenburg County, NC | |||
| Joe Glas | White | ||||
| Dan Goldston | Colored | ||||
| Jno Harkey | White | Paw Creek Presbyterian Church, Mecklenburg County, NC | |||
| Jno Hubbard | Colored | ||||
| Jim Maks | Colored | ||||
| Jas McCarthy | White | ||||
| Sim Mcintire | Colored | ||||
| Jno Lee Palmer | Colored | ||||
| Jim Palmer | Colored | ||||
| Petr Palmer | Colored | ||||
| William Reeves | Colored | ||||
| Robt Reeves | Colored | ||||
| Joe Taylor | Colored | ||||
| William Tyson | White | ||||
| John Willett | White |
