Like his father, Aulda Jr. started working in the coal mines of West Virginia. He was a motorman with a few years of experience at the time of the Farmington Number 9 disaster. At 5:30 am on November 20, 1968, an explosion shook the mine. It was so strong that a motel clerk reported feeling vibrations 12 miles away. Miners living in the area heard the noise and, knowing what it meant, headed to the mine, where they discovered a rapidly spreading fire with flames shooting 150 feet into the air. Within hours, 21 miners made it to the surface but 78 were still trapped underground. Aulda Sr. was one of the men tasked with communications during the rescue efforts in the aftermath of the explosion, knowing his son was one of the men working the mine that morning.
The fires in the mine continued to burn for several days. On November 30th the mine was sealed with concrete after air samples taken indicated survivors would not be possible. The mine was eventually unsealed in September 1969 to begin recovery efforts for the miners who had perished in the mine. By April 1978, after ten years of clearing as much of the mine as possible, the bodies of 59 miners had been recovered. The remaining 19, including Aulda Jr. remain entombed in Farmington Mine 9.
Trying for years to uncover the truth and find justice for their loved ones, information was finally discovered in June 2014 which had been concealed by the original mine owners (Consolidated Coal Co.) that showed the mine's chief electrician had disabled a ventilation fan/alarm, leading to a buildup of gases and contributing to the explosion without warning. However, even after the previous explosion in November 1954 that killed 16 miners, safety in the mines had been problematic and miners became progressively concerned for their safety. Families of the deceased miners filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Consolidated Coal Co. in November 2014. After bouncing around several courts in West Virginia the case was eventually dismissed from the court system in 2017 due to the statute of limitations having been expired despite the fact that information was withheld by the mine's owners until it was discovered over 45 years later.
No one has been held accountable for the explosion at Farmington Mine 9 and the deaths of the miners. The federal government didn't write a formal report until 20 years later. A final report has never been written by the West Virginia Department of Mine Health and Safety. The families still feel the effects of this tragedy today.
Aulda Jr. was married to Waltraud Maryann Fuellmich (Füllmich) and they had three sons between 1959 and 1963. Their daughter was born in early 1969, just a few short months after the mine explosion killed their father, Aulda Jr.
The fires in the mine continued to burn for several days. On November 30th the mine was sealed with concrete after air samples taken indicated survivors would not be possible. The mine was eventually unsealed in September 1969 to begin recovery efforts for the miners who had perished in the mine. By April 1978, after ten years of clearing as much of the mine as possible, the bodies of 59 miners had been recovered. The remaining 19, including Aulda Jr. remain entombed in Farmington Mine 9.
Trying for years to uncover the truth and find justice for their loved ones, information was finally discovered in June 2014 which had been concealed by the original mine owners (Consolidated Coal Co.) that showed the mine's chief electrician had disabled a ventilation fan/alarm, leading to a buildup of gases and contributing to the explosion without warning. However, even after the previous explosion in November 1954 that killed 16 miners, safety in the mines had been problematic and miners became progressively concerned for their safety. Families of the deceased miners filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Consolidated Coal Co. in November 2014. After bouncing around several courts in West Virginia the case was eventually dismissed from the court system in 2017 due to the statute of limitations having been expired despite the fact that information was withheld by the mine's owners until it was discovered over 45 years later.
No one has been held accountable for the explosion at Farmington Mine 9 and the deaths of the miners. The federal government didn't write a formal report until 20 years later. A final report has never been written by the West Virginia Department of Mine Health and Safety. The families still feel the effects of this tragedy today.
Aulda Jr. was married to Waltraud Maryann Fuellmich (Füllmich) and they had three sons between 1959 and 1963. Their daughter was born in early 1969, just a few short months after the mine explosion killed their father, Aulda Jr.
Like his father, Aulda Jr. started working in the coal mines of West Virginia. He was a motorman with a few years of experience at the time of the Farmington Number 9 disaster. At 5:30 am on November 20, 1968, an explosion shook the mine. It was so strong that a motel clerk reported feeling vibrations 12 miles away. Miners living in the area heard the noise and, knowing what it meant, headed to the mine, where they discovered a rapidly spreading fire with flames shooting 150 feet into the air. Within hours, 21 miners made it to the surface but 78 were still trapped underground. Aulda Sr. was one of the men tasked with communications during the rescue efforts in the aftermath of the explosion, knowing his son was one of the men working the mine that morning.
The fires in the mine continued to burn for several days. On November 30th the mine was sealed with concrete after air samples taken indicated survivors would not be possible. The mine was eventually unsealed in September 1969 to begin recovery efforts for the miners who had perished in the mine. By April 1978, after ten years of clearing as much of the mine as possible, the bodies of 59 miners had been recovered. The remaining 19, including Aulda Jr. remain entombed in Farmington Mine 9.
Trying for years to uncover the truth and find justice for their loved ones, information was finally discovered in June 2014 which had been concealed by the original mine owners (Consolidated Coal Co.) that showed the mine's chief electrician had disabled a ventilation fan/alarm, leading to a buildup of gases and contributing to the explosion without warning. However, even after the previous explosion in November 1954 that killed 16 miners, safety in the mines had been problematic and miners became progressively concerned for their safety. Families of the deceased miners filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Consolidated Coal Co. in November 2014. After bouncing around several courts in West Virginia the case was eventually dismissed from the court system in 2017 due to the statute of limitations having been expired despite the fact that information was withheld by the mine's owners until it was discovered over 45 years later.
No one has been held accountable for the explosion at Farmington Mine 9 and the deaths of the miners. The federal government didn't write a formal report until 20 years later. A final report has never been written by the West Virginia Department of Mine Health and Safety. The families still feel the effects of this tragedy today.
Aulda Jr. was married to Waltraud Maryann Fuellmich (Füllmich) and they had three sons between 1959 and 1963. Their daughter was born in early 1969, just a few short months after the mine explosion killed their father, Aulda Jr.
The fires in the mine continued to burn for several days. On November 30th the mine was sealed with concrete after air samples taken indicated survivors would not be possible. The mine was eventually unsealed in September 1969 to begin recovery efforts for the miners who had perished in the mine. By April 1978, after ten years of clearing as much of the mine as possible, the bodies of 59 miners had been recovered. The remaining 19, including Aulda Jr. remain entombed in Farmington Mine 9.
Trying for years to uncover the truth and find justice for their loved ones, information was finally discovered in June 2014 which had been concealed by the original mine owners (Consolidated Coal Co.) that showed the mine's chief electrician had disabled a ventilation fan/alarm, leading to a buildup of gases and contributing to the explosion without warning. However, even after the previous explosion in November 1954 that killed 16 miners, safety in the mines had been problematic and miners became progressively concerned for their safety. Families of the deceased miners filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Consolidated Coal Co. in November 2014. After bouncing around several courts in West Virginia the case was eventually dismissed from the court system in 2017 due to the statute of limitations having been expired despite the fact that information was withheld by the mine's owners until it was discovered over 45 years later.
No one has been held accountable for the explosion at Farmington Mine 9 and the deaths of the miners. The federal government didn't write a formal report until 20 years later. A final report has never been written by the West Virginia Department of Mine Health and Safety. The families still feel the effects of this tragedy today.
Aulda Jr. was married to Waltraud Maryann Fuellmich (Füllmich) and they had three sons between 1959 and 1963. Their daughter was born in early 1969, just a few short months after the mine explosion killed their father, Aulda Jr.
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