Bois du Cazier coalmine disaster

[Jim Eshelman]

Brussels worst coalmine disaster, and its worst disaster of any kind for loss of life until the L'Innovation Department Store fire in 1967, was at the Bois du Cazier coalmine in Marcinelle (exact coordinates 50N22'54", 4E22'34"), August 8, 1956 at 8:12 AM. 262 men died (136 of which were Italian guest workers; only 96 were Belgians). 13 survived.

"...the hoist mechanism in one of the shafts started before the coal wagon had been completely loaded into the cage. Electric cables ruptured, starting an underground fire within the shaft. The moving cage also ruptured oil and air pipes, which made the fire worse and destroying much of the winch mechanism. Smoke and carbon monoxide spread down the mine, killing all the miners trapped by the fire." (Wikipedia)

The charts are not particularly good overall. This is even more the case when we remember that Neptune (which certainly seems appropriate in this place for death by suffocation on noxious fumes) is one of the least active planets in coalmine disasters overall. Had we been on track to predict this, the Cansolar transit by Mars would have led us to be several days off (since the Mars and Neptune concurrent transits would have been pretty good, but Mars was out of orb by the time of the accident.)

Year: Capsolar
Sun on Asc (2°14')
Moon on EP (1°23')
Uranus on Dsc (5°46')
Mercury on Asc (9°46')
-- Moon-Mercury conj. (2°04' in mundo)

Bridge
t. Neptune conj. Cansolar MC Jul 16 to Nov 24

Quarter: Cansolar
Neptune on MC (1°47')
Sun on WP (1°12')
Venus on Dsc (8°04')
Moon-Pluto sq. (2°42' in mundo)

Month: Caplunar (Dormant.)

Week: Canlunar
Sun on Asc (1°37')
Moon sq. MC (1°27')
Uranus on Asc (6°57')
Neptune-Pluto sq. (2°09')
-- Neptune on IC (7°12')
-- Pluto on Asc (9°21')

Day: Capsolar Quotidian & Transits (Dormant.)

Day: Cansolar Transits
t. Sun sq. s. Moon (0°36')
t. Neptune conj. s. MC (1°24')
t. Mars sq. s. Asc (2°28') [Too wide, listed for interest.]


SUMMARY