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| Successful Mine Rescues in June |
| 1873 |
Henry Clay Colliery Explosion, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — An accident occurred at the Henry Clay Colliery which was caused by the explosion of a keg of powder which communicated the fire to the stope in which were about two hundred miners. 122 of the miners were rescued. Twenty were supposed to be still in the mine. At the time of the accident the inside foreman was exploring some of the works, when he set fire to the gas, causing the explosion. Source document 
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| 1882 |
Alta Mine Asphyxiations, Virginia City, Nevada — Six men penetrated the Alta drift with refreshments for seven imprisoned miners. The rescuers wore ice helmets to enable them to pass the belt of 300 feet of foul air between the entrance and the end of the drift. The seven men were found in comparatively good condition. They had turned water from the drift into their ice-water keg when empty, twisted the end of the compressed air pipe into a barrel of water, and, standing around it, breathed the air thus cooled as it arose through the water. After an undisclosed period, all were removed from the drift, the whistles along the lode signaling the event. The bodies of Richard Bennett and Dennis Callahan, the brave fellows who perished in the attempt to rescue the miners by means of a boat, were recovered. Source document
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| 1899 |
Gaylord Mine Cave-in, Plymouth, Pennsylvania — Ignatz Cosmoro was entombed in the Gaylord mine of the Kingston Coal Company for 76 hours following the inrush of an unusually large amount of coal after a blast made by Cosmoro and another unnamed miner. With no serious injury, Cosmoro was able to walk home after his release. Source document
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| Park Regent Mine Asphyxiations, Aspen, Colorado — A fire in the shaft house of the Park Regent mine, on Smuggler Mountain, caused the death of P. A. Headman, who was working in a drift of the mine. A number of miners were overcome by smoke and gas and taken out in an unconscious condition after an undisclosed period. All recovered but Headman, who left a wife and five children. Source document
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| 1900 |
W. P. Rend No. 2 Mine Explosion, Glouster, Ohio — Two hundred miners were imprisoned at 7 a. m. on June 8 by an explosion of gas in mine No. 2. It was thought at first that the loss of life would be large, but the work of the rescuers was carried on so energetically and successfully that all were rescued and saved later that same night except three. The explosion set the mine on fire, adding to the difficulty. A second explosion occurred at about 6 p. m. and shortly afterward a third, in which the system of fans used to force fresh air in the mine was destroyed. There were 400 men employed in the mine. Had the explosion occurred a few moments later, after all the men had entered and taken their positions, the destruction of human life would have been fearful to contemplate. Source document
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| 1901 |
Port Royal No. 2 Mine Explosion and Fire, Port Royal, Pennsylvania — A temporary rescue party entered the shaft after an undisclosed period and started toward the spot where it was thought some of the entombed men may be found. Lying at the bottom of the shaft were Lawrence Settler and John Stakes. Unconscious and covered with dirt, the men quickly were taken to the top of the mine.
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| Baltimore No. 2 Breaker Fire, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — Six hundred men were at work in the mines when the fire started at the Baltimore No. 2 breaker of the Delaware & Hudson Coal Company, and Samuel Smith, outside foreman, and John Matthews, inside foreman, set about to rescue them. Matthews was sent down the shaft, while Smith communicated with them by telephone. Hurriedly they ran to the foot of the shaft, and were hoisted to the surface. Matthews coolly mastered the situation and prevented a panic among the men in their eagerness to get out. He, with seven others, the last in the mine, who had run from the distant workings, reached the hoist as the engineer was forced to leave his station by the heat. Seven men were reported missing when the hoisting engine stopped, and it was thought they had perished, but an hour later they appeared on the surface. The men had a thrilling experience. Finding the mine filling with smoke, they made their way through some abandoned workings to an opening. They had to crawl on their hands and knees, and were well exhausted when they reached the surface. Source document
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| 1903 |
Hanna No. 1 Mine Explosion, Hanna, Wyoming — About 3 hours after the explosion, four men were taken out alive and a half hour later they were followed by forty-two others. Many were unconscious and had to be carried from the workings. Several were in a serious condition, but it was believed all would recover.
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| Fortune Mine Fire and Explosives Detonation, Leadville, Colorado — Two hundred and fifty pounds of giant powder exploded at the shaft house of the Fortune mine, destroying the shaft house and machinery. Five men
were entombed in the mine in the aftermath and after an undisclosed period all were rescued excepting the superintendent, Patrick Barker, who was found dead in the bottom of the shaft with his head cut off. The explosion was caused by a fire which ignited the powder and the explosion completely wrecked the surface buildings. Source document
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| 1905 |
Carbonate Hill Mine Explosives Detonation, Ketchum, Idaho — Three miners rescued their mine foreman, Charles A. McCoy, from the Carbonate Hill mine near Ketchum, Idaho after an undisclosed period. Included in the rescue were John M. Parks, 19; Leroy McCoy, 19; and Wallace O. McPheters, 24. These three miners were awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal. Source document
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| 1907 |
Hope Mine Cave-in, Basin, Montana — As a result of a cave-in at the famous Hope Mine, at Basin, Montana, Charles Collins, a miner, was caught beneath many tons of debris. The rescuers were more than surprised at the end of 17 hours of work to find him absolutely uninjured, the timbers having protected him. So great was the fright from the experience, however, that Collins decided to lay off and went to Butte, where he dropped dead. Source document
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| Phillips Mine Cave-in, Salisbury, Pennsylvania — After having been entombed in the Phillips mine near Salisbury for an undisclosed period, Tom and Lawrence Fallon were reached by a rescuing party. Lawrence Fallon was found alive and well, but his brother Tom was seriously injured. The two men were imprisoned by a cave-in of the roof of the heading in which they were working. Source document
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| 1908 |
Markle Mine Cave-in, Jeddo, Pennsylvania — After an undisclosed period, Michael Lebon was rescued unhurt from a cave-in at the G. B. Markle and Company mine in Jeddo, Pennsylvania. Two falls occurred in the mine during this event. The first narrowly missed entombing seven other miners. The second fall, also called a "squeeze", trapped Lebon in between two large pieces of a room, ahead and behind where he ended up. Thought to be dead, Lebon escaped injury, even directing the rescuers how and where to dig. Source document
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| 1909 |
Lackawanna No. 4 Mine Explosion, Wehrum, Pennsylvania — Twelve miners were unconscious when rescued on the 23rd but were revived through the use of oxygen. They were placed in the temporary hospital, a machine shop, and at 3 p.m. were sent to Spangler on a special train provided by Trainmaster Henry Taylor, of Cresson.
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| 1911 |
Kokomo Mine Cave-in, Brazil, Indiana — George Faulkner, a miner at the Kokomo mine, near Brazil, Indiana, was buried alive for several hours by a huge mass of slate. Faulkner was entirely covered, but retained consciousness, and when a mule driver went by several hours later. He yelled to him for aid. He was rescued with great effort by several miners and was found to be injured about the back with serious internal injuries. Source document
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| 1912 |
Hastings Mine Explosion, Hastings, Colorado — Rescuers who entered the Hastings mine early on June 19 returned soon afterward with a Greek, who was badly burned. Source document
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| 1913 |
Scott Mine Explosion, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — The results of the gas explosion in the Scott mine were fortunately not as serious as was feared. Two men were killed, four others were severely burned, one badly squeezed, and seven overcome by bad air. All except one would probably recover. Twenty-four men had a very narrow escape with their lives. There were exciting scenes at the head of the shaft until late in the afternoon. Stanny Silkus, one of the first men sent to his home after he was removed from the mines, returned to the colliery to help in the work of rescue. He said he was seated on a supply box along the gangway, and he added: "Something came just like a storm and a big spark, a big roar followed, and I was knocked with my two buddies about fifteen feet. They were burned. I ran out yelling for help. First aid fellows took charge of me, and when I came up, I jumped into an ambulance and went home." It was generally believed that the explosion was caused by a miner either opening his safety lamp to light a shot, or by a pipe. In all probability the gas had gathered in a vast quantity at the face of one of the breasts. Source document
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| 1915 |
Rush of mud and water into the Longacre-Chapman Zinc Mine, Neck City, Missouri — Six men were imprisoned. Four were rescued alive after 120 hours of difficult work by company men, volunteers, State mine Inspectors, and Bureau of Mines men. Two men found were dead on the fourteenth day following the accident. Source document 1 Source document 2
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| 1916 |
Hickory Swamp Colliery Cave-in, Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania — Caught under a fall at the Hickory Swamp colliery, Frank Ringcavich, 41, was instantly killed while his "butty" Michael Droblefski, 29, was imprisoned behind a second fall and was rescued after 20 hours work on the part of rescue gangs. The men were working as miners in No. 4 vein. Mr. Ringcavich was completely buried under the first fall, and his "butty," who was dressing off a shot, when the fall occurred, went to his assistance to try and rescue him. As he was trying to free Ringcavich, a second fall occurred, making him a prisoner. Droblefski was only slightly bruised and walked out of his tomb. Source document
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| Anaconda Mine Fall of Person, Butte, Montana — John Corbett sustained painful injuries when he fell 75 feet in the shaft at the Anaconda mine. He was rushed to the St. James hospital where it was found that two ribs had been fractured, one of them puncturing the lung. It was considered probable that Corbett also sustained internal injuries. Source document
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| Nevada Mining Company Explosion, Pleasanton, Kansas — Ernest Stockton was rescued after an undisclosed period following an explosion in the jack mines of the Nevada Mining Company, two miles southeast of Pleasanton. Left for dead, mainly by a statement from his buddy, the doctor proceeded to render first aid to the buddy's burns and injuries, also doing what he could to alleviate the pain of the mine superintendent. However in passing the mine, someone saw the wire upon which the safety lamps were operated shake violently, proving that the man, Ernest Stockton, whom the buddy thought dead, had recovered consciousness, and was signaling for help. Those present immediately got busy with floods of water to keep him from suffocating, while others let down a rope with a noose fixed and told him to tie it about him. No sound came from the mine for several minutes, but finally he was able to talk and apprised the people on top where he was, and the rope was pulled from the main shaft and lowered into the air shaft. He put his foot through the noose, taking hold of the rope with one hand, while with the other hand and his loose foot he kept himself from bumping into the timbers while the rescue party pulled him from the mine hand over hand. He retained his faculties until he was safely out of the mine and then collapsed. He was in alarming condition but a little improved. He contracted such a cold while lying in the water and inhaling the gas that the physician was having a hard time to keep him from a spell of pneumonia. Source document
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| 1917 |
Twenty-five of 29 miners imprisoned on the 2400-foot level of the Speculator Mine of the North Butte Mining Company were brought to the surface after being trapped for 36 hours. They owed their lives to crew member, Manus Duggan, a 20-year-old nipper boy, who didn't make it out himself. According to Nyrja Johnson, the first man to the surface, Duggan directed all the work in their effort to barricade themselves from the gases. He had the men strip naked and use their clothes to block out the toxic gas. Duggan became lost when he went ahead of the crew to test for gases. 163 miners were killed in this disaster. See more. Source document 
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| 1918 |
Short Mountain Colliery Cave-in, Lykens, Pennsylvania — Five men were standing timber, when without warning the ground caved, catching all five. One man was able shortly to free himself and went for assistance. Soon a rescue party arrived. In a short time, the party got a man out; with medical assistance his life was saved. The next three men were alive when removed but died soon after; the last man was dead when taken from under the fall.
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| North Mahanoy Mine Cave-in, Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania — John Wasnoski, 50, was taken out of an old chamber in the North Mahanoy mine after being entombed for ten hours. He was only slightly injured. Wasnoski spent most of the hours of his underground imprisonment in prayer. He embraced his rescuers and walked home, refusing to ride in the colliery ambulance. Source document
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| 1919 |
Henry Clay No. 1 Colliery Inundation, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — Rescuers worked for 60 hours endeavoring to locate Vistor Aughustine, one of the two men caught in a breast at the Henry Clay No. 1 colliery of the Reading Coal and Iron Company, when a body of water mysteriously broke into the workings. Bart Mirolli, the other man entombed, was rescued alive. He was swept into a heading and was in a semi-conscious condition when reached. He was in the Shamokin hospital with several ribs broken, one of which penetrated the lungs, causing an injury likely to result fatally. Source document
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| 1920 |
National Mine Cave-in, South Scranton, Pennsylvania — Louis Buffalino was freed from a cave-in after an undisclosed period that occurred in the National mine at South Scranton, Pennsylvania. All the time the rescue party was at work, Buffalino kept uttering comforting words to his wife, who stood at the edge of the cave-in watching the rescuers work. Buffalino's companion, Pasquale Ballino, was crushed to death in the incident. Source document
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| 1921 |
Packer No. 3 Mine Cave-in, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania — Entombed behind a heavy fall of coal and culm in Packer No. 3 mine for an undisclosed period, Jacob Romansky was rescued without a scratch. Romansky's partner heard the coal working and ran to safety just as the fall occurred. Source document
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| 1922 |
Quartet Mine Fire, Searchlight, Nevada — All of the men trapped by fire in the Quartet mine at Searchlight were rescued after an undisclosed period, except two that were known to be dead. Previous advices said four of five men had been trapped in the mine in addition to the two, known to be dead. Source document
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| 1923 |
New Mine Cave-in, Bucknell, Indiana — Three miners were rescued 80 hours after a cave-in occurred at the New Mine at Bucknell, Indiana. The 3 men were identified as Jim Bertillo, Joe Bernardi, and Frank Maberto. The men were near the shaft when the hoist rope broke and the cage, full of coal, went crashing to the bottom, causing the cave-in. More than 2,500 people waited at the shaft for their rescue. Source document
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| 1925 |
Baltic Mine Cave-in, Grass Valley, California — Robert Hill was rescued after being imprisoned for 57 hours in the black hole of the Baltic mine. Had he been a few feet closer to the mouth of the tunnel, he would have been crushed in the cave-in which imprisoned him. For 24 hours he did not hear a sound and had no means of knowing whether rescue work was under way. He felt confident, however, that he would be rescued. After his rescue, Hill was in good physical condition, but was pale and worn from his experience. Source document
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| M &'s Mining Cave-in, Joplin, Missouri — Harry Long, 34, entombed by a fall of rock and dirt for 5 hours in the M &'s Mining Company shaft was rescued. Aside from a cut on his head, he was none the worse for his experience. A mass of timbers falling over a mining tub formed a protecting barrier for Long, keeping the heavy rocks from crushing him. A timber struck him across the head, knocking him unconscious. It was forty-five minutes before he regained consciousness and it was then that his shouts reached the ears of his brother, William Long. Source document
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| 1926 |
Alpha Portland Cement Asphyxiation, Ironton, Ohio — The last of eighty miners overcome by gas in the mine of the Alpha Portland Cement company were rescued alive by 11:45 a.m., five hours after they had entered the mine. Officials are unable to account for the accumulation of gas. On reaching the workings this morning the men began to lose consciousness. Those nearest the shaft left the mine and reported the condition and a rescue crew was hurriedly organized. Source document
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| Kaiser Bunkers Landslide, Black Butte, California — Voyle Richardson, 21, was unscathed except for shock, after he was buried for seven hours beneath twenty-five feet of rock. A quick wit, nimble muscles and a waiting steel bucket saved the young man's life. When he saw tons of rock and debris hurtling from the mountainside, he leaped beneath the large container, which tipped and sheltered its occupant as the slide thundered over. Richardson was employed at the Kaiser bunkers at Black Butte. He was engaged in splicing a cable to one of the buckets in the deep, narrow cut. When the slide started he realized that he was trapped and took the desperate choice of crouching under the bucket rather than to make the futile attempt of flight in the path of the slide. Source document
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| 1928 |
National No. 1 Mine Explosion, National, West Virginia — Five miners were killed and seven others were injured seriously when an explosion occurred in the National mine of the National Fuel Company. All other men in the mine at the time escaped or were rescued alive. Ten men, rescued alive after an undisclosed period, were rushed to a hospital. Seven were burned and otherwise injured. The National mine is a drift operation and normally employs about 100 men. Two of the injured were not expected to live. The blast occurred shortly before the night shift was scheduled to leave the workings. Twenty-five miners were in the mine and thirteen escaped or were rescued. Most of them suffered injuries of a less serious nature. The injured were brought to the Monongalia county hospital here. The explosion, it was said, was caused by gas. Source document
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| 1929 |
Three miners became ensnared in a cave-in at the 750-foot level of the South Eureka Mine, Sutter Creek, California. George Carevich escaped unaided and reported the accident. After several hours, Thomas Rodovich, who was entombed with Mike Matlick, was taken out alive but badly lacerated. While no further news about Matlick could be found, it was agreed by company officials that his chances of survival were slim. Source document
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| Empire Lead and Zinc Mine Cave-in, Picher, Oklahoma — Robert Luster and Charles Ashen, miners, were alive after being buried in a rock avalanche in the Empire Lead and Zinc mine. They were painfully injured. Source document
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| Abandoned Mine Fall of Person, Franklin, Pennsylvania — Suspended on a rock, 80 feet down in an abandoned coal mine, with a pool of water below, William Harrison, 10, was rescued suffering from a broken leg, cuts, and bruises. He was removed to Grove City Hospital. The boy and a playmate went to the shaft and attempt to throw a heavy club into the hole. A nail in the wood caught in the boy's clothing and caused him to plunge into the opening. Rescuers worked for more than an hour before bringing the lad to the surface. Source document
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| 1930 |
Waterworks Tunnel Explosion, Detroit, Michigan — Fifteen men in a waterworks tunnel 227 feet below the surface of the Detroit river were rescued after an undisclosed period following a premature explosion of a dynamite charge. Six laborers were killed and six were injured in the accident. The injured were rushed to the hospital while rescue gangs started mining for those trapped in the tunnel by sand and rock. The explosion occurred in a tunnel in which the men were working when an electric drill struck a charge of dynamite. Source document
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| 1932 |
Silver King Western Mine Cave-in, Park City, Utah — Rescuers toiled 30 hours to free six Silver King Western miners, after having furnished the imprisoned miners fresh air, food, candles and electric heating elements. The six miners, caught behind a cave-in in a drift Friday noon, were released, none the worse for their experience. Their greatest discomfort was suffered from the water until it was drained. The water rose to a depth of four feet and the six men took turns in sitting on the one ore car in the drift which could accommodate only three men at a time, forcing three to stand in the water. Source document
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| 1933 |
Joseph Terescavage, a 56-year-old miner, from Shamokin, PA was rescued after having been entombed for two days in the collapsed Madeira Hill mine near Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania. Source document 
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| 1934 |
Dorrance Colliery Cave-in, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — Buried beneath a fall of coal, Joseph Swelgoskie suffered possible fractures of the small bones of his left foot at the Dorrance Colliery of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company. He was rescued by fellow workmen within a few minutes after the fall occurred. Admitted to General Hospital, Swelgoskie was reported in good condition. Source document
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| Abandoned Diamond Colliery Rescue, Scranton, Pennsylvania — The wanderings of two North Scranton boys in the darkness of the abandoned Diamond Colliery of the Glen Alden Coal Company, ended after 75 hours of torturous travel through pockets of blackdamp and perilous cave squeeze areas. Their underground journey was terminated in a thrilling rescue by Fuhrman Ballus, who on his second attempt in two days to locate the boys, found them without lights, huddled against the gob. The youths, Walter Gilasavage, 13, and John Stasko, Jr., were sadly the worse for their experience when brought to the surface. Both boys were exceedingly nervous and exhausted almost to the point of emaciation. The youngsters each lost nine or ten pounds in the adventure and had been without food for three days. The only water available was the subterranean drippings of sulphur water. Gilasavage was taken to the state hospital and was examined. His physical condition was reported as good considering shock and his long vacation from the dinner table. Stasko was treated by a physician and was removed to his home. Both boys had bruises on the leg from tearing along the road and vaulting over fall of roof. The boy were so weakened as to be scarcely able to follow Ballus over the gangway as he piloted them to the surface. Source document
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| Unnamed Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Aristes, Pennsylvania — Entombed for nearly eight hours in a coal hole sixty feet deep near Aristes, Stephen Popilchock, aged seventeen, summoned enough strength to escape from ambulance attendants and make off to his home in a friend's automobile, following his rescue. While being carried from the mine hole on a stretcher to the ambulance, Popilchock startled his rescuers by suddenly leaping from the stretcher and running to the automobile of a friend, he was driven home and apparently was none the worse for his experience. Source document
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| 1935 |
Unnamed Mine Cave-in, Dillon, Montana — Although he was trapped for four hours at the bottom of a 120-foot shaft by a cave-in, George Mickich escaped with a severe nervous shock. Mickich was working with several others in the mine at the time of the collapse but was separated from them. The others immediately launched rescue operations and succeeded in releasing the man, to whom they continually shouted words of encouragement. Source document
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| 1936 |
Caught by crumbling rock and fallen timbers in a Helena, Montana mine, Ed Moore became held firmly by the jam. One of the owners, John Brophy, who was working with him, managed to get out and get help. Despite being warned by Moore not to come down, rescuers worked for four hours to free him and return him to his wife and daughter, who were waiting on the surface. Source document
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| Dugger-Martin Mine Explosion, Paxton, Indiana — Ivan Alexander was rescued alive from the Dugger-Martin coal mine, several hours after he had been overcome by gas while attempting to find two other men believed killed in an explosion. The two men still in the mine were believed to have been killed in the explosion. Source document
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| Anthracite Bootleg Mine Rockslide, Greenwood, Pennsylvania — Arthur Ulko, 18, was saved from death after an undisclosed period by several companions after he was pinned in a hole while digging coal in Greenwood. A slide of rock was reported to have caught Ulko and buried his left leg. Friends succeeded in removing the rock and had him taken to the office of Dr. Serafine Wandalowski. Ulko's injuries were described as brush burns of the left leg and left arm. He also suffered from shock. Source document
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| 1937 |
Abandoned Quarry Fall of Person, Lansdale, Pennsylvania — Nine-year-old, Salvatore Onorato, was rescued after he plunged with his bicycle over the side of an abandoned quarry. He was rescued after clinging for 30 minutes to a projecting rock. Ross Smith, also nine, who was with Onorato, rode two miles on his own bicycle for aid. Magistrate Howard F. Boorse and three other men lowered a rope to the stranded boy and pulled him from the pit. He was injured slightly. Source document
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania — Dorne Starkey, 15, was rescued alive after being buried for an undisclosed period under a slide of rock in a coal hole just north of the Reading Company depot at Mahanoy City. His companion, Walter McClaren, 17, narrowly escaped the rush. McClaren rushed into Mahanoy City to summon aid, and within a short time a force of men arrived at the scene to find Starkey trapped with heavy rocks pressing against his right ankle. With considerable difficulty the youth was freed and found to have escaped with a crushed ankle and suffering from shock. Source document
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| Reliance Colliery Cave-in, Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania — John Zankoskie, 50, was trapped for four hours in a rush of coal in the Primrose vein of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company's Reliance Colliery, near Mount Carmel. Throughout the greater part of the miners period of imprisonment, Dr. A. B. Buczko, company compensation surgeon in the Mount Carmel district, was at the unfortunate man's side, administering surgical and medical treatment and aiding in maintaining his morale. Zankoskie was taken to the Shamokin Hospital, where he was under treatment for a mangled right leg and shock. He was expected to recover. Source document
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| 1938 |
Butler Slope Explosion, Pittston, Pennsylvania — Rescuers were successful in bringing six miners to the surface after an undisclosed period. Seriously injured were John Waskiewicz and Peter Morgantini. They were treated at the Pittston Hospital for skull fractures and severe burns. Others hurt were Warner Posdzich, Peter Wasluk, Patrick Nardone, and Joseph Lusto. Lusto was the only one who reached the surface unaided. Clutching an injured wrist, he staggered out of the mouth. His wife, screaming, darted from the crowd and into his arms.
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Ashland, Pennsylvania — A father and son, trapped for two days in a makeshift Anthracite mine were freed by rescuers. A physician said both Peter Shinskowsky, 48, and Peter, Jr., 17, appeared to be in good condition. Source document
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| 1939 |
Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — A young, free-lance miner, freed from a makeshift coal hole after having been trapped for eleven hours, died in the hospital of shock and injuries. Leonard Reidinger, 21, was in serious condition from the exposure when he was rescued from his underground prison. Reidinger was trapped the day before by a fall of earth and timbers in the "slope mine" at nearby Klondike mountain. Rescuers were able to free his head almost at once, but they worked gingerly throughout the day to extricate the remainder of his body. The youth was working at the slope mine when the fall occurred. His father and two brothers were busy at the coal hole with him and directed the rescue work. Reidinger was pinned about fifty feet from the opening of the hole. As rescue work progressed, he was given hypodermic injections and retained consciousness, directing the activities of his rescuers. Source document
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania — Andrew Engle, 52, was reported in fair condition at Locust Mountain Hospital after he and his 19-year-old son were rescued from a fall of rock and coal 100 feet below the surface in a bootleg coal hole near Shenandoah. The elder Engle, rescued after five hours entombment, was covered to the neck by the fall. His son, rescued after two hours, was unhurt. Source document
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Asphyxiation, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — Oscar Peek, 28, former Coal Township High School football player, was suffocated at the bottom of a 150-foot shaft near Shamokin. Twelve workers were overcome with Peek when a gasoline pump blew out a gasket in the coal hole and filled the shaft with carbon monoxide gas. Two members of the rescue squad from the Susquehanna Collieries descended into the hole with gas masks and brought out the victims. Jeff Peek, the dead man's brother, Joseph Pincoski and Edward Slatcoski, who were working with Oscar Peek, were detained at Shamokin Hospital. Edward Caleskie, Lewis Borgetti, and George Paczkowski were treated and released. First aid was administered to six others at the scene to Lawrence Lukaski, Joseph Osiwalla, Arthur Roth, Peter Kramlich, Paul Cheslock and John Yadloski. At that time Peek's death was the third bootleg coal disaster in the Shamokin area within the previous week and the 25th bootleg coal hole fatality in the anthracite region since January 1, 1939 (six month period). Source document
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| Star of Utah Tunnel Cave-in, Keetley, Utah — Eight miners trapped nine hours by a tunnel cave-in were rescued. The cave-in was in the Star of Utah Tunnel used by the New Park Mining Company as a means of egress to its workings. One of the trapped miners later related how the cave-in dammed the tunnel, causing water to collect along the floor and slowly swell up the sides. The men moved back slowly and took positions as high in the tunnel as was possible. A company announcement said that none of the men were injured. Those trapped included Earl Giles, George Giles, Russell Horrocks, Joe Murdock, Amos Wilson, Jerry Gertsch, Randall Schear, and Darrell Provost. Source document
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| 1940 |
Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Clement Petrovich, 22, was admitted to the Pottsville Hospital with injuries of the head and a possible fracture of the skull, received when he was caught under a fall of top coal in a bootleg coal hole near New Philadelphia. Fellow miners rescued him after an undisclosed period and removed him to the hospital, where he is being treated for shock and the injuries. Source document
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — Enoch Janaskie, 32, was transported to the Shamokin State Hospital suffering from back and pelvis injuries when struck by a rock while at work
in a bootleg coal hole. Fellow workers rescued him after an undisclosed period and removed him to the hospital. Source document
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Greenbury, Pennsylvania — Joseph Terway, 45, an independent miner injured when he was entombed for an undisclosed period in a coal hole near Greenbury was taken to the Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment. He died two days later in the hospital of internal injuries and multiple fractures. Source document
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| 1941 |
Bootleg Anthracite Mine Asphyxiation, Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania — Dominick Cardosa, 29, was rescued from a bootleg coal hole after he had been overcome by black damp. Unconscious when admitted to the Ashland State Hospital, Cardosa, was reported greatly improved. Source document
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| Kent No. 2 Mine Explosion, McIntyre, Pennsylvania — Of 34 miners trapped in the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company's Kent No. 2 mine at McIntyre, Pennsylvania, as the result of an explosion underground, 28 were rescued alive after an undisclosed period. All of the bodies were recovered. Of the 28 men brought out alive, 17 were burned badly enough to be taken to the hospital and several of these were reported in a critical condition. The 34 men were working in Section Three of the mine, when the blast, described as a dust explosion, rocked the entire region. Last New Year's Eve, five miners were entombed in the same mine for 18 hours, but escaped when workmen tunneled through to them. Source document
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Onedia, Pennsylvania — James Houser, 26, of Onedia, was taken to the Hazleton State Hospital and treated for shock, exposure and contusions of the left leg suffered during a 10-hour entombment in a coal hole. Caught when a cable broke, causing the buggy to pull out timber which closed a slope, Houser was rescued before 11 o'clock on June 13. He was working with his brother Henry, and Oscar Logan and was just winding up his coal hole job when the accident occurred. He was to begin a job at Audenried on the following Monday. Source document
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| 1942 |
Bankston Creek Colliery Cave-in, Harrisburg, Illinois — When Denny Moore, shotfirer at the Bankston Creek Collieries company mine failed to show up at the wash house at the end of the shift, fellow workmen started a search and found him buried under six feet of dirt. Moore's groans led the searchers to the spot where loose earth had caved in when he stepped upon it. He was taken to a hospital for treatment for shock and an injured back. Source document
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| Unnamed Renton Mine Cave-in, Renton, Washington — Two miners were rescued from a coal mine gallery 350 feet underground where they had been trapped for 56 hours by a cave-in. Hungry, but evidently unhurt, the miners, Archie Skiver, 40, and Robert Stonack, 20, were freed through a tunnel dug around the slide. They came through the tunnel unassisted but were taken to a hospital for observation. The only food they had was what rescue workers had been able to send down a 60-foot two-inch pipe driven to a point near the men. Source document
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| 1944 |
Oregon Gold Mine Cave-in, Boulder, Colorado — Buried by a cave-in at the Oregon gold mine after almost eight hours of frantic effort by fellow employees and volunteer rescue squads, Bernard Meyring, 60, was rescued and recovering at a hospital from exposure and minor injuries, but apparently no broken bones. Source document
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| 1947 |
Independent Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Pottsville, Pennsylvania — George Sleva, 26, was rescued after being entombed 14 hours by a rock fall in a small independent coal mine. Sleva was taken to the Pottsville Hospital, where he was taken and treated for shock and minor bruises. His condition was described as good. Source document
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| 1949 |
Spruce Mine Landslide, Eveleth, Minnesota — Two miners were rescued after being trapped more than ten hours by an earth slide in the Spruce mine at Eveleth, Minnesota. Sakri Makinen and Ed Kinszater were both brought up from the 200-foot level unhurt. Source document
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| 1950 |
Copper Canyon Mine Fire, Copper Canyon, Nevada — Fourteen miners trapped for three hours by flames in a mine shaft were rescued. Mining Engineer Tom Cahill of the Copper Canyon Company said that fire of unknown origin broke out at the top of the main shaft at 8:30 a.m. Contact with the underground crew 700 feet below the ground level was immediately cut off when telephone wires in the main shaft burned. When news of the trapped men was first transmitted to nearby cities, rescue crews of miners were flown from adjoining areas to the scene. Supt. Robert Raring ventured down a parallel shaft abandoned as a working operation and used as an emergency escape route. By noon, the last of the 14 miners had climbed ladders in the old shaft and emerged safely on the ground level. None of the men had been overcome by smoke. Source document
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| Abandoned Anthracite Strip Mine Entrapment, Glen Carbon, Pennsylvania — A 13-year-old Philadelphia boy was rescued from the bottom of a 60-foot abandoned stripping pit at Glen Carbon, near Minersville, after being trapped for more than two hours. John Murphy, who was visiting relatives in the Schuylkill County area, was playing baseball with a group of companions. The ball rolled into the pit and Murphy entered the hole to retrieve the ball. At the bottom, he sank waist-deep into heavy mud, but kept from slipping beneath the surface of the mud by clinging to a rock ledge. Rescue workers erected a platform over the muddy section and then released the uninjured boy. Source document
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| 1952 |
June 2, 1952: Three of five miners were rescued after being trapped for 24 hours by a cave-in at Republic Steel Corporation's Penokee Iron Ore Mine near Ironwood, Michigan. The rescued miners were Victor Cox, Christopher Hocking, and Mack Krecker. The body of Jerome Olkonen was later found by rescuers, lying beside his machine. The fate of the 5th miner, Serafim Zackarzewski, is not known, although mine officials feared he would have been crushed to death in the fall of rock. See More
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| Bull Gulch Lead and Zinc Mine Cave-in, Jefferson City, Montana — An eight-year-old boy's yell and 150-yard sprint for help saved two miners from possible death and made his father "the proudest man in Montana." A cave-in at the Bull Gulch lead and zinc mine completely covered Robert Steinbacher, 34, this Father's Day. Mine owner Henry Madison, about 70, was held fast by rocks, gravel and dirt that stopped cascading when the slide reached his chin. Young Charles O'Reilly of Helena was the only other witness to the near tragedy. He yelled to his father, Henry, who was prospecting about 100 yards above the mine, pointed to cave-in and raced to the nearest telephone which was at the Steinbacher's home about 450 feet from the mine. Henry O'Reilly ran to the mine with a pick and shovel and seeing Madison able to breathe began digging where he thought Steinbacher was buried. In about 10 minutes he had freed Steinbacher's head enough so that he could breathe more easily. O'Reilly's son, meanwhile, urged Mrs. Steinbacher to call an ambulance and round up some volunteers. In another 20 minutes the men were free and on stretchers. Steinbacher and Madison apparently suffered only shock and bruises. Source document
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| 1954 |
Blue Mountain Mine Cave-in, Cumbola, Pennsylvania — Charles Kopinetz, 31, was rescued after being trapped for three hours in the mine operated by the Blue Mountain Coal Company near Cumbola, Pennsylvania. He was taken to the Pottsville Hospital where his condition was described as fairly good as he received treatment for injuries to his back and legs. Source document
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Raven Run, Pennsylvania — Two entombed miners were rescue after being trapped for more than 15 hours in a cave-in at an independent Anthracite mine at Raven Run. The plight of the two men was not discovered until Friday night, when the 16-year-old son of one of the victims went to the mine to learn why his father did not return home. The youth climbed down the slope of the mine and discovered the walls had collapsed. He returned to the surface and spread the alarm. Both men were taken to Locust Mountain Hospital in Shenandoah and treated for shock and exposure. Source document
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| 1956 |
Uranium Mine Asphyxiation, Orangeville, Pennsylvania — Andrew Haladay, 32, from Bloomsburg was saved after an undisclosed period from possible asphyxiation by firemen and an ambulance crew who administered emergency respiration treatment to the man after he was overcome by fumes from a gasoline engine in a uranium mine near Orangeville. His brother summoned help and Andrew was brought to the surface. Source document
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| 1957 |
Five miners were rescued from the Betsy No. 3 coal mine operated by the Powhatan Mining Company at Fernwood, Ohio. Released from their tomb after their entrapment of 14 hours were Hank Horvath, Martin Kovalski, Fred Sabol, Joseph Supinski, and Kenny Hamilton. The Betsy No. 3 mine is a small, "punch mining operation" that produces about 600 tons of coal per day. Source document
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| Abandoned Spring Hill Mine Rescue, Helena, Montana — Three teenage boys trapped in the abandoned Spring Hill mine shaft near Helena, Montana for more than 4 hours were rescued. The trio, Louis and George Taylor and John McIntosh, all about 15 years of age, suffered only superficial cuts and bruises on their hands and arms from the sharp rocks while being pulled out of the shaft. Source document
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| 1960 |
Unnamed Tourmaline Mine Cave-in, Unspecified City, California — A gem miner trapped for 10 hours in a cave-in Friday was behind bars Saturday in the county jail. He was Calvin Trevor Mellish, 42, of nearby Escondido. He was pinned by his right arm 130 feet underground in a tourmaline mine 63 miles north of here when a 500-pound boulder rolled down on him. Mellish, serving a year's sentence for arson in the burning of his home, was freed last month on $2,625 bail to enter the mine. He told the court at that time he wanted to recover a cache of gem stones and $8,300 in cash. Rescue workers had to shore up a narrow mine shaft and jack up the boulder to free Mellish. He was treated and released at a hospital. The bail bondsman said he had surrendered Mellish to the county jail. "He was supposed to get that money," the bondsman said, "but now it's too dangerous in there, and a slide has covered his cache." Source document
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| 1961 |
Raven Gold Mine Asphyxiations, Thompson Falls, Montana — Jack Arms and Wally Monk were overcome by gas, then rescued from the bottom of a shaft of the Raven gold mine about eight miles northeast of Thompson Falls. A blast had been set off the night before. The miners entered the mine the next day and fell to the gases. A third partner, Ralph Provence, discovered that the two had been overcome by gas. He entered the shaft and attempted to assist them, but he was nearly overcome himself. He shouted for help and two Montana Bureau of Mines employees working nearby and two other men came to their assistance. When Provence first descended, he succeeded in opening an air compressor valve. This was credited with saving their lives. Source document
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| Unnamed Mine Cave-in, Petros, Tennessee — A slate fall trapped four miners in an old coal mine near Petros, Tennessee. One was freed five hours later after rescuers severed his arm. A call for more rescuers was put out to dig through more than 30 feet of debris in a desperate effort to reach the remaining three trapped men. Robert Woods was taken from the mine after a doctor, using a hacksaw blade, cut his arm above the elbow. Woods' arm had been caught between rocks and a coal car. The fall occurred while the miners were taking out coal pillars and shoring up the mine which was being reconditioned after being closed. Eight miners were in the mine when the accident occurred. Three walked out safely. Later reports doubted the survival of the three other miners trapped. Source document
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| 1962 |
An 8-year-old boy was responsible for saving two miners caught in a cave-in at the Bull Gulch lead and zinc mine near Jefferson City, Montana. Robert Steinbacher and Henry Madison, who were both in considerable pain, were safely removed from the mine by rescuers after their brief entrapment. Source document
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| 1963 |
Railroad Tunnel Roof Fall, Parkersburg, West Virginia — Workers picked their way through rock falls and rescued a construction worker, Arthur Boggs, who was pinned under tons of rock that crashed from the roof of a Baltimore & Ohio railroad tunnel. The rescued worker was one of the nine workmen in the tunnel when the fall occurred. Harry Nichols of Bartlett, Ohio, was missing and presumed dead. Source document
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| 1965 |
Abandoned Brenizer Mine Fall of Person, Brenizer, Pennsylvania — Sixteen-year-old John Wayne Rager narrowly escaped serious injury or death as his curiosity got the best of him, trapping him in a 35-foot-deep abandoned ventilation shaft at Brenizer mine until Blairsville firemen rescued him. Rager entered the air shaft through an opening where a heavy steel door had been pried loose. Once inside the room at the top of the concrete shaft. Rager tied a rope to a handrail and started to descend into the opening. As he reached a point about halfway down the shaft, he was unable to hold to the rope and started to slide as his hands were burned by friction. He dropped the remainder of the way, falling seat first as he described it, into rotten lumber at the base of the shaft. The rescuers work was made difficult by cramped quarters in the room, but a ladder finally was placed in the opening. Leonard Kelly descended the ladder and tied a rope to the youth, now huddled in a blanket for warmth. The two ascended the ladder and Rager was taken to Dr. Samuel Cohen in Blairsville for treatment. He reportedly suffered some shock and was treated for this and returned home. Source document
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| Abandoned Mine Rescue, Carterville, Missouri — A Webb City youth, Henry Dunaway, 15, spent an unhappy hour on a ledge about 55 feet down an old mine shaft Saturday before he was rescued by the Carterville Volunteer Fire Department. Dunaway lowered himself to the ledge on a small rope to collect pigeons nesting there. Fifteen feet below the ledge the water begins. No one knows how deep it is. He got between 50 and 60 birds — The sack weighed about 50 pounds — And tried to go back up the rope — But he was too small, and he cut his hand. City Marshall Everett Tannehill said a friend of Dunaway s, who happened to be in the area, heard him and ran to get a member of the Volunteer Fire Department. Source document
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| 1967 |
Morton Salt Company Mine Entrapment, Grand Saline, Texas — Sixteen miners emerged unharmed after 9 hours trapped 700 feet underground with a heavy drill suspended above them. A 6-foot-square, 10-foot-high drill was being lowered into a Morton Salt Company mine when it tilted and wedged itself across the elevator shaft. Then, during the efforts to right the drill, the cable attached to it snapped. As the miners took cover, the drill crunched through one supporting crossbar and then stopped, dangling 610 feet above the mine floor. For the next eight hours, the miners left their area cluster in protected areas within calling distance of the mine Superintendent Ray Rucker, near the elevator shaft. Above the trapped miners, three repairmen cut holes in the floor of the elevator and lowered it to just above the jammed drill, then labored to secure it to the elevator. The men below watched as the drill was lowered cautiously down the elevator. Rucker said the men stayed cheerful. "They knew the danger involved that the equipment might fall and tear out the elevator shaft, but after the mechanism was once tied back to the elevator, we all relaxed." Source document
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| 1970 |
Hazard Gold Mine Asphyxiation, Foresthill, California — Amateur miner, Clifford J. Cox, was pulled out of the abandoned Hazard Gold Mine near Foresthill, California when he was found laying unconscious after 11 hours in the mine. Would-be rescuer, Lester Benbow, a school teacher, died from a lack of oxygen in the incident. Source document
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| 1971 |
As a result of a roof fall, two miners were injured and rescued from the clogged section of an underground tunnel which is 700 feet deep and a mile and a half back in the Eastern Associated Coal Company's Federal No. 2 Mine. Also injured and recovered from the mine were Robert Lee Strakal, 24, of Cassville, and Steven Shuman, 29, of Fairmont. Shuman died the next day from his injuries.
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| 1972 |
Abandoned Mine Rescue, Garden Valley, California — Lowell T. Simpson, 17, was rescued from an abandoned mine shaft after spending seven hours 50 feet below the ground-level opening. Sheriff's Deputies said Simpson and two other youths were exploring the old mine shaft by use of a rope when Simpson could no longer hold on and slipped down the rope. He suffered severe rope burns on his hands. A Sheriff's spokesman noted that Simpson was fortunate he did not fall farther down the shaft than he did. He explained that a pile of dirt from a previous mine cave-in broke Simpson's fall, preventing the youth from continuing down the shaft. Source document
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| Independent Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Hegins, Pennsylvania — A 34-year-old Hegins miner, James Smith, was killed Tuesday when buried under a mass of coal some 11,000 feet below ground at a Good Spring area deep mine. A second miner, Kermit E. Binkley, was rescued after a nine-hour digging operation. Smith's body was recovered about an hour later. Binkley was listed in satisfactory condition at Pottsville's Good Samaritan Hospital. James Laird, inspector for the U.S. Bureau of Mines, said the two miners were found in the battery of the mine, which is a retaining wall used with a chute to control the flow of coal. Mine inspectors believe the chute was empty and the two miners had gone inside when the coal stopped flowing. Laird said coal flowed in on the pair while they were in the chute, covering them to their necks. A rescue crew of five men from the neighboring Stahl Coal Company descended into the mine shaft about 3 p.m. and worked until 10 last night in the effort to dig out the entombed miners. A second crew relieved them at 10 and succeeded in digging out Binkley by 11:40. It was well past midnight when Smith's body, was brought to the surface. There was no official report on the extent of injuries to 35-year-old Binkley late this morning though hospital spokesmen said he appeared to have no serious injuries. Source document
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| 1974 |
Mars Hill Bauxite Mine Inundation, Bauxite, Arkansas — Sidney Hale, 57, was the lone survivor after being trapped for 13 hours in sandy water up to his chest in the Mars Hill Bauxite mine of the Reynolds Mining Company. Hale and another miner, James Grooms, were caught in what miners call a "sand run." Grooms did not survive the ordeal. Hale said he almost froze to death in the chilly slush, saying he kept moving his arms to maintain body heat. Source document
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| 1975 |
Wabash Mine Powered Haulage Rescue, Keensburg, Illinois — A mechanical failure which caused an AMAX Coal mine employee to be trapped for five hours 100 feet below the surface of an 800-foot elevator shaft at the Wabash mine at Keensburg, Illinois may have sparked a series of events which includes vandalism of AMAX employees' vehicles and caused two consecutive shifts of workers to leave their jobs. John Davis, an electrical supervisor, was descending into the elevator shaft aboard a lowering hoist car when a five and one-half-inch reflective drive shaft broke. Davis, the only passenger, was able to contact safety personnel who, with the assistance of the Frontier Kemper Construction Company, managed to remove Davis, unharmed, from the stopped hoist. Davis was brought to the surface by means of a lowered bucket device. Before Davis was rescued, employees reporting for the second shift at 4 p.m. refused to enter the mine until Davis was removed from the hoist car. Source document
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| 1977 |
Unnamed Coal Mine Cave-in, Plum, Pennsylvania — Joseph R. Sabot rescued Steven T. Tady following a rock fall, Plum, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1977. In an underground coal mine, a fall of slab rock covered a mining machine and trapped Tady, 27, in the operators compartment. Sabot, 46, mine mechanic, crawled into a crevice in the rocks 10 feet from Tady and began digging a tunnel toward him. As he removed the rocks, Sabot placed shoring in the tunnel, which was about two feet wide and high. After extending the tunnel to the machine, Sabot backed out. Tady, who was uninjured, then crawled from under the rock fall by way of the tunnel. Joseph R. Sabot was bestowed the Carnegie Hero Award for his brave efforts. Source document
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| 1979 |
Belle Isle Salt Mine Explosion, Franklin, Louisiana — An outburst of flammable gases and salt occurred following a face blast and a gas explosion approximately 10 minutes later. At the time of the explosion, 22 persons were in the mine. Seventeen persons were rescued and five persons died as a result of the explosion.
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| 1983 |
McClure No. 1 Mine Explosion, McClure, Virginia — Three miners at the faces survived and were rescued shortly after the explosion. Ronald Sluss, Albert Holbrook, and Carson Blackstone were returned to the surface suffering from burns and were taken to hospitals.
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| 1985 |
Abandoned Lead Mine Rescue, Thida, Arkansas — Volunteers digging by hand rescued two young brothers, their teen-age cousin and a dog from an abandoned lead mine Monday, more than 24 hours after they had become trapped while searching for gold. The trio — Ages 9, 11 and 19 — Were pulled out of a small pocket about 250 feet inside the Civil War-era mine. They were cold and wet, but otherwise appeared uninjured. Source document
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| 1986 |
Weaver Mine Entrapment, Durango, Colorado — Rescuers freed a teen-ager who became wedged in a narrow shaft off a limestone cavern, and also freed a rescue worker who got stuck head-first while trying to pull the youth to safety. Thad Scheer, 17, and Keith Dahl, 28, were brought to the surface of the old Weaver Mine, as the cavern 23 miles north of Durango is known and taken to Mercy Hospital. Both men were conscious and talking, said Sgt. Dan Bender of the La Plata County sheriff's department. Their rescue ended a 12-hour ordeal that included more than 100 people from 16 agencies and 10 local contractors, said Bender. Scheer became wedged deep in the cave when he was about 100 yards from the entrance and slid 10 feet down an 18-inch shaft. Scheer's companions reported the mishap a half hour later. A professional mine rescue crew from Silverton arrived at the site and about an hour later one of the rescuer workers slid head-first into the shaft, Bender said. Initially Scheer was unconscious, and the other man slipped in and out of consciousness, but oxygen fed through tubes brought both back to consciousness, said Bender. Rescuers using mining drills were able to free the two but bringing them to the surface took another two hours. The two were removed from the cavern on a 5-foot-wide path that has 25-foot drop-offs along the way and in some places is just 24 inches from the rock overhead, Bender said. Workers were "crawling on their bellies and pulling the stretchers" to get to the surface, Bender said. Source document
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| 2004 |
Unnamed Abandoned Noncoal Mine Rescue, Utah County, Utah — A 21-year-old Riverton man was hospitalized after falling about 60 feet into a gravel pit on his all-terrain vehicle. Utah County Sheriff's deputies say he was riding with a group of friends around 3:30 p.m. in the Fivemile Pass area when the accident happened. Officers say he drove his four-wheeler through a break in the wall and fell. The man suffered neck and back injuries and several broken bones. He was flown to the University of Utah Hospital. Source: MSHA Stay Out, Stay Alive campaign.
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| 2011 |
Jellico No. 1 Mine Inundation, Middlesboro, Kentucky — Three mine maintenance workers were set free after being trapped for 14 hours in the flooded Jellico No. 1 mine of the Bell County Coal Company, a subsidiary of the James River Coal Company. The miners became trapped when a collapse near the mine entrance sent water from a swollen drainage ditch gushing into the mine. None of the miners were injured. The three miners were Pernell Witherspoon, Doug Warren, and Russell Asher. Source document
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| 2013 |
Tracy Lynne Mine Roof Fall, Kittanning, Pennsylvania — Two miners were rescued after a
coal mine collapse at the Tracy Lynne mine operated by Rosebud Mining of Kittanning. The miners were brought to the surface just after 6 p.m. after a rescue effort that began about an hour earlier. The two miners were being taken to a hospital, one of the men was to be treated for a possible knee injury. The injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. Source document
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| 2017 |
La Farge Gravel Mine Rescue, Placitas, New Mexico — Two workers became trapped while working on equipment at the La Farge gravel mine. Attempting their rescue, two others also became engulfed in the material. Two of the workers were buried up to their necks, a third to his chest and the fourth to his waist when emergency personnel arrived. The last man was freed from his confines 6 hours after the incident occurred. |
| Rescuer Deaths in June |
| 1873 |
Henry Clay Colliery Explosion, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — Soon after the explosion in the Henry Clay Colliery, John Hays, outside boss, heard the alarm of those who managed to escape, and went into the mine to rescue others. After proceeding about five hundred yards he fell, face down, in a pool of water and drowned.
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| 1901 |
Port Royal No. 2 Mine Explosion and Fire, Port Royal, Pennsylvania — The initial blast occurred at about 6 p.m. on June 10. About 1 hour after the initial blast, Superintendent William McCune (or McComb), Dennis Wortley, Michael Roy, several other bosses, along with about 20 other men went down Shaft No. 1 in search of 4 missing miners. About 3 hours after the rescue party had been in the mine, more explosions were heard.
Four hours later, four more men volunteered to enter the mine, but as of 3 a.m. on June 11, they too had not returned. Shortly after 3 a.m., W. Sweeney, Harry Beveridge and Frank Stratton worked their way out of the mine and were put under the care of physicians. All three of these men later died. Lawrence Settler and John Stakes were the only ones rescued from the mine. While 19 is the official death toll, it is unclear exactly how many were rescuers. See all related news
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| 1906 |
Rocky Fork Mine Fire, Red Lodge, Montana — To suppress a fire, the fan was reversed, which reversed the air current supplying fresh air to the fighters in room 6. This resulted in forcing the noxious gases onto the men fighting the fire in room 6. Six men lost their lives from the crew fighting the fire in room 6, while two of the rescuers, Roy Carey and Joe Bracey, lost their lives in a vain attempt to rescue the men fighting the fire in room 6.
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| 1908 |
Gold King Mine Fire, Gladstone, Colorado — After extinguishing the blaze, five rescuers searching for 3 missing miners fell victim to toxic mine air. In all, 6 were killed in the incident, including Victor Erickson, along with rescuers Peter McNini, Roy Coburn, Alf Johnson, A. W. Burns, and Gus Olson. John Sunston and Otto Johnson were returned to the surface barely alive.
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| 1909 |
Unnamed Mine Asphyxiation, Douds Leando, Iowa — Harry L. Biggs, 28, miner and laborer, died attempting to save Guy W. Dotson, 35, miner, from suffocation, Douds Leando, Iowa, June 12, 1909. Dotson lay unconscious at the bottom of a shaft 30 feet deep, having been overcome following a powder blast. Biggs, who had seen him fall, asked to be lowered to him. He waited impatiently while a badly tangled rope was tied around him and then was lowered in a bucket. While going down, he removed the rope from around his body, and when he reached the bottom, he got out of the bucket and stooped to tie the rope around Dotson. As he did so, he was overcome and fell on top of Dotson. Both were dead when taken out about 15 minutes later. Harry Biggs was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal. Source document 
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| 1966 |
Dora No. 2 Mine Asphyxiation, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania — After cutting into a void, resulting in an inundation of "blackdamp" in the Doverspike Bros. Dora No. 2 mine, two miners were instantly overcome. The other 5 crew members managed to escape, however, three of them returned to help their fallen co-workers and were also overcome. Those immediately affected were Sam Gaul and Ronald Moore. Those attempting rescue included John Kramer, Robert White, and Hilton Neiswonger.
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| 1970 |
Hazard Gold Mine Asphyxiation, Foresthill, California — Lester E. Benbow, age 41, schoolteacher, Foresthill Elementary School, was asphyxiated in the Hazard Gold Mine in the early morning of June 20, 1970, when he attempted to rescue Clifford J. Cox, who was overcome in an oxygen deficient atmosphere. He had no mining experience. Cox was later transported to the hospital, and reportedly made a complete recovery.
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| 1975 |
Boron Mine and Mill Asphyxiation, Boron, California — About 3:30 p.m., June 25, 1975, W. E. (Willie) Dodderer, millwright, age 27, was asphyxiated when he and Eric R. Willis, millwright, entered a caisson in an attempt to rescue Brent Black, millwright, age 35, who had succumbed earlier in an oxygen deficient atmosphere.
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| 1981 |
Grays Knob No. 5 Inundation, Harlan County, Kentucky — The entire section crew, except for two roof bolters, who remained unaccounted for, boarded a scoop to ride to the surface via the man trip route. Soon after, however, the section foreman left the fleeing scoop to search for the two missing roof bolters. Later that afternoon, the bodies of the foreman and the two roof bolters — all victims of asphyxiation — were recovered.
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