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| Successful Mine Rescues in July |
| 1887 |
Grand Junction Mine Inundation, Des Moines, Iowa — After an imprisonment of 110 hours in the Grand Junction mine, Charley Saunders was released and rescued. The mine was flooded by the nearby caving of an old shaft. The rising water had compressed the air which sustained him in the small chamber he occupied. After his rescue, he complained of hunger, but otherwise he was quite well. Source document 
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| 1892 |
Lost Miner Found at Gaylor Shaft, Plymouth, Pennsylvania — Terence O'Brien, age 70, was rescued from the Gaylor shaft at Plymouth, Pennsylvania. O'Brien, a foreman, had been lost in the mine and without food for 52 hours. His light had gone out and he wandered off in an old heading. It was speculated that he might become insane from his experience. Source document
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| 1895 |
Pewabic Mine Cave-in, Pewabic, Michigan — The entombed miners at the Pewabic mine who had been buried for 56 hours were all rescued alive. None were injured by the fall of ground, but all suffered greatly from thirst and hunger as no drinking could be obtained and they had nothing to eat. Thousands of people were at the mouth of the shaft when the imprisoned men were hoisted to the surface. When the men heard the crash of timbers, they managed to escape to a dry drift on the first level, and after the fall had ceased started to dig their way out. They had drifted twenty-feet when the rescuing party burst through from their side, and were about exhausted when reached. The drifting by the entombed made their rescue several hours-earlier than had been expected. Source document
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| 1897 |
Mammoth Gold Mine Cave-in, Phoenix, Arizona — James Stevens was trapped for 13 days and 10 hours in the Mammoth mine near Phoenix, Arizona. He had no food for the entire time since he had eaten his lunch before the cave-in occurred. His water supply was gone in three days. According to the report, his 160-pound frame was reduced to no more than 90 pounds. His mind was clear although he admitted to thoughts of suicide towards the end of his wait. Rescuers waited until it was dark to bring him out, fearing the light of day might damage his eyes. Source document
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| 1898 |
Richmond No. 3 Mine Fire, Scranton, Pennsylvania — After an undisclosed period, 40 men were saved from a fire in the Richmond No. 3 mine of the Elk Hill Coal & Iron Company near Scranton, Pa. The miners owe their rescue to the bravery of Foreman Hugh McCutcheon. Fire broke out in the engine and fan houses at the head of the shaft. McCutcheon was lowered to the bottom vein and gave the men warning. As he stepped away from the carriage, the fan house collapsed and fell down the shaft. Within five minutes smoke and gases filled the workings, but the men were able to reach the surface via a slope to the 2nd and 1st veins. Source document
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| 1900 |
Lehigh Coal Company Colliery Cave-in, Centralia, Pennsylvania — Rescuers successfully removed two miners that were trapped nearly 12 hours in the Lehigh Coal Company Colliery near Centralia, Pennsylvania. John Shutt from Bucks Patch suffered no injury, however, the second miner rescued, George Bulla, was found with a huge piece of coal on his chest and died as soon as he was brought to the surface. Source document
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| 1902 |
Rolling Mill Mine Explosion, Johnstown, Pennsylvania — Four men who were brought out alive the night of the Rolling Mill mine disaster were taken to the Memorial Hospital, controlled by the Cambria Steel and Iron Company. Among these were John Rotalick, Henry Rodgers, Valentine Schalla, and William Robinson. And the next day, at 2 o'clock p.m., rescuers sent out for medical assistance to treat three others found alive. They were John Cook, Philip McCann and George Hologyak.
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| 1903 |
Big Mountain Colliery Cave-in, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — Eighteen miners were rescued from a cave-in after an undisclosed period in the Big Mountain Colliery at Shamokin, Pennsylvania. All the miners were found alive and uninjured. Source document
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| 1904 |
Daniel Davis died attempting to save William Monroe from suffocation, Sherodsville, Ohio, July 11, 1904. Davis, 23, coal miner, was overcome by black damp while walking into a mine to rescue Monroe, 38, who was helpless from the gas but was later rescued. Source document.
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| Belle View Mine Fire, Laporte, California — Four miners trapped in the burning Belle View mine were rescued shortly before midnight. The miners were working in the tunnel when the fire broke out. The mill, engine room and other buildings close to the mouth of the mine were destroyed by fire earlier in the day. There was a strong force of water at the mine for fire protection, but the fire broke out just where the hose was placed, and it was impossible to make use of the water supply. The four rescued miners included L. Byrnes, Morgan Bean, D. McDonald, and Bert Cumley. Source document
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| 1905 |
Fuller Mine Explosion, Searights, Pennsylvania — The rescuing party had a remarkable escape from death. They had gone to the bottom of the shaft for the last body and had the body securely fastened to the bottom of the temporary rigged bucket when the concrete wall and timbering about the top of the shaft tumbled down a distance of 70 feet. The timbers caught in such a manner over the top of the bucket as to save the men who were huddled in it from instant death. They were buried, however, by hundreds of tons of concrete and scaffolding. Enough crevices were left in the wreckage to supply them with air until they were rescued in half an hour.
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| Pond Creek Mine Rescue, Hazleton, Pennsylvania — John Dusheck saved the life of Miss Emma Martin while conducting a sight-seeing party of the Pond Creek mine near Hazleton. While in the mine, a gust of wind blew out the lights and Miss Martin went ahead in the darkness. Just as she came upon the brink of a 100-foot shaft, Dusheck seized her, saving her from an awful death. The end of the article states "the incident broke up the trip." Indeed! Source document
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| Jeddo Mine Cave-in, Upper Lehigh, Pennsylvania — For nearly seven hours Andrew Wisda, a miner, was entombed in the Jeddo mines, and was rescued alive. Wisda was working in a breast fifty feet up from the gangway, when a heavy fall took place below him. He was unconscious when taken out, but soon revived in the air. Source document
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| 1907 |
Shenandoah City Mine Cave-in, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania — In the Shenandoah City mine, Michael Wilcoski, a miner, was rescued from almost certain death by a rescue party. Wilcoski was loading a car in a gangway when a fall of coal occurred, extending for over forty feet. Large lumps of coal fell in such a position that Wilcoski was pinned fast, but the lumps served as support and the full weight of coal did not rest on him. Rescuers worked for five hours before a tunnel was made and the walls braced so he could be released. Source document
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| North Franklin Colliery Cave-in, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — After being entombed thirteen hours by a rush of coal in the North Franklin Colliery, the rescuing party reached William Crawford alive, but badly injured. His brother, Emanuel, was found dead. Source document
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| Anthracite Mine Hole Fall of Person, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania — While playing near a mine hole on the Locust Mountain, William Graham, Jr., had a narrow escape from death or serious injury from a fall. The hole was perpendicular for a considerable distance, and then sloped gradually. On the bottom of the lift was coal dirt which impeded the fall and saved the lad from death. Upon landing he slid down the slope unable to check his progress. Playmates, realizing the danger of their friend, summoned aid. Ropes and ladders were lowered to Graham with instructions to attach himself to the rope and ladders to tops of cliffs when raised. The child followed the orders and after an undisclosed period was hoisted to safety, bruised considerably. Source document
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| 1908 |
Willamstown Colliery Explosion, Williamstown, Pennsylvania — Ten miners were removed from the mine after an undisclosed period badly burned and torn by the force of the explosion. It was feared that several of them would die. One of the injured men was taken to the morgue and it was not until an identification of the bodies was made that it was found that he was living. The exact number of miners rescued is not known. Seven miners perished in the disaster.
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| 1909 |
Pennsylvania Railroad No. 14 Colliery Rescue, Plainsville, Pennsylvania — Caught fast in a pump in the No. 14 colliery of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Plainsville, Pennsylvania, Robert Taylor, the night engineer, was held while the water slowly rose about him. It had reached his chin, as he stood on his toes, when rescuers reached him. In a few minutes he would have been drowned. He went into the working early in the morning to repair the pump and his hand was caught in the machinery. As the pump stopped, the water began to rise. His cries for help were not heard until four hours later. Source document
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| 1911 |
Whirlwind Mine Cave-in, American Fork, Utah — Timothy Smith and Albert Durrant were rescued from the Whirlwind mine, 20 miles from American Fork. The two men were imprisoned by the cave-in of a tunnel for 36 hours and suffered only from hunger. Source document
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| 1912 |
Superba No. 2 Mine Inundation, Uniontown, Pennsylvania — At Evans Station, three miles from Uniontown, thirteen men were drowned in Superba No. 2 mine, better known as Polecat mine. Following a cloudburst, a flood rushed into the mine way of the mine. Thirty-seven men were rescued after a terrible experience. The men were down 1,000 feet from the mouth of the mine. Source document
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| Panama Mine Explosion, Moundsville, West Virginia — An explosion occurred in this mine causing the death of eight men. There were 10 men in the mine at the time of the explosion. Seven of these men died almost instantly from burns and suffocation; two others, badly burned, made their way to the shaft bottom and were hoisted to the surface. One of these two men died on July 13. The tenth man was found by the rescue party and brought out alive about 24 hours after the explosion. It was the opinion of investigators that the explosion occurred when an accumulation of gas was ignited by an open light.
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| South Eureka Mine Cave-in, Stockton, California — When Matt Pitalo, a miner, employed at the South Eureka mine, chanced accidentally to glance up from his work, he saw death bearing down upon him in the shape of a mass of falling rock. Death was in an awful hurry and so was Matt. Just why he glanced up at the right moment is a matter for psychology to thresh out, although Matt thought that it was his guardian angel that saved him. At any rate, when he looked up, he saw an avalanche of rock rolling with frightful velocity. Just at that moment the miner saw a little niche in the clammy side of the big dark hole and just as he climbed into it, the huge body of moving rock thundered by and piled up all around the niche, imprisoning the miner. The roar had been heard up above and a few minutes later a report was sent to the nearest town that one Matt Pitalo had been killed in a most horrible manner. This sensational news brought the inhabitants to the mine in a body, and after an exchange of eulogistic comment concerning Matt's many sterling qualities, a band of miners set to work clearing away the debris. In the meantime, it was said, an undertaker in a nearby village made grim
preparations for a certain unpleasant duty which he was confident would soon devolve upon him. After five hours of work on the part of the rescuers, Matt emerged from his tomb and insisted on shaking hands with everybody present. Source document
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| 1913 |
Spruce No. 1 Mine Inundation, Eveleth, Minnesota — Due to a heavy rainstorm causing a nearby creek to overflow its banks, fifteen miners became trapped in the Spruce No. 1 mine. Ten of these miners were freed later in the day of the flood, after more than 12 hours. The remaining 5 miners' freedom required much more difficulty which lasted nearly 4 days. While they had suffered greatly from bad air and hunger, it was believed they would all recover. Source document
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| 1914 |
Banovich Silver Mine, near Tonopah, Nevada — Two men overcome by powder smoke at the bottom of a 95-foot shaft were brought out by two Bureau of Mines men from car 5. The rescuers descended the shaft, tied ropes under the armpits of the unconscious miners, and had them hoisted to the surface, where oxygen and artificial respiration were used for two hours. One miner fully recovered, but no sign of life appeared in the other miner. Source document  Source document 2
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| Pine Brook Colliery Inundation, Peckville, Pennsylvania — Patrick Crane, a driver boy for this Scranton Coal Company mine in Lackawanna County was caught in a rush of water while making his last trip with a mule. At first, he was thought to be dead. A searching party was formed and after an undisclosed period he was found in water up to his waist. The mule was a short distance away. The lad was taken to the surface, none the worst for his experience. Source document
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| Hillside Cave-in of Earth, Marion, Indiana — Paul Williams, age eleven, and Claud Collins, age twelve, narrowly escaped death when they were caught in a cave-in beneath the Pennsylvania tracks, near their homes. The boys had dug a cave and were inside when a passing train jarred the ground to such an extent that the dirt was loosened until it fell, burying them completely. Several other boys who were near observed the accident and summoned help. In a short period of time the boys were extricated in an unconscious condition. Source document
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| 1915 |
No. 14 Mine Cave-in, Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania — After spending a day and part of a night entombed behind a rush of rock and coal at the No. 14 mine of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, Frank Clausius, 28, was rescued. He was suffering greatly from shock, but only slightly from bruises which he sustained. Source document
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| William Penn Colliery Cave-in, Pottsville, Pennsylvania — Julius Kramitzski was rescued without a scratch after being trapped at the William Penn colliery for 5 hours. Kramitzski was employed in the West Mammoth vein, No. 1 level. He was engaged in chopping down an old prop when the top gave way closing him in. When the entombed man was taken out, he said he did not feel any ill effects from his experience. Source document
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| Johnson Colliery Lost Person, Dickson City, Pennsylvania — Lawrence Brady, 60, was found in an abandoned working of the Johnson mine at Dickson City, near Scranton. He had been wandering aimlessly for nearly 3 days in the darkness of an underground prison which seemed to offer no means of escape. Brady was employed for a number of years at the Johnson colliery. About three months earlier he quit his job, but instead of removing all of his tools, he hid some of them in an abandoned part of the workings. Recently he became re-employed and decided to gather his hidden tools. Knowing that he would be gone for some hours he carried a lunch with him in a dinner pail. According to Brady's story, he had only proceeded a short distance through an old chamber when the light of his lamp played out, and he was left in the darkness, not having any matches with him. Rescuers found his dinner pail at the top of the heading and following the course indicated by its position, found the missing man. Source document
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| Eckhart Mine No. 3 Cave-in, Cumberland, Maryland — After having been imprisoned nearly a mile back in the earth behind 300 feet of fall of roof for 24 hours, four miners were rescued unscathed from the Eckhart Mine No. 3 of the Consolidation Coal Company. State Mine Inspector William Walters headed the rescuing party. The four imprisoned men walked out of the mine little the worse for their experience and sought their homes. After the fall the trapped men could he heard talking, and this spurred on the rescuers. Source document
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| 1916 |
On July 25, 1916, Garrett Morgan made national news for using his gas mask to rescue 32 men trapped during an explosion in an underground tunnel 250 feet beneath Lake Erie. Morgan and a team of volunteers donned the new "gas masks" and went to the rescue.
After the rescue, Morgan's company received requests from fire departments around the country who wished to purchase the new masks. The Morgan gas mask was later refined for use by U.S. Army during World War I. In 1914, Garrett Morgan was awarded a patent for a Safety Hood and Smoke Protector.
Two years later, a refined model of his early gas mask won a gold medal at the International Exposition of Sanitation and Safety, and another gold medal from the International Association of Fire Chiefs. See more. Source document
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| Lehigh No. 12 Colliery Cave-in, Tamaqua, Pennsylvania — Joseph Kellert was rescued after a 32-hour entrapment in the No. 12 Colliery of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. He was caught by a fall of top rock and rescued uninjured after rescuers dug a 60-foot rock chute to reach him. Source document
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| Babcock Mine Cave-in, Joplin, Missouri — Four miners were rescued 56 hours after becoming trapped by a cave-in at the Babcock mine near Joplin, Missouri. Source document
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| Continental Colliery Cave-in, Centralia, Pennsylvania — Caught behind a rush of coal at the Valley Coal Company's Continental colliery, John Mulligan, 50 years old, was a prisoner for eight hours, while rescuing forces took turns in working frantically to release him. Mulligan was engaged in the hazardous task of removing pillars. A safety Inspector making the rounds discovered the miner's predicament and volunteers were quickly secured. Mulligan failed to respond to rappings and the men thought that he had been crushed to death. Mulligan said he felt exceedingly uncomfortable and that it was not until the last hour that he heard them working to dig him out. The mine is the same in which Joseph (or John) Tomachefesky was imprisoned for eight days. Source document
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| 1917 |
Rock Salt Mine Explosion, Ithaca, New York — 21 hours after the explosion of gas, one man was found alive at the bottom of the shaft by a Bureau of Mines rescue party. His leg had been caught and he was trapped by some timber. He was freed and taken to the surface. The party started to recover the body of the other man and brought it to the surface about two hours later.
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| 1918 |
Benton Mine Lost Miner, Benton, Illinois — Tony Dooering, a miner, was rescued from the Benton Coal Company mine at Benton, Illinois after being lost for two days without food or drink. He was said to have started for the main shaft and became lost, wandering around in abandoned parts of the mine. Several hundred searched the mine before he was found. Source document
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| 1920 |
Brookside Colliery Cave-in, Tower City, Pennsylvania — Glen Jones, employed at robbing pillars in No. 4 slope, Brookside colliery, was caught by a fall of coal and for a time it was thought he had been killed. It required several hours of hard and careful work to release him. For almost two hours he had been doubled up with his knees against his breast and the heavy weight of the coal resting on him. He was badly sprained and bruised and it will be some time before he would be able to be about. No bones were broken. Source document
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| 1922 |
Midway Mine Fire, Murphysboro, Illinois — Four men that went into the Midway Coal Company mine to investigate the fire became trapped and in need of rescue themselves. They were all safety removed uninjured from the mine after an undisclosed period. Source document
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| National Mine Fire, National, Nevada — After being imprisoned for four hours, Superintendent Joseph Bolam and Peter Madison were rescued from the National mine, 75 miles north of Winnemucca, Nevada. The two men were working 1000 feet from the tunnel entrance and their escape was cut off because rock and dirt caved in as the fire progressed. Source document
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| 1923 |
Unnamed Coal Mine Cave-in, Lamberton, Pennsylvania — Robert J. Royal rescued Albert E. Roby from a mine cave-in, Lamberton, Pennsylvania, July 12, 1923. While Roby, 23, timberman's helper, and Royal, 29, miner, were clearing a mine entry, which had been blocked by falls, a large chunk of slate fell, striking Royal on the back, temporarily paralyzing his legs. It also fell on Roby, breaking his legs and pinning him to the ground. Royal crawled 14 feet to a point in the entry which had been protected by timbering. Upon calling to Roby and learning that he was injured and unable to move, Royal crawled to Roby, using his arms and dragging his legs. He raised the chunk off Roby with considerable effort and held it up, using his left elbow and forearm as braces, while Roby moved from under it. Small pieces of slate fell, but there was no further cave-in. Roby and Royal then crawled to safety, and Royal dragged himself into a mine car and drove a horse hitched to the car 2,000 feet for help. He was disabled seven months and Roby nine months from their injuries. Robert J. Royal was bestowed the Carnegie Hero Award for his bravery.
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| Northside Mine Cave-in, Bicknell, Indiana — Three miners and a Shetland pony were trapped by a cave-in at the Northside mine in Bicknell, Indiana. On June 28, the three miners were rescued. Because of the dangerous conditions, mine officials decided that the pony could not be rescued. At the urging of the rescued miners, company officials consented to let the men continue with the rescue effort for the pony, and after 10 days of confinement, the pony was rescued. Source document
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| 1926 |
Peach Orchard Mine Roof Fall, Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania — Seven miners were killed and eight others injured, some seriously, in a roof fall at the Peach Orchard mine of the Glen Alden Coal Company. Four bodies had been recovered. After an undisclosed period, eight others were rescued and taken to hospitals. Source document
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| 1927 |
Rahn Colliery Inundation, Tamaqua, Pennsylvania — Two miners were rescued after being confined for two hours in the flooded Rahn Colliery near Tamaqua. The rescued miners were Peter McHugh and John Smith. Palmer Jones, 19, drowned in the incident. Source document
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| New Jersey Zinc Company Mine Asphyxiation, Franklin, New Jersey — One man died, and two others were in a serious condition in Franklin Hospital because of having been overcome by gas in the lower levels the New Jersey Zinc Company mines in Franklin. The dead man was Harry Sheldon. The men in the hospital were Mike Kiski, mine foreman, and a laborer who attempted to rescue Sheldon. Four other workmen were overcome during the rescue work but were not taken to the hospital. Source document
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| Hauser Construction Rock Quarry Rockslide, Marshfield, Oregon — Ben Bennettson was rescued from a tunnel at the Hauser Construction Company rock quarry on Coos River after being entombed for twenty-four hours. Bennettson was drilling a tunnel underneath a rock cliff for a charge of dynamite when a rockslide of hundreds of tons shut off the entrance. More than 100 men had worked to release him. Air in the tunnel and air filtering through the rocks saved him and he was able to walk when brought to daylight. Source document
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| 1928 |
Locust Springs Colliery Inundation — A dam burst without warning and flooded the shaft in the Locust Gap Colliery. Hearing the rush of the water, forty-nine men barely had time to reach a travelway, crawl into safety holes and make their way to the No. 1 level where they were rescued after an undisclosed period. Only one of the men, James Carey, of Girardville, required medical attention. He suffered from shock.
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| 1931 |
Unnamed Coal Mine Cave-in, Bulan, Kentucky — Jesse Engle rescued Charles Napier from a mine cave-in. While Napier, 31, was working beside a mine car in a mine, a rock weighing approximately 56 tons fell from the roof, knocking him down, and rested on hard-packed coal 20 inches above the floor. The fingers of one of his hands were pinned between the rock and the top of a box on the car, and his other arm was pinned under the end of the car. For 40 minutes, Engle he made thrusts against the top edge of the box with iron bars, chipping it, and inserted wedges. Napier then was able to free his hand. Engle then reached under Napier and helped him free his other arm. Engle backed out from beneath the rock, and Napier followed him. The rock settled four inches during the act, and a half-hour later the rock had crushed the car and settled within three inches of the floor. Two of Napier's fingers had to be amputated. He was not otherwise injured. Jesse Engle was awarded the Carnegie Hero Award for his bravery.
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| 1932 |
Yatesville Mine Cave-in, Pittston, Pennsylvania — Two unemployed miners were killed when they were trapped in a mine tunnel at the Yatesville mine. The roof of the mine opening collapsed. A third unnamed man was rescued alive after an undisclosed period. The dead were Salvatore Mantagna, 39, and Sam Duminuco, 30. The three became trapped when the roof collapsed, and a slide of earth blocked the opening of the tunnel. One of the men managed to escape when he heard the rush of earth but too late to signal his fellow workmen. According to officials at the workings, the men were illegally bootlegging coal. Police had begun a campaign of arrests to break up the practice because of the numerous fatalities. Source document
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| 1933 |
Twelve miners were rescued after having been trapped for three hours by a fall of coal in the Locust Gap mine operated by the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company at Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania. Source document
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| 1934 |
Unnamed Coal Mine Cave-in, McComas, West Virginia — Joseph James Ellis and Armado Bucchi helped to rescue Walter J. Church from a mine cave-in, McComas, West Virginia, July 28, 1934. As Church, 31, was standing between the side wall of a room in a coal mine and a mine car that was three feet from the wall, a block of slate eight feet long, six feet wide, and eight inches thick dropped from a long crack in the roof, covering the car and extending to within four inches of the wall. Church was knocked to his knees, and one arm was pinned against the top of the side of the car. Ellis, 45, miner, who was between the end of the car and the face of the coal, was struck a glancing blow by the slate and then got out of the room. He heard slate dribbling from the roof and knew that dribbling slate often preceded a fall. Calling that there had been a fall and getting an axe, Ellis crawled on his hands and knees four or five feet under the slate, which was but three feet above the floor, and chopped the side of the car four or five inches from Church's arm. Another block of slate similar in size to the first then dropped on the first block, crushing the sides of the car so that the slate was but two feet above the floor. A little later Ellis and Bucchi managed to move the side of the car, freeing Church's arm. The three then backed from beneath the slate. Church's arm was later amputated at the elbow. He recovered otherwise. Joseph James Ellis and Armado Bucchi were bestowed the Carnegie Hero Award for their bravery.
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| Peabody Mine Cave-in, Sullivan, Indiana — Caught beneath a heavy fall of slate, John Owen, a miner, dug himself out after five hours of painful effort. He was severely crushed but would probably recover. The slate fall occurred at the Peabody mine near Sullivan. Source document
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| 1935 |
Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Trevorton, Pennsylvania — Charles Hauser, 48, sustained a compound fracture of the right leg, lacerations and other injuries of the head, face and body yesterday while robbing pillars in a coal hole near Trevorton. Working on a pitch, he lost his balance when a rock fell out of the top and struck him on the head. Hauser, plunging down the hole, caused a slide which buried him for fifteen minutes. Unconscious when rescued, he was taken to the Shamokin State Hospital for treatment. Source document
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, West Glendower, Pennsylvania — Trapped in an independent mine operation at West Glendower, Edward Kimmel, 30, was rescued alive four hours later and escaped with comparatively minor injuries. Kimmel and two fellow workers were driving an independent mine hole when the workings suddenly collapsed, trapping Kimmel in back of the fall. His companions summoned aid from nearby holes, and within a short, time a large force of men was engaged in removing debris. After four hours, the mass of rock and coal was penetrated and Kimmel was found alive. A physician gave Kimmel medical and surgical attention at the scene and he was conveyed to his home where he was expected to recover. Source document
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Asphyxiations, Bunker Hill, Pennsylvania — The presence of mind and courage of Bert Hoffa, 15, was responsible for the rescue of the boy's grandfather, John Bainbridge, from a damp-filled mine hole on the mountain north of Bunker Hill. Bainbridge, a former borough fire chief, was at work in the mine hole with his grandson when he was overcome by black damp. The boy, weakened himself and barely conscious, managed to drag his grandfather 100 feet underground to a point where the air was clearer. There, almost exhausted but realizing that both might die if help was not secured, he climbed to the surface. The boy's sudden emergence into pure air caused him to collapse unconscious at the top of the miniature mine, where he was found by a party of miners working nearby. He was taken to his home, where he was revived by a physician. Both damp victims would recover, physicians said. Miners who found Hoffa and participated in the rescue of Bainbridge declared that the boy's feat of dragging his grandfather to safety was almost unbelievable in view of the youth's slight physique and the fact that he was severely affected by the damp himself. Source document
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| Menzel Mine Cave-in, Redding, California — After nine hours of frantic rescue work, Walter Straight, 47, a miner employed in the Menzel Mine, walked from the tunnel uninjured. He had been imprisoned in a slide of thousands of tons of broken granite since the previous day. Four workers in the mine immediately started removing the debris, in which Straight was buried shoulder high, and called for help from nearby Iron Mountain. The Mountain Copper Company superintendent rushed eight men to the scene to assist in the rescue. Working in shifts, the miners dug throughout the day, relieved as soon as they became exhausted. Source document
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| Lowry Farm Mine Asphyxiation, Thomas Hill, Missouri — Roy Dale, a 25-year-old miner was unconscious for nearly three hours from effects of carbon monoxide gas, after he was overcome in a mine near Thomas Hill. He was taken to McCormick Hospital for treatment and recovered. Dale and his father had been operating a slope mine on the Tom Lowry farm near Thomas Hill. Working at the mine, they were pumping water, using a gasoline engine inside the mine to operate the pump. The belt on the engine had been slipping and not working properly. As they worked on the engine, they noticed the gas and realized they were becoming weak, so both started up the slope for the mine entrance. When they were about 40 feet from the opening, Roy fell. With assistance, young Dale was carried out and rushed to his home in Huntsville for treatment, and then was taken to the hospital. Source document
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Asphyxiations, Wiggans, Pennsylvania — Three miners were overcome by black damp after being trapped in a bootleg coal hole near Wiggans, and transported to the Locust Mountain Hospital for treatment. Whether or not the afterdamp followed a discharge of dynamite or an explosion of gas had not been determined. Those removed from the hole and rushed to the hospital in a truck were: Joseph Costa, Emanuel Garcia, and James Gonzales. Their condition was reported as good. Source document
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| Wickwire Spencer Steel Plant Coal Hole Fall of Person, Tonawanda, New York — After being a prisoner for three nights and two days at the bottom of a 20-foot coal hole in an unused part of the Wickwire Spencer Steel company plant, Ruth Cornere, 20, was taken to the Millard Fillmore hospital while police were investigating her story. Slightly hysterical, hungry, and suffering from a bruised ankle and arm, Miss Cornere was taken out of her dark prison by two employes of the company who heard her weak cries. She wore only beach pajamas. Police sent her to the hospital in an ambulance. They said Miss Cornere told them she went for a walk near her home Friday evening and can remember little after that except that she was in a Niagara street restaurant. Source document
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| 1936 |
Anthracite Bootleg Mine Cave-in, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — Enock Kuklinskie, 35, was rescued 22 hours after being trapped in a 30-foot make-shift mine near Shamokin, Pennsylvania. He was hospitalized in serious condition. Source document
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| 1937 |
Baker Mine Explosion, Sullivan, Indiana — Four men, burned badly but still alive were rescued from the Baker coal mine shortly after the explosion trapped them and about 20 other miners. Within the next two hours, eight more were rescued alive from the fire-swept area. Only two of them had escaped severe burns.
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| Summitville Gold Mine Cave-in, Summitville, Colorado — Seven miners said they sang songs and "swapped yarns," while waiting nine hours to be rescued from a slide-closed tunnel in the Summitville gold mine a thousand feet below the surface. Three of the men narrowly escaped being trapped beneath hundreds of tons of falling rock. The slide broke through a chute paralleling the manway and closed the entrance to the tunnel. The trapped men signaled to their fellow workers outside they were safe by tapping on an airline. Compressed air was pumped to them during rescue operations and they were equipped with carbide lamps. Crews directed by Edward Thornton, general superintendent, finally broke through the loose rock and delivered the imprisoned men. The mine is in the San Luis Valley in southwestern Colorado, not far from Alamosa. Source document
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| Independent Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Llewellyn, Pennsylvania — Four miners trapped 400 feet underground by a fall of coal in a shaft near Llewellyn walked to the surface tonight, grinning over their escape and scorning medical attention. A crew of 50 workers dug through a 40-ton cave-in to get the men out. The rescue followed four hours of digging by works progress administration workers and miners in the shaft 3 miles from Pottsville on the property of the Delaware and Hudson Coal Company. The four miners were Arthur Artz, 26; Al Acaley, 40; Albert Wise, 24; and Ralph Neidlinger, 45. Only Wise went to a hospital for examination after coming to the surface. He was found to have suffered no ill effects and went home. The others insisted they were "all right." Source document
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| 1938 |
Five miners, buried alive for more than 48 hours following a cave-in at the Veta silver mine at Duncan, Arizona were brought safely to the surface by rescue crews. The entombed men were Alfred Gillenwater, G. C. Robinson, D. H. Grissom, E. D. Wright, and Albert Carlson. Source document
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| Praco No. 7 Rock Fall Disaster — A roof fall occurred in this mine, trapping nine men, three of whom were rescued alive, severely shocked, with minor injuries. One rescued alive, died, probably from shock, en route to the surface, and the remaining five bodies were dead when recovered.
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Shamokin, Pennsylvania — Michael Shurpenski, 45, recuperated in the Shamokin State Hospital after being saved from death in a mountain coal hole where he was entombed for nearly an hour. He was rescued by WPA workers employed on a nearby road project. Source document
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| American Eagle Collieries Cave-in, Ameagle, West Virginia — Spurred on by the cries of a trapped comrade, rescue workers brought George Nessos, 59, out from beneath a slate fall and went back again for another miner they feared was dead. Nessos was taken to a hospital for treatment of severe injuries. Farther back in the American Eagle Collieries company mine the workers expected to find the body of Clyde Compton, 30. They had heard nothing from him since the big pile of slate fell first fell. Source document
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| 1939 |
Duvin Mine Explosion, Providence, Kentucky — Five of the men in the explosion area escaped, 4 being slightly cut and bruised. A trip rider standing near a telephone at a parting was knocked down but received no injuries; he called the top foreman and then helped two injured men out of the smoke and fumes to a place where a locomotive was sent to bring them to the shaft. Two of the rescued, Ernest Johnson and Douglas Cates, had been caught beneath the fallen walls, Dennis Walker, was not hurt. William Reynolds, who had been working near the shaft was injured.
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| Oak Hill Coal Company Mine Cave-in, Minersville, Pennsylvania — One miner was rescued after an undisclosed period today from beneath a rockfall in the Oak Hill Coal Company mine, but all hope was abandoned for a companion trapped at the same time. Frank Grippe, 29, was carried from the shaft suffering principally from shock. He was taken to a hospital. A company official said, however, the rush of coal and rock buried Steve Hulock, 27, and there was- no possibility he could remain alive. The men were legitimately employed as "pillar robbers" — The term applied by miners to those removing supporting pillars of coal when a level has been worked out and is to be abandoned. Grippe was pinned by debris that covered all except his shoulder and head. Hulock was working in a pillar hole below. Diggers proceeded slowly because of the danger of another fall and did not expect to reach Hulock's body soon. Source document
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| 1940 |
Sonman "E" Mine Explosion, Portage, Pennsylvania — Some of the survivors of the blast were slightly burned by the hot air that rolled through the mine. Thirteen of them came out of the 18th heading and eight escaped from the 16th heading. Edward Bem, one of these survivors, said the men crawled on their hands and knees and finally made their way to the 'dip' where they were rescued after an undisclosed period.
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| Primrose Coal Company Mine Cave-in, Minersville, Pennsylvania — Anthony Epscavage was rescued after an undisclosed period from a fall of rock and coal which struck him at the Primrose Coal Company. He was released by fellow workers and removed to the Warne Hospital in the Community Ambulance. He underwent an operation at the hospital for a dislocated right shoulder and left ankle, and his condition was reported as being fairly good. Source document
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| 1942 |
Bootleg Anthracite Mine Cave-in, Raven Run, Pennsylvania — John Mischishin, 47, Frackville, was trapped and entombed in a bootleg mine slope at Raven Run for 23 hours. The miner was working at the bottom of a 53-foot slope when the timbers collapsed. When the break came the timbers formed a partial canopy over the worker to protect him from crumbling rock, coal and earth. When the collapse occurred, the trapped miner was buried to the hips, while a piece of rock knocked off his miner's cap and lamp. He hugged the side of the canopy formed by collapsed timbers until the rescuers removed tons of debris before they were able to extricate the entombed man. Upon his release, physicians at Ashland State Hospital said Mischishin suffered hip and back injuries and was in a severe state of shock, but they anticipated his recovery. Source document
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| 1943 |
Federal Colliery Inundation, Bridgeville, Pennsylvania — Six miners were rescued from the flooded Federal Colliery of the Ollett Coal Company after being trapped for 48 hours. The rescue was largely successful due to the ingenuity of John Comp from the Red Cross. Make-shift surf boards were fashioned by Comp and used by the trapped miners with his assistance. The rescued miners were Henry Rheinstadler, Caesar Rua, Frank Albertini, Peter Carroll, John Bonassi, and Albert Long. Source document
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| 1944 |
Ridgeway Darby Mine Fire, Harlan Kentucky — Eighteen miners trapped for nearly 20 hours were rescued from the flames in the Ridgeway Darby Coal Company Mine in Harlan, Kentucky. Only one man, C. C. Wills, had to be carried from the mine. Wills had been overcome by fumes but his condition was not serious. Source document
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| Mutual Coal Company Mine Cave-in, Excelsior, Pennsylvania — Michael Podovinski, 42, one of the owners of the Mutual Coal Company, a cooperative mine near Excelsior, was buried one hour under a rush of coal before rescued alive but uninjured. He was a patient at Shamokin State Hospital suffering from a fractured right leg, internal and chest injuries and lacerations of the head and face. His stepson, Edward Leszheskie, with whom he was working, left to get carbide for lighting purposes and Podovinski stepped into his working place. A moment later Leszheskie said he heard a rush and found his stepfather covered with the exception of his left leg. They were the only two at work in the area and Leszheskie in rushing to summon aid fell several times and injured himself but continued on. He returned with Anthony Kozinski, brother-in-law of Podovinski, and the four co-partners in the mining enterprise. They first drilled an opening so the victim could get air and an hour later had him liberated, alive and conscious. The mine was one of the largest cooperatively owned operations between Excelsior and Brady. Source document
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| 1946 |
Unnamed Mine Asphyxiation, Logan Canyon, Utah — Art Henderson was treated for asphyxiation when overcome by carbon monoxide gas in a mine in Logan Canyon. A rescue squad from the Logan-Cache fire department consisting of chief E. S. Laurence, and firemen Clyde Cressall and Heber Corbridge, answered the call with the respiration materials. Mr. Henderson was reported as resting "good" at his home by the attending physician, Dr. Omer Budge. Source document
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| 1947 |
Old Ben No. 8 Mine Explosion, West Frankfort, Illinois — At the time of the explosion 264 men were in the mine, and all those not in the immediate area of the explosion escaped, unaided. All of the deaths were due to burns and violence resulting from the explosion. Four men in the immediate explosion area were rescued after an undisclosed period but one man died approximately ten hours after being taken to the surface.
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| Bootleg Anthracite Mine Asphyxiation, Primrose, Pennsylvania — Marlin Beury, 24-year-old independent miner, knew all about the dangers of deadly, suffocating black damp. The day before, he wisely waited until brother Guy, 26, came home from work and could stand guard on top before he ventured into his poorly ventilated bootleg mine to drive a new air opening. That bit of foresight, plus his brother's courage, was credited with saving the life of Marlin, an ex-Seabee, when he was overcome shortly after he entered his 90-foot slope. Recent heavy rains had closed one of the two ventilating openings in the workings, and Marlin knew it wouldn't be safe or healthy to work in that kind air. When he first felt the dizziness caused by black damp and his lungs began choking for air, Marlin called to his brother on top for help. Guy dashed down the slope, and as he struggled to help Marlin up, he began to feel the effects of the bad air himself. Realizing he wouldn't be able to affect the rescue singlehanded, Guy dashed back up the slope and summoned a neighbor, Frank Zurat, and the two together went down the mine, tied Marlin securely with a rope and brought him to the top. Andrew Baunchak and Ray Conville responded to a call for help with the Minersville Goodwill ambulance and both Beury brothers were taken to the Pottsville Hospital for oxygen treatments. Guy, least affected of the two was released later that night. Marlin fully recovered the next morning and was expected to be discharged from the hospital. Source document
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| 1948 |
Edgewater Mine Explosion, Birmingham, Alabama — A company spokesman said a pocket of gas apparently was set off near the junction of a new ventilation shaft with an old areaway. About 50 men were working in the vicinity. Most escaped through an air shaft and others trapped by gas, were brought to safety by rescue workers after an undisclosed period.
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| 1949 |
Sizemore Truck Mine Cave-in, Toler, Kentucky — Rescuers brought out alive four men who were buried under a slate fall at the Sizemore Truck Mine. The last of the victims was brought to the surface four hours after the fall occurred. He was taken to a hospital with possible fractures of both legs. One of the other three received treatment at the Williamson Hospital for shock, cuts and bruises. The other two did not require hospitalization. The accident occurred about 200 feet from the entry of the mine, which had been reopened recently. Source document
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| 1954 |
Coal Creek Slope Cave-in, Donaldson, Pennsylvania — William Warner, 44-year-old coal miner, was in Pottsville Hospital today after fellow workers rescued him from a cave-in trap in a coal mine. Warner was trapped 600 feet underground for seven hours but suffered no apparent injury. He was admitted to the hospital for observation. The miner was cut off from other workers when a cave-in occurred in a vein of the Coal Creek Slope of Indian Head Coal Company, in nearby Donaldson. Fellow workers drove a pipe through the wall of coal separating Warner from the rest of the crew and pumped compressed air to the trapped man. Source document
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| 1957 |
Robena No. 3 Mine Cave-in, Masontown, Pennsylvania — A cave-in killed one miner and trapped another for six hours at the Robena No. 3 mine of U. S. Steel Corp.'s Frick Division. Jerry Sova, 61, a roof bolter, was found crushed to death five hours after Andy Wydo, 36, a cutting machine operator, was rescued. Wydo, apparently uninjured, was taken to Uniontown Hospital for observation. The roof cave-in occurred while the men were working at the face of the mine. Wydo apparently was shielded when slate formed an arch above him, officials said. Rescuers immediately began removing the tons of slate piece by piece, working slowly and carefully to prevent another cave-in. The entrance to the No. 3 mine was located about seven miles west of the Monongahela River in Greene County near here. At the time, Robena was the world's largest bituminous coal operation. Source document
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| Abandoned Mine Fall of Persons, Pueblo, Colorado — Two teenage boys spent seven hours at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft Friday after their Jeep plunged 60 feet into the opening. James McCarty, 14, and his cousin, Robert Roblek, 15, suffered severe cuts. The boys were dumping trash. The youngsters said they rounded a hill near the dump and spotted the hole. McCarty, who was driving, attempted to apply the brakes, but the Jeep skidded downhill into the shaft. David Riggs, a game warden, and William McCarty, James' father, lifted out both the boys and the wrecked Jeep with a winch. Source document
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| 1962 |
Abandoned Quicksilver Mine Rescue, San Jose, California — After hours of walking around lost in the abandoned quicksilver mine, five children were located by rescuers including Sheriff's deputies and a 17-year-old neighbor. The lost teens included Eileen Patrino, 17; Robin Patrino, 9; Wayne Patrino, 4; Jim Butters, 17; and Mike Atchison, 17. The children became lost when their light failed. Source document
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| Independent Anthracite Mine Asphyxiations, Lavelle, Pennsylvania — Richard Cappell, 20, of Lavelle, who miraculously escaped death after being trapped in an accumulation of black damp in an independent mine operation, near Lavelle, was reported in "good" condition at Ashland Hospital. Three other co-workers were killed by the gas. They are William Metzinger and Frank Schaffer, 30, and Clayton Maurer, 62. Donald Metzinger, 32, owner of the mining operation, was stricken during the rescue operations and rushed to the Ashland State Hospital and his condition was also described as "good" by hospital authorities. The victims were trapped in the mine shortly after 8:30 a.m. and the last of the four was removed about 12:30 p.m. They were rushed to the Ashland Hospital where the three victims were pronounced dead. Source document
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| 1963 |
On July 12, 1963, in a miracle survival that confounded experts, three teenage boys were found alive after spending 2 days in an abandoned, gas-ridden mine. The youngsters were found nearly a half-mile from the mouth of No. 2 shaft of Castle Shannon Coal Company which had not been used for more than 25 years. Their rescuers were U. S. Bureau of Mines Inspectors Everett Turner, James Hutchens and Jennings Breedon. The boys, Danny O'Kain, Billy Burke and Bobby Abbott were taken to St. Clair Hospital where they were treated for exposure and dehydration. See Vintage Video. Source document.
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| 1966 |
Siltix Mine Explosion, Mount Hope, West Virginia — Eleven men in the 6 left section heard the explosion, but they were unaware of what actually happened, and they erected a barricade in the return entries about 250 feet from the entrance to the 6 left section when they encountered smoke and fumes in the return entries. The men remained behind the barricade until they were rescued about 2 hours later. After leaving the barricade, seven of these men assisted in recovery operations in the 2 left mains section; two of these seven employees and three additional men were overcome by smoke and fumes and were removed from the mine.
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| Glen Nan Mine Fire, Nanticoke, Pennsylvania — Fire in an air shaft trapped 150 miners for more than an hour in a Glen Nan Coal Company mine. All were rescued. Stanley Ftorkowskl, Nanticoke fire chief, said at least 10 miners were taken unconscious to Nanticoke State hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. A spokesman at the mine said 160 men were working in the mine when the fire broke out. Ambulances from all nearby hospitals were dispatched to the scene. Source document
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| Unnamed Uranium Mine Cave-in, Ambrosia Lake, New Mexico — Three dirty but happy Indian miners, trapped all night 100 feet down in a New Mexico uranium mine, scrambled out unhurt Wednesday after a perilous rescue. The trio had spent 16 hours in a cubicle four by eight feet in size, with eight feet of solid limestone separating them from a main tunnel of the small rimrock mine. There were air holes into the chamber and rescuers were able to pass food into them through a passage drilled through the limestone. The men were in good condition. When they got out, they embraced their families, talked briefly to newsmen, shook the hands of their rescuers and then got in their cars and went home. Source document
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| 1967 |
Maple Creek Mine Roof Fall, New Eagle, Pennsylvania — James T. Nagy, 25, miner, saved John W. Burns, 40, miner, from suffocation, New Eagle, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1967. In a coal mine Burns, Nagy, another miner, and the foreman were at an intersection of passageways when a fall of coal and shale occurred. The foreman was fatally crushed, and Burns, attempting to escape, was trapped when he fell, and his feet became engulfed by the edge of the debris pile forming from the fall. Nagy, who with the other miner was clear of the fall, made his way around the pile and into another passageway. He then saw that Burns was pinned under the edge of the fallen material, the sliding debris creeping up his thighs. Nagy ran back to alongside Burns. There still was some fall occurring at the opposite side of the intersection, and material from it continued to slide down the side of the pile. Nagy removed debris from one leg of Burns. He then stepped to a position astride Burns and began removing debris from his other leg. A block of shale slid down the pile, struck Nagy on the shoulder, and came to rest across the leg of Burns. Nagy lifted the block from Burns and then uncovered most of his leg. More sliding was heard at the top of the pile, which was about 12 feet high at its peak. Stepping away from the pile, Nagy took hold of Burns under the armpits. He then was joined by the other miner, who had made his way around the debris. Nagy, aided by the other miner, pulled Burns free of the debris. James Nagy received the Carnegie Hero Award for his bravery. Source document
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| 1975 |
Piedmont Mineral Associates Mine Cave-in, Mineral, Virginia — Three miners who were trapped 150 feet underground by a cave-in at a zinc mine were brought safely to the surface by rescuers after an undisclosed period. One suffered what were described as minor injuries. Deputy Sheriff Louis Proffit of the Louisa County Sheriff 's Department said the cave-in occurred at a mine operated by Piedmont Mineral Associates. The three men were identified as Horace Sherry, George Dickson and Roosevelt Groom, who was taken to the University of Virginia Hospital. Source document
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| 1978 |
Unnamed Noncoal Mine Rescue, Rock Canyon, Utah — Don Bateman, 16, of Castro Valley, California, suffered cuts and bruises when he fell 25 feet into a shaft in Rock Canyon. He was exploring the mine with two companions at the time. His companions summoned help. Bateman was rescued by the then new Provo City Alpine Rescue Squad. Source document
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| 1979 |
Gateway Mine Cave-in, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania — Five miners trapped by a rockfall for 4 hours deep inside the Gateway Coal Company mine near Waynesburg were rescued without injury. "It feels great," said John K. Self after he emerged from the mine and passed a medical checkup. "It was a great rescue effort by the other miners to get us out" adding that he was "a little scared" during the ordeal. The men were cut off from the mine entrance when the roof collapsed in a shaft about 460 feet below the surface. Bill Gibbons, a spokesman for Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. which owns the mine, said the miners "were a little dusty, but there were no injuries. The fall occurred between the mine entrance and their location. They were not trapped in the debris." Also trapped were Charles V. Ferguson, James Bell, Jr., Kenneth Beatty, and Robert S. Baker. Source document
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| Unnamed Abandoned Noncoal Mine Rescue, Eureka, Utah — Sean Winters, 13, Christian Brown, 14, and Curt Conrad, 17, of Eureka, and their dog decided to explore the mine. The dog ran ahead and fell down a winze, landing on a ledge of rotting timbers 35 feet down, with a shaft of unknown depth below. The boys left and returned with a rope. They lowered Winters down to the ledge to retrieve the dog, but he got stranded there instead. The others summoned help. Winters and the dog were rescued by the Juab County sheriff. Williams suffered scratches and bruises, shock, and a possible concussion from a rock that fell on his head. Source: Eureka Reporter, July 27, 1979.
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| 1982 |
Unnamed Abandoned Noncoal Mine Rescue, Fivemile Pass, Utah — Kerry West, 24, was recovering from his injuries at Utah Valley Hospital in Provo after he and his motorcycle fell 30 feet into a mine shaft. The accident occurred in the area of Five Mile Pass, near the Utah-Tooele County border. Mr. West and a friend were riding dirt bikes in the area when the victim apparently rode up a pile of mine tailing which led to a vertical mineshaft. He and the motorcycle fell about 30 feet to the bottom of the shaft. The bike apparently struck a ladder near the bottom of the shaft, which is believed to have broken the fall. Mr. West suffered a broken leg and other injuries. He was rescued by members of the Utah County Sheriff's Office and by personnel from the Lehi Ambulance Association. Source document
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| 1983 |
No. 9 Twilight Mine Roof Fall, Boone County, West Virginia — A coal miner trapped 13 hours under tons of rock said yesterday that he prayed and thought about his family because he figured he was in a "tight spot." "I didn't know whether they were going to get me out or not," said William Epling, 52, of Sharples. Epling was trapped in a 4-by-4-foot space under the canopy of a mining machine after a 50-foot section of the mine roof collapsed about 2 a.m. Tuesday. "I thought this might be my way to go. I knew I was in a pretty tight spot." Rescue crews reached Epling about 3 p.m., and the miner emerged from the Armco No. 9 Twilight mine in Boone County with just bruises and scratches. Epling said he was helping cut the last coal out of a seam when the roof fell. Epling said he was trapped once before by a roof fall, for about 90 minutes, but escaped Injury that time too. Source document
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| 1986 |
Limestone Cave Entrapment, Durango, Colorado — Thad Scheer, 17, who got stuck in a crevice while exploring a limestone cave and was trapped more than 10 hours. Scheer and Keith Dahl, 25, were in satisfactory condition at the hospital suffering from exposure and hypoxia. Dahl became trapped when he reached down to try to pull Sheer out and got wedged in the narrow passage Scheer had been trapped 100 yards inside the cave and about 50 feet below the surface for more than 10 hours and Dahl was trapped upside down for nearly five hours before they were rescued. The rescue effort involved more than 100 people from 16 public agencies and nine private contractors and local businesses Scheer said he was "just walking along exploring" in the cave when he climbed into a crevice and "got stuck pretty good." "Once I got down in the little hole there was no way to climb out," he said. "So, I curled up in a little ball and I guess I passed out for most of the time." Sgt. Dan Bender of the La Plata County Sheriff's Department said some of the openings in the cavern were 18 inches by 18 inches. "Rescuers used jackhammers and air compression drills to carve their way out," Bender said. "There were several times where we had serious doubts whether either one would be taken out alive." Source document
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| 1988 |
Abandoned Monarch Noncoal Mine Rescue, North Willow Canyon, Utah — Phillip Butterfield, 15, entered the mine portal without a flashlight or safety gear and slipped down a 30-foot winze. His father, William Butterfield, 44, went after him and could not climb out. They were rescued by the Tooele County Sheriff's search and rescue unit. Source document
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| Abandoned Maxfield Noncoal Mine Rescue, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah — John Mazuran, 16, and two companions tried to explore a winze located about half a mile inside the mine. Mazuran lost his footing about 60 feet down and slid another 100 feet to the bottom. He was unable to climb out. His friends summoned the Salt Lake County Sheriff's office, which performed the rescue. Source: Deseret News, August 4, 1988.
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| 1993 |
Unnamed Mine Inundation, Wilkesville, Ohio — Daniel J. Beam and Charles Jody Neece helped to save eight men from drowning on July 11, 1993. Eight miners were working in a distant area of an underground coal mine when millions of gallons of water from an adjoining, abandoned mine began to flood the corridors of the working mine. The miners were alerted to the situation and ordered to evacuate. They proceeded on foot toward the nearest elevator, unaware of the extent of the flooding ahead of them. After a fire boss left, on foot, to get them to change their course, Beam, 46, mine supervisor, agreed to take a mine trolley more than three miles to the far end of the mine, where the miners and fire boss were expected. When Beam reached that point, the men had not yet arrived, and he was unable to determine their location or the advance of the floodwater. Rather than flee himself, Beam waited 50 minutes before the fire boss and miners appeared. They boarded Beam's trolley and another one that was available and rode toward an elevator, picking up another fleeing miner on the way. As the group proceeded, a power outage forced them to abandon the electrical conveyance, and they continued on foot. When one of the men restored power to the trolleys, Beam turned, ran into the path of the advancing floodwater, and took a trolley to the others. They resumed riding to the elevator, which they took to the surface of the mine shortly before floodwaters reached the bottom of the elevator shaft. Both Daniel J. Beam and Charles Jody Neece were awarded the Carnegie Hero Award for their bravery.
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| 2000 |
Willow Creek Mine Explosions & Fire, Helper, Utah — More than 10 hours following the explosions in the Willow Creek Mine, four injured miners were laboriously brought to the surface by mine rescue teams. The rescued men included William Burton, Tyson Hales, Cory Nielsen and Shane Stansfield. Two other miners were found dead by rescue personnel.
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| 2002 |
Following an inundation of water from an adjacent abandoned mine, nine miners were rescued after being trapped more than 3 days in the Quecreek Mine in Friedens, Pennsylvania. Source document
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| 2006 |
Abandoned Mine Lost Persons, Mammoth, West Virginia — Two men who illegally entered a closed coal mine to search for scrap metal to sell were rescued after they became lost about 3,000 feet inside the mine. Crews found Franklin Johnson, 44, and Glen Edelman, 35, on July 31, a few hours after their search began. They were treated at a hospital and released. The rescuers traced them by following the fumes from a fire the two had set after their flashlight failed as they hunkered down in the mine, authorities said. An expert said they were lucky they didn't set off an explosion or suffocate themselves. The men, who were last seen two days earlier, didn't have any food but there was water in the mine to drink. The mine, which was owned by Massey Energy Inc., was closed in 1993. Source document
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| 2016 |
Abandoned Iron Mine, Iron Ridge, Wisconsin — Three teenage boys got lost in a labyrinthine abandoned iron mine in southeastern Wisconsin for hours, spending the night huddled together against the cold before rescuers found them alive and safe. The three were Tate Rose and Zachary Heron, both 16, and 15-year-old Samuel Lein. |
| 2022 |
Meikle Gold Mine Ground Fall Entrapment, Elko, Nevada — Four employees at Nevada Gold Mines Meikle underground operation were trapped for about six hours due to a ground fall incident. The four employees were rescued by 8 p.m. and did not sustain any injuries, according to NGM. Source document
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| Rescuer Deaths in July |
| 1891 |
Republic Mine Fire, Marquette, Michigan — Peter Pascoe, Jr. and James Dower, Jr. were smothered by gas and smoke in the No.7 pit of the Republic mine. James Dower, Jr. lost his life in his gallant and repeated efforts to rescue his friend Pascoe. Peter Pascoe, Jr., was night boss of No. 8 pit. Shortly before noon he descended into the burning mine by No. 7 shaft to ascertain, if possible, the extent of the fire raging in Nos. 5 and 6 shafts. He was accompanied by three others. The whole party was overcome by gas and smoke. The three that descended with Pascoe managed to reach the skip and were brought to the surface unconscious. Young Pascoe had been unable to reach the skip and was left behind in the burning mine. Then James Dower, Jr., Arthur Blythe, John Hodge, Thomas Lynch, and Llewellyn Evans descended into the mine to endeavor to rescue Pascoe. But the smoke was so dense that they also were overcome and were unable to give the signal to be drawn up. The men on the surface became alarmed at the length of time the party remained below, and hoisted the skip. All the rescuing party were unconscious, and were resuscitated with difficulty, but Pascoe still remained in the mine. James Dower bravely went alone down into this smoky hell a second time to rescue his friend. He perished in the heroic attempt, for the skip came back empty. Grant Kimberly ventured down and succeeded in recovering Dower's body. Pascoe's body was at length found and brought to the surface. But Pascoe had been three hours in the smoke and life was extinct. Source document
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| 1902 |
Rolling Mill Mine Explosion, Johnstown, Pennsylvania — Mine foreman, Harry Rodgers; assistant mine foreman, William Blanchard; and fire bosses, John Whitney and John Thomas were overcome by the afterdamp while attempting to rescue other miners.
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| Daly West and Ontario Silver Mines Explosives Ignition, Park City, Utah — 34 miners were killed following a magazine explosion in the Daly West and Ontario Silver Mines in Park City, Utah. The magazine, located in the Daly West mine, exploded after miner, John Burgy, entered carrying a lit candle. Three of the deceased were rescuers: John McLaughlin; James Smith; and Jack Ballon, all of whom died of asphyxiation while rendering aid and searching for survivors. McLaughlin died after making his second trip into the mine. Several of the dead were in the adjacent Ontario mine. With the exception of Mr. Burgy, all the miners died from asphyxiation.
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| 1904 |
Daniel Davis died attempting to save William Monroe from suffocation, Sherodsville, Ohio, July 11, 1904. Davis, 23, coal miner, was overcome by black damp while walking into a mine to rescue Monroe, 38, who was helpless from the gas but was later rescued. Source document.
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| 1920 |
Black Diamond No. 2, Mine Rescue Training Fatalities, Black Diamond, Washington — On July 10, 1920, Henry DeWinter, Hugh Hughes, and James Hudson lost their lives while wearing oxygen breathing apparatus in an abandoned slope of the Black Diamond No. 2 mine of the Pacific Coast Coal Company, Black Diamond, Washington.
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| 1944 |
Powhatan Mine Fire, Belmont, Ohio — Immediately upon receiving the news of the fire, George Emery, a 45-year-old foreman and father of four children, went into the pit to help the trapped men. Hours later he had not returned.
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| 1950 |
Lark Section — U. S. and Lark Mine Fire, Lark, Utah — The fire was first detected by a pumpman who encountered smoke while being hoisted in the Lark Shaft from the 2500 level to the 1200 level. He returned by cage to the 2500 level to notify the hoistman by telephone and died sometime later after closing the water doors when a power outage occurred. The other four men died while attempting to rescue him.
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