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.
Mine Flooded, 49 Miners Escape
Chronicle Telegram, Elyria, Ohio
July 2, 1928
Mt. Carmel, Pa., July 2. -- Forty-nine men were imprisoned in the Locust Springs colliery of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company at Locust Gap near here when a dam burst and flooded the shaft were rescued today.
Only one of the men, James Carey, of Girardville, required medical attention. He suffered from shock.
The dam burst without warning and sent a wall of water dashing into the fifth lift level where the 49 men were working.
Hearing the rush of the water the men had barely time to reach a travelway, crawl into safety holes and make their way to the No. 1 level where they were rescued.
The dam which was of concrete and steel construction, had been weakened by the heavy rains of the past few days.
