Mine Safety Training Repository
united states mine rescue association
Mine Disasters in the United States

Tank's Poetry


Father Time
See more disasters
from this year
Calendar Image
Mine Disaster Calendar
Stay Out Stay Alive

Republic Steel Corporation
Penokee Iron Ore Mine Cave-in

Ironwood, Gogebic County, Michigan
June 2, 1952
No. Killed - 2

Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, June 4, 1952  PDF Format
Accident referred to in last paragraph of news article.  PDF Format
More Double and Triple Fatality Mining Accidents  PDF Format
See more Republic Steel Corporation Disasters:
  •  Sayreton No. 2 Mine Explosions, Aug. 28, 1943
  •  Russellton Mine Roof Fall, Dec. 1, 1970
Visit here for dozens more Republic Steel Corporation fatal accidents, including several successful rescues and rescuer deaths, or view them along with related news articles, and investigation reports in this chronological PDF file.  PDF Format
From the Google News Archives:  External Link
(news links open in a separate window)


Successful Rescue

Three of five miners were rescued after being trapped for 24 hours by a cave-in at the 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 about these products