This post is part of a series of articles on the explosion that occurred at Bear Valley, No. 1 Shaft, Summit Branch Colliery, near Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, July 15, 1908, in which six men were killed.
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From the West Schuylkill Herald, Tower City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, July 17, 1908:
SIX DEAD IN MINE DISASTER
Williamstown, three miles west of Tower City, was again afflicted by an awful catastrophe on Wednesday, in which six men lost their lives and eight others were more or less injured, through an explosion in No. 1 shaft, Bear Valley, which is part of the workings of the Williamstown Colliery owned by the Pennsylvania Coal Company. The accident happened shortly before the noon hour, but as the shaft is located across the mountain from Williamstown, and as the only means of a tunnel through the mountain, it took some time before the news spread.
The dead are Michael Stakem, James Bowman, John Whittle, John Reilly, Charles Rickert, all of Williamstown; Arthur Hawk, of Dayton.
The injured are fire boss Charles Parker, Martin Doyle, Ralph Finley, John Walsh, Isaac Hess, all of Williamstown, and Charles Hepler and Monroe Shade, both of Springville. Only four are seriously injured , and only three of the men are burned.
The men killed were all married except Reilly. It is thought that none of the injured will died. What caused the explosion is not definitely known at this time and will likely not be known until the inquest is held.
Shortly after the accident occurred rescuing parties were set to work. The bodies of Stakem, Bowman, and Hawk were recovered at once. The injured were quickly hoisted to the surface where a number of physicians were in waiting, and were later carried to their homes. The bodies of Whittle, Reilly and Rickert were not recovered until late in the evening. Mine inspector Price had charge of the rescuing party. The force of the explosion must have been terrible, as some of the bodies were badly mutilated.
Up to this time it is not definitely known what caused the explosion, gas or powder. It is known that two kegs of powder were taken to the place where the accident happened on the morning of the accident. Mine inspector Charles Price, who is making an exhaustive inquiry into the cause of the accident, found both of these kegs blown to atoms. He also found a miner lamp in a very dangerous location. There is very little traces of gas at the place where the explosion occurred, through safety lamps were always used.
This is the second catastrophe that has taken place in four years at this colliery. The first took place in the latter part of May, 1904, when ten men lost their lives by being smothered by gas in a tunnel from a locomotive.
Up to the hour of going to press on Thursday evening no time had been set for the funerals of the victims.
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From the West Schuylkill Herald, Tower City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1908:
Funerals of Mine Victims
Nothing new has developed concerning the mine disaster which took place at Williamstown, Wednesday of last week. Coroner Conover has postponed holding the inquest until all of the injured are well enough to testify. It will be upon the testimony of those injured men who were in the mine at the time occurred upon which a verdict will largely rest….
The colliery was idle from the time of the accident until Tuesday.
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From the West Schuylkill Herald, Tower City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, August 7, 1908:
POWDER CAUSED EXPLOSION
“According to the evidence the explosion was caused by powder which was set off by a small quantity of gas lit by a naked light,” was the verdict of the jury at an inquest to determine the cause of the accident in No. 11 Vein, No. 1 Shaft at Bear Valley, in which six men lost their lives the morning of July 15 [1908], held at the office of Dr. G. W. Stites, at Williamstown, Wednesday evening, at which about 75 people were present. The inquest was conducted by Coroner H. Ross Cooper of Harrisburg, Inspector Charles Price of the 20th District, and Inspector M. J. Brennen, of the 19th District. General Manager Auman, of the Summit Branch Coal Company, also took an active part in the inquiry.
The jury was composed of the following well known citizens of Williamstown: Thomas Dando, Andrew Budd, William Koenig, John Beard, John Sower, and John Bowen.
Every facility was offered the jury in order that they might intelligently probe into the cause of the accident. Maps were distributed showing the portion of the mine where the accident occurred, also the exact location where the bodies of the victims were found. Nothing was left undone by Inspector Price and the officials of the coal company by which the the true cause of the accident might be determined. The families of the unfortunate men did not have any representative present.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
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