At the time of the Porter Tunnel Mine Disaster of March 1977, the Pottsville Republican published an article by Nora Coyne, staff writer, which chronicled the mine disasters that occurred in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, since 1960. The text of that article follows here:
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50 KILLED SINCE 1960 IN SCHUYLKILL MINES
The last major mine accident in Schuylkill County occurred in 1972, when James Smith, a 34-year-old Hegins R.D. miner, died while buried under a mass of coal 11,000 feet below ground at Good Spring area deep mine.
Kermit E. Binkley, Wiconisco, was rescued after a nine-hour digging operation. Smith’s body was recovered about an hour after Binkley was rescued.
Mine inspectors then said they believed the chute was empty the day before and the two miners were inside when the coal stopped flowing. An inspector said coal flowed in on the men while they were in the chute, covering them o their necks. The mine was a three-man operation.
From 1960 to this year, 50 have been killed in county mine mishaps.
A Hegins R.D. man, Rudolph Geist, was killed in October, 1974, when a trailer tipped onto and crushed his truck cab, while he was inside, operating a hydraulic hoist, at the Pine Creek Coal Company, Spring Glen.
Two fatal accidents occurred in 1970, one at Honeybrook Mine, Audenreid, when a man was caught between two coal cars; the other miner died of injuries received in a mine explosion at Mercury Coal Company, Donaldson in August. Another man was injured at the latter explosion. A miner suffered a head injury after a mine accident at Erdman’s Independent Mine, Good Spring in May.
Four employees escaped injury after a cave-in in a chute near where they were working at the Clark Coal Company, Valley View, in December, 1971.
Seven Killed
Seven men were killed and eight others were injured in mine accidents during 1969. One fatality and six injuries resulted from a gas explosion at Herper Coal Company in Bear Valley, southeast of Valley View, in late June.
Two falls were fatal, one at Marian Mining Company, near what was formerly Connerton, the other at Hatter Coal Company, Bear Valley. Two men were killed, a mine operator and owner of Hornberger Coal Company, Lincoln, Tremont Township, when they were caught in a rush of material in April. Three were killed in accidents, one at Bush Coal Company, in July, one at the S. B. K. Coal Company, Hegins Township, in August, and the other at Ginther Coal Company, Cumbola in October.
Falls injured four men in 1969 at Bush Coal Company, Valley View; Germantown Colliery; Fireside Mining Company, Valley View. Rock Falls injured three men at Bernitsky Coal Company and Kocher Coal Company, Valley View. One man was injured in a work accident at R and K Independent Mine, Good Spring.
A man caught in a fall of coal was injured at D. and J. Coal Company, Trevorton in August. Another was burned while working at the Erdman Coal Company, Good Spring, in October 1969.
Three in 1967
Falling coal or rock killed three men in 1967 at: Earl Bush Coal Mine, Good Spring, Reichwein and Buery Coal Mine, Mount Pleasant, and Erdman Coal Company. Three men were hurt in work-related accidents at Honeybrook Mines and Marion Mining Company, Girardville. Six were hurt in rock falls or small cave-ins at: Marion Coal Company, independent mine, Erdman Brothers Mine, Coon’s Hollow; a Llewellyn mining operation and Reber Coal Company, Mr. Paco. One man was hurt in a gas explosion at Farley Coal Company, Tamaqua.
A falling plank injured an employee of the Morea Colliery in January, 1967.
A rock fall injured five men in 1966 at: Penag Coal Company, Good Spring; M and M Company, Forrestville; Harry David Independent Mining Operation, Minersville. A man fell down the shaft of an independent mine north of Tamaqua in November and another suffered burns in a gas explosion at Lengel Coal Company, Keffers.
Rushes of coal killed two men in 1966 at Ira and Lee Coal Mine, Bear Valley and Penag Coal Company, Good Spring and a fall killed another man at an independent mine near Big Mine Run, Butler Township.
Explosions injured four miners in 1965 at: Gregas Coal Company, Brockton; Mercury Coal Company, Donaldson; and Macca Coal Company, Valley View. Falling rock at Recia Coal Company, Branchdale, injured one man while a fall down a chute at an independent mine in Bear Valley hurt another miner. Work-related accidents injured three miners at: Gregas Coal Company, Brockton; Forson Coal Company, Shenandoah; and Paul Kerrigan breaker, Tower City.
Cave-ins killed four miners in 1964 at the following mines: J and C Coal Company, Bear Valley, January; independent mine south of Mahanoy City; Primrose Slope Number Two, Jewel Ridge Coal Company, Joliett. Falls killed two men at: Oak Hill Breaker operation of Reading Anthracite, Duncott and an independent mine operation near Tamaqua. A working accident killed a man at Fireside Mining Company.
Gas explosions burned five men in 1964 at: Westwood Coal Company, Primrose; Hunter’s Tunnel, near Holmesville; Kimmel Brothers Mine, Good Spring; Mountain and Macca Coal Company, Bear Valley. Coal slides hurt five men at: an independent mine near Excelsior; Luther Resig Coal Company, Tamaqua; Audenreid Mines, Inc., Ralph R. Boyer Mine, Valley View; and and independent mining operation near Kaska. Accidents, three of which were falls, injured miners at: Numeister Coal Company, Dherman Mountain; Gilberton Coal Company, Joliett; Glen Burn Colliery, Shamokin.
10 Die in 1963
Mine accidents took the lives of 10 miners in 1963. Three were overcome by gas at an abandoned mine on Sharp Mountain, Silverton and an independent mine at Eagle Hill; two were killed in explosions at: Cleaton Kehler Mine, Valley View; and a fall killed a man at Shuey Coal Company, Good Spring.
Coal slides injured six men in 1963 at an independent Lincoln mine; Hi Test Coal Company, Hegins Township; Klinger Coal Company, Tremont; Pleasant Hill Coal Company, Mahanoy City; B and M Coal Company, Valley View; Parkway Anthracite Mine, Valley View and Basack Mining Company, Llewellyn. A gas explosion at A. R. Williamson Coal Company, Valley View, injured two men.
Accidents killed 13 men in 1962. Seven were killed in coal slides, at an independent mine drift in Lavelle, owned by Donald Mentzinger; others at Eagle Hill Colliery, Cumbola; Ridge Mining Company, Mahanoy City and Teska Coal Company, Keffers. Two miners were overcome by gas at: Harner Coal Mines, Bear Valley Road.
Nine miners suffered injuries in mines in 1962. Explosions injured six at: G and M Coal Company, Good Spring. Coal slides injured five at: Minnich Mining Company, Good Spring; Earl Bush Coal Company, Good Spring; independent mine, Rausch Creek. Three men were hurt in falls or other accidents at: Olenich Brothers Coal Company, independent mine, Bear Valley.
A fall of top rock killed a man at the Number 11 Audenried Mines, Inc., operated by the Brazzo Company. Another man died when his head struck overhead timber while riding in a buggy at Koperna Brothers Coal Company, Branchdale in 1961.
Rock slides at Orabit Coal Company, Tremont, and a blow to the head from a slipping bar at Greenwood Mine, injured two miners in 1961.
Mine accidents killed four men in 1960; three died in coal slides at: Wolfgang Brothers Coal Company on Good Spring Mountain; Farley and Khnai Coal Company, Hometown Hill; and Reiner Coal Company, Number Five Slope, Keffers.
Ten miners suffered injuries in 1960. Four involved explosions at Rickert Coal Company, Sherman Mountain and Dando Mining Company, Buck Run; and Peca Coal Company, Mahanoy City; independent mine, Sherman Mountain; Walcavage Mining Operation, Bear Valley. Falls and other accidents injured five more miners at independent mine near Brockton, Sky Top Coal Company.
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Article transcribed from Pottsville Republican, 2 March 1977 via Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.