On April 21, 1892, water from an abandoned mine broke through the newly dug tunnels of the Lytle Coal Company’s mine near Minersville, ultimately resulting in the drowning deaths of eleven men. The dead included eight Italian immigrants, who were trapped in the flood along with their boss and contractor, Albert Sabella. The death of the well-respected Sabella, who recruited laborers for many Shamokin area mines, shocked the coal region and the large Italian community living in the area.
One of the Italian laborers, known to be a good swimmer, was found completely naked and it was surmised that he had stripped himself down hoping to swim out of the mine.
The names of the Italians who lost their lives in the mine flooding were: Albert Sabella; Frank Vegetta; Natsi Perena; Peter Olivetti; Peter Maketto; Joe Fietta; Vincent Vercuro; and Dominick Uguilla. All resided in Shamokin. Except for Sabella, nothing much more is known about them except for their names.
Unfortunately for the deceased Italians, strict rules prohibited their burial in consecrated Catholic burial grounds without verification they were of the faith. In the case of Sabella, his fiancée came forward to vouch for him, and eventually Sabella was interred in one burial plot and the other seven were interred in a common grave next to him. The spectacle of the funeral for the Italians will be featured in a future blog post.
The names of the non-Italians were: Thomas Buggy of Black Heath; James Dolbin of Forestville; and John H. Zerbey of Llewellyn.
News articles of the time tell the story of this disaster, one of the worst ever in the history of mining in the Southern Anthracite Region:
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From the Harrisburg Telegraph, April 21, 1892:
DROWNED IN A MINE
HORRIBLE FATE OF THE MINERS
The Mine Flooded While They Were at Work
POTTSVILLE, Pennsylvania, April 21 [1892] — The exact number of men imprisoned by the Lytle Colliery mine flooding, near Minersville, has been ascertained to be twelve. The water broke in at about 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon, and after six hours of agonized imprisonment, William Bell and James Doblin, who had fled to a high portion of the mine, were rescued through the heroic efforts of their fellow working men. While one gang of rescuers labored to cut through the intervening coal vein from the higher portion of the mine, the others, when they found that the water had reached its highest point, pushed their way through the filled up gangway by means of rafts to a point where the imprisoned men were supposed to be and reached the rescued. The unfortunate men who are still imprisoned, are undoubtedly drowned, as they have no chance of escaping like the two rescued. Following is a correct list of the unfortunates: John Zerby, of Llewellyn, married; Thomas Buggy, of Black Heath. These men were experienced miners with large families, and were engaged in timbering. The others comprised a gang of Italian laborers in charge of Albert S. Ebella. The names are: Frank Vegetta, Peter Otvest, Vencent Mercurio, Igatz Perena, Joseph Fietta, Peter Maketto, Dominio Uguilla. This gang were engaged in driving a gangway in the lowest part of the mine. The water broke in from the No. 4 chute and flooded the mine so quickly that they could not escape. At its highest point the water reached 200 feet up the slope, and it will take a day or two to remove sufficient to reach the places where the men are imprisoned. The water is supposed to have come from the old McDonald workings, of which the records are imperfect.
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From the Harrisburg Daily Independent, April 21, 1892:
FOURTEEN DROWNED
Fearful Colliery Accident Near Minersville, in This State
CAUGHT LIKE RATS IN A TRAP
While at Work Opening Up New Slopes the Water Burst Upon Them
GREAT EXCITEMENT CAUSED BY IT
MINERSVILLE, Pennsylvania, April 21 [1892] — This town, which is situated about four miles from Pottsville, the county seat, is greatly excited over a horrible accident that occurred late yesterday afternoon at the Lytle Colliery, whereby a number of men lost their lives by the clooding of the mine with an immense body of water that burst through from old workings. It is said that the accident occurred just about the time the shifts were changing. The exact number of men drowned and their names cannot be given. It is announced by colliery officials that probably fourteen men have met their death by the disaster. Among the names given are miners Dolbin, Bell and Buggy.
A United Press representative interviewed Mr. Hosie, who said that they could not tell how many men were drowned, but besides the American miners there were a large number of Italians and Hungarian laborers at work inside, and it is thought now that at leas six of these were drowned. “I cannot say where the water came from,” said Mr. Hosie. “We knew we were surrounded on all sides with water, and while our surveyors and bosses were very careful, someone evidently had blundered. There were several scores of men inside at the time and some of those came out, while others were said to have been heard talking as if they had reached a high point above the water.
Where the Catastrophe Occurred
The place where the accident occurred is a new coal operation that is being opened up on an immense scale by the Lytle Coal Company, an incorporated company, the principal stockholders of which are the Pennsylvania Railroad officials and Scranton capitalists. William Lewis, of the William Penn Coal Company Colliery of Shenandoah, the largest individual operator in the Schuylkill regions, is the general manager for the Pennsylvania Company of the Lytle Coal Company. J. H. Hosie is the general superintendent in charge. The works are located on Primrose Mountain, several miles northwest of Minersville, and taps the great Wolf Creek, said to contain the largest deposits of anthracite coal in the world. The surface veins on this tract have been worked for years by different parties, but the water accumulated in such quantities in the worked out surface measures that to mine the coal in the deepest measures, where the bulk of the deposits exists, required such a large capital that the tract in consequence has laid idle for some years.
About two years ago the present operators, with unlimited means, commenced the reopening of the tract, and have spent any thousands of dollars in pumping and opening up new slopes. They have not been shipping coal yet, but have engaged in the sinking of large double slopes, which are down 500 feet. Gangways are being pushed out from these slopes on all sides of the new workings, and the old water lies in it. It is the bursting through of one or more of these deposits without warning that caught the unfortunate miners while at work.
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From the Harrisburg Daily Independent, April 21, 1892:
FURTHER PARTICULARS
Of the Drowning of the Miners In the Lytle Colliery Near Minersville
By Associated Press
POTTSVILLE, April 21 [1892] — The exact number of men imprisoned by the Lytle Colliery mine flooding, near Minersville, has been ascertained to be twelve. The water in at about 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon, and after six hours of agonized imprisonment, William Bell and James Dolbin, who had fled to a high portion of the mine, were rescued by the heroic efforts of their fellow workingmen. Whilst one gang of rescuers labored to cut through the intervening coal vein from the higher portion of the mine, others, when they found that the water had reached its highest point, pushed their way through the filled up gangway by means of rafts to the point where the imprisoned men were supposed to be and reached the rescued. The unfortunate men who are still imprisoned are undoubtedly drowned, as they have no chance of escaping like the two rescued. The following is a correct list of the unfortunates: John Zerby, of Llewellyn, married; Thomas Buggy, of Black Heath. These men were experienced miners, with large families, and were engaged in timbering. The others comprised a gang of Italian laborers in charge of Albert S. Ebella. The names are Frank Vegetta, Peter Otvest, Vencent Mercurio, Ignatz Perena, Joseph Fietta, Peter Maketto and Dominic Uguilla. This gang weas engaged in driving a gangway in the lowest part of the mine. The water broke in from the No. 4 chute and floded the mine so quickly that they could not escape. At its highest point the water reached two hundred feet up the slope, and it will take a day or two to remove sufficient to reach the places where the men are imprisoned. The water is supposed to have come from the old McDonald working, of which the records are imperfect.
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From the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 21, 1892:
CAUGHT IN A MINE FLOOD
EIGHT PERSONS LOSE THEIR LIVES AT THE LYTLE COLLIERY
Others Imprisoned Alive – The Water came From an Old Working
Rescuers at Work
MINERSVILLE, April 18 [1892] — By the flooding of part of the workings of the Lytle Coal Company’s colliery, seven miles from here, late this afternoon, eight men lost their lives while those of two others are in jeopardy. Six of these are Italians and the others Americans.
The Italians under Contractor Caravelli were engaged in driving a gangway 175 feet in front of the main slope, which is down 150 years. Two others named John Zerbe, of Llewellyn, and James Dolbin, of Forestville, experienced miners were engaged in timbering. These are the ones drowned,
TEN CAUGHT IN THE RUSH,
About ten in number were caught by the water and fled to a higher part of the gangway where they were imprisoned in what is called the saddle of the vein. They ware alive and can be heard tapping on the coal. ON hearing this rescuing parties were at once put to work, cutting a passageway to the intervening barrier to rescue them from a higher level. There are supposed to be fifteen feet of solid coal between the rescuing party and the men.
WATER FROM THE OLD WORKINGS
The water that caused the calamity broke in from an old working, notwithstanding the operators had taken every precaution to prevent such an accident by constantly keeping drill holes driven ahead to a distance of 120 feet.
It is supposed that this water came from the old Primrose vein workings of McDonalds. It is hard to account for the breaking. The quantity of water cannot be ascertained, but by the means of extra pumps that have been rigged up since the accident occurred the water is already fast receding.
WHO OWNS THE COLLIERY
The Lytle Company is a corporation the principal stockholders of which are Pennsylvania Railroad officials and Scranton capitalists. J. P. Hosie is the general superintendent of the workings and W. H. Lewis, of the William Penn Coal Company, is the general manager for the Pennsylvania Company.
The workings are located northwest of Minersville, and tap the famous West Creek basin, acknowledged to be the greatest coal deposit in the Schuylkill coal field.
BELL RESCUED ALIVE
The rescuing party who were cutting across the heading to the saddle in which two of the miners were supposed to have been, broke through and took out William Bell alive. The rescue is still going on.
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From the Pottsville Republican, April 22, 1892:
PRIMROSE HORROR!
The Rescuers are Working to their Full Capacity.
BODIES MAY BE FOUND TONIGHT!
Theories as to the cause of the Accident — Other News of the County Done Up in Good Shape for the Information of Thousands of Readers.
THE DAILY REPUBLICAN receives the full daily service of the ASSOCIATED PRESS by DIRECT WIRE from Philadelphia and New York. This is an addition to our American Press service and United Press report.
The large Worthington pump was put in operation during last night to lift the water from the slope, gangway and tunnel where the ten bodies are drowned in the Lytle colliery slope at Primrose, and the bodies of the ten unfortunate men may be recovered by evening.
The body of water is not so great. The depth of the slope is but one hundred and fifty fee, upon which a gangway of 200 feet and a tunnel of 200 and another of 75, but are driven.
CAUSE OF THE DISASTER ASCERTAINED
It is now a settled question that the water that so suddenly rushed in the works and drowned the men came from an old counter gangway, as was stated in our account of the calamity in yesterday’s REPUBLICAN. Manager Hosie, with his foreman and men, have been working night and day to put the pump in operation, and to make the joints of water column through which the water is being pumped.
The pump at the Lytle Coliery which was placed in position last night and which was supposed to have been working continually ever since, did not start working until eight o’clock this morning. They then had great trouble as the lead joints broke out from time to time. No headway at al has therefore born made in lowering the water so far as the pumps were concerned. By the laying of lines of pipes are concerned. By the laying of lines of pipes, however, to carry off water escaping from other workings nearby the amount of work from the pumps when they are successfully started will not be so great. The pumps are expected to be in operation again in a few hours.
Mine inspector Gay has been on the ground all day offering suggestions and rendering service whatever he could.
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From the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 22, 1892:
THE LYTLE MINE DISASTER
Ten Men Imprisoned in the Flooded Colliery – Rescuers at Work
Pottsville, April 21 [1892] — The exact number of men imprisoned by the Lytle Colliery mine flooding, near Minersville, has been ascertained to be ten.
The unfortunate men who are still imprisoned, and who are undoubtedly drowned, as they have no chance of escaping, are John Zerbe, of Llewellyn; Thomas Buggy, of Black Heath; and Frank Vegetta, Peter Olvesti, Vencent Murcurio, Ignatz Perena, Joseph Fietta, Peter Maketto, Dominic Uguilla, Italians. This gang were engaged in driving a gangway in the lowest point of the mine. The water broke in from the No. 4 chute and flooded the mine so quickly that they could not escape.
The work of rescuing the men if they are alive or of recovering their bodies if dead goes briskly on. Duplex pumps, each lifting a million gallons of water every twenty-four hours, were started late this afternoon and added to the other machinery already busy at work in clearing the flooded portions of the mine. Both Bell and Dolbin, who were rescued after seven hours of imprisonment, are working with those now engaged in clearing the mine of water.
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From the Philadelphia Times, April 24, 1892:
TAKING OUT THE DEAD
The Body of a Victim of the Lytle Mine Disaster Recovered
POTTSVILLE, April 23 [1892] — The pumping of water from the Lytle Mine, near Minersville, in which ten miners were drowned, goes on very rapidly. The water has already been removed from the old gangway through which the flood burst, and an effort has been made to explore it, but the explorers had not proceeded far when they were obliged to withdraw to a place of safety, owing to the presence of black damp. Steps will be taken to remove this, when further explorations will be made.
The car containing the body of John H. Zerbey was reached shortly after noon today and it is possible that the balance of the unfortunates will be reached before morning. The excitement around the mouth of the mine continues unabated. Coroner Guldin summoned a jury, which is at the scene of the disaster awaiting the taking out of the bodies.
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From the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 25, 1892:
MINER BUGGY’S BODY RECOVERED
Nine Yet Remain in the Flooded Lytle Colliery
POTTSVILLE, April 24 [1892] — Today vast crowds visited the scene of the horrible mine disaster at Lytle Colliery, near Minersille, coming from all the towns and villages withing a radius of fifteen miles. At 3 o’clock this afternoon there were fully 3000 people in the immediate vicinity of the workings.
At 9:30 this morning the body of Thomas Buggy was found and twenty minutes later brought to the surface. After the coroner had viewed the body it was placed in an ice-box and removed to his home at Black Heath, a few hundred yards away.
Zerby and the eight Italians were still in the colliery when the scene was left late this evening. A 5 o’clock there remained but eight feet of water to be removed.
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From the Harrisburg Daily Independent, April 26, 1892:
ALL BEING REACHED
The Bodies of the Victims of the Lytle Colliery Drowning Disaster
ONE STRIPPED FOR SWIMMING
Fears That the Italians Would Create a Disturbance Groundless
HORRIBLY MUTILATED BY DYNAMITE
By Associated Press
POTTSVILLE, April 26 [1892] — The bodies of three of those who were drowned at the Lytle Coal Company’s works, on Wednesday afternoon last, were reached about 8 o’clock last evening, and five others, one of whom was John H. Zerbey, were discovered during the night. This morning the rescuing party are still at work searching for the ninth and last body in the inundated mine. One of the Italians had his clothes all off, with nothing but his belt about his waist. He was an expert swimmer, and it is supposed stripped himself of his clothing to disencumber him in his struggle for life. Sabella was the third man found. He, with the other two Italians, was found in the south tunnel. Zerbey was found during the night in the north tunnel. His body was placed in an ice box and taken to his home by the Minersville undertaker. The bodies of the others as they were brought to the surface were treated in the same manner and tenderly carried to their late boarding house close by. The fears that the Italians who came from Shamokin and other points, who claimed to be friends and acquaintances of the unfortunate foreigners, would claim the bodies, and especially that of Sabella, and if their request was refused would take their bodies by force, were proven to be needless. The Italians quietly gathered around the bodies of their unfortunate countrymen and acquiesced in all that was done. Zerbey, it will be remembered, was in the slope timbering with Thomas Davis, Charles Glass and another man when the mad water rushed down upon them. How his body came into the tunnel which was several feet west of the mouth of the slope is a mystery. In all there were twelve men imprisoned in the mine. Two of them, Doblin and Bell, were rescued alive. Buggy was found dead on Sunday, Zerbey and seven Italians during last night, leaving one Italian unaccounted for as yet.
The coroner’s inquest will hardly be held before the end of the week in order to give the worn out colliery officials and employees an opportunity of obtaining needed rest, as some of the rescuers have been on almost constant duty ever since the accident occurred last Wednesday.
The bodies of the unfortunate Italians will be buried in the cemetery attached to St. Vincent de Paul’s Roman Catholic Church. Sabella, the contractor, will be interred by himself, whilst his seven fellow-countrymen will be put in one large pit. These graves were dug previous to today, as were also similar ones in the Methodist cemetery, the Catholic authorities at first refusing the consecrated ground to the Italians until Rose Clerica, Sabella’s affianced, vouched for their church standing, etc., and they will now be interred in accordance with their religious doctrines. Zerbey, will, no doubt, be buried at Clauser’s Church Cemetery, the Llewellyn burying ground.
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From the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 26, 1892:
TRYING TO REACH THE BODIES
The Situation at the Lytle Colliery remains Unchanged
POTTSVILLE, April 25 [1892] — The situation remains unchanged at Lytle Colliery, which was flooded last Wednesday. The pumps are kept steadily at work to reduce the water and get at the bodies.
It may be at any hour and yet may take two or three days to reach them.
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From the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 27, 1892:
ALL THE BODIES RECOVERED
The Last Removed From the Flooded Lytle Colliery
POTTSVILLE, April 26 [1892] — The bodies of three of those who were drowned at the Lytle Coal Company’s works on Wednesday afternoon last were reached about 8 o’clock last evening, and five others were discovered early this morning.
At half-past 2 o’clock this afternoon the ninth and last body was brought to the surface.
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From the Philadelphia Times, April 27, 1892:
THE LYTLE MINE VICTIMS
All the Bodies Have Now Been Recovered From the Colliery
Special Telegram to The Times
POTTSVILLE, April 26 [1892] — The search for the bodies of the nine miners drowned in the Lytle Colliery disaster at Primrose was ended today, the last body being taken out this afternoon. Three of the victims were reached about 10 o’clock last night and five others were taken out a few hours later. The rescuing party continued its search for the ninth and last body until 2 o’clock this afternoon, when success crowned its efforts.
Contractors Sabilla and two of his companions were found near the bottom of the slope. Zerbey’s body was found at the mouth of the north tunnel. It is thought that when the rush of water came he was caught in it and forced in the gangway to the spot where he was found. The rest of the bodies were found along the gangway of the second “lift” and at the mouth of the north tunnel. Guisseppe Tapero, one of the Italians who was found at the bottom of the slope, was stark naked. His countrymen say he was an expert swimmer. He evidently depended on his skill in that respect to save his life.
The funerals will take place tomorrow and the inquest Saturday.
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From the Sunbury Weekly News, April 28, 1892:
THE BODIES ARE RECOVERED
Pathetic Scenes About the Mouth of the Slope
At 11 o’clock Sunday night the bodies of the men drowned at the Lytle Colliery were recovered. A big crowd was at the slope and the scenes were the most pathetic as the corpses were hoisted to the surface. The Shamokin Italians will be buried in St. Vincent de Paul’s Cemetery, Minersville. Albert Sabilla has about $2000 in a Shamokin bank and there will be a fight as to who will get the money., as some people declare he has no kin in this country. The Journal says the fore man of Sabilla’s contracts has taken out letters of administration and will take charge of his body. Miss Rose Clarecs, a French girl, who was to be married to Sabilla next week, wants to have charge of his body. Trouble may arised. James Farnsworth of Shamokin, who attended to Sabilla’s business, says he will see that everything is conducted properly and will give the money to the proper heirs.
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From the Sunbury Weekly News, April 28, 1892:
MANY MINERS DROWNED
Ten or Twelve Reported Dead at Minersville, Pennsylvania.
OVERWHELMED BY THE WATERS
An Immense Flood Bursts Through the Old Workings of Lytle Colliery, Dooming a Large Number of Men to a Horrible Death in the Darkness.
MINERSVILLE, Pennsylvania, April 21 [1892] — This town, which is situated about four miles from Pottsville, is greatly excited over a horrible accident that occurred late in the afternoon at the Lytle Colliery, whereby ten or twelve men are said to have lost their lives by the flooding of the mine with an immense body of water that burst through the old workings. The accident occurred just about the time the shifts were changing. It is announced by the colliery officials that eight men have met their deaths by the distaster. Among those are miners Dolbin, Bell and Buggy.
A Slight Ray of Hope.
Beside the American miners, there were a large number of Italian and Hungarian laborers at work inside, and it is thought that perhaps six of them are also drowned. The doomed men were surrounded on all sides with water and while their surveyors and bosses are said to have been very careful somebody has evidently blundered.
There were scores of men inside at the time, and some of these swam out, while others are said to have been heard talking as if they had reached a high point above the water. The place where the accident occurred is a new coal operation that is being opened upon an immense scale by the Lytle Coal Company, an incorporated company, the principal stockholders of which are the Pennsylvania Railroad officials and Scranton capitalists. The works are located at Primrose Mountain, several miles west of Minersville, and taps the great Wolf Creek Colliery, which has been idle for years owing to large accumulation of water. About two years ago the present operators commenced the reopening of the tract and have spent many thousand dollars in pumping and opening up new slopes. Gangways are being pushed out from these slopes on all sides of the new workings. The old water lies in it, and it is the bursting through of one or more of those deposits without warning that caught the unfortunate miners while at work.
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From the Pine Grove Press-Herald, April 29, 1892:
DROWNED IN A MINE
A Flooded Mine Bursts Through Walls and Eight Men are Drowned
Late the other afternoon a number of other men lost their lives by the flooding of the Lytle Colliery, Minersville, Pennsylvania, by a body of water that burst through the old workings. The accident occurred just about the time the shifts were changing. The colliery officials say that eight men were drowned.
The place where the accident occurred is a new coal operation that is being opened on a big scale by the Lytle Coal Company.
The works are on Primrose Mountain, several miles northwest of Minersville, and tap the great Wolf Creek Colliery, which has been idle for several years, owing to large accumulations of water.
Two years ago the present operators began the reopening of the tract, and have spent many thousand dollars in pumping and opening new slopes. Gangways are being pushed out from these slopes on all sides of the new workings. The old water lies in it, and it is the bursting through of one of these deposits without warning that caught the miners.
They were surrounded on all sides by water. Some of the men swam out, while others are said to have been heard talking as if they had reached a high point above the water.
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From the Pine Grove Press-Herald, April 29, 1892:
The scene of the Lytle Colliery disaster was visited Sunday by over 3,000 people. The pumps were kept steadily at work and at 9:30 o’clock in the morning the body of Thomas Buggy was found and twenty minutes later brought to the surface through No. 1 slope. All the bodies were recovered at ten o’clock Tuesday night. The body of Zerbey was found near the bottom of the slope. All the others were huddled together near the face of the tunnel.
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From the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 29, 1892:
The funeral of J. H. Zerby, of Llewellyn, who perished with nine others in the Lytle Colliery, will occur on Saturday at 2 P. M. Zerby had a presentiment of impending danger, and three days before his death called his family around him and divided his property among his wife and four children.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.