The front page of the West Schuylkill Herald for March 3, 1977, a weekly newspaper published in Tower City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The articles in that paper are related to the mine accident that occurred at the Kocher Coal Mine and the attempts at rescuing the trapped miners and recovering the bodies of those who died.
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2 DIE IN FLOODED MINE, 8 STILL TRAPPED
The worst mine tragedy to hit the area since East Brookside Colliery was closed in the depression years on Tuesday claimed the lives of two miners and left the fate of eight others trapped in the Porter Tunnel uncertain.
A large volume of underground water broke through a wall or ceiling of one of the mine breasts, tore out mine timber and pushed it along with rock, coal and mud toward the main tunnel that goes into the Keffers Mountain near its base northeast of Muir in Porter Township.
Gary Lee Klinger, 19, RD2, Hegins, was killed when the rush of water tumbled him into the sides of the chute and the mine car in which he was loading coal. His body was recovered Tuesday afternoon approximately 4,000 feet into the tunnel on the first level.
Yesterday morning, rescue workers found another body in the mud and debris in a gangway about 100 feet from the main tunnel. It was later identified as that of Philip Sabatino, 50, Hegins. Because of dangerous conditions, the body could not be removed until the afternoon.
The trapped men are Ronald Adley, 37, of Tower City; Ronald Herb, 32, and Dennis Morgan, 30, both of Valley View; Mark Kroh, 38, of Good Spring; John Moyer, 44, and Timothy Grose, 19, of Ashland; Ralph Renninger, 40, of Donaldson; and Donald Shoffler, 41, of Gordon. All are married except Grose.
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CONTACT MADE WITH ADLEY
Just before closing the pages of today’s edition, at 10:30 last evening, it was learned from a spokesman for Kocher Coal Company that contact had been made with one of the trapped men. Queried as to the identity of the man contacted, the spokesman said, “I can’t tell you – I would only be guessing, and I don’t want to do that.”
Since this was the first contact that was made with one of those caught in the disaster, it does lead to hope that others may also be alive, and there will be no let up in the feverish efforts to get to them.
However, it was announced on the 11:00 p.m. newscast that the man contacted was identified as Ronald Adley of Tower City and that he was being supplied with orange juice through a three-quarter inch plastic tube. It was also stated that, instead of trying to reached the trapped men by continuing the removal of debris, efforts will be made to rescue them by drilling through the coal that lies between the surface and the place where they are entombed.
According to company officials, there were about 60 men in the tunnel at the time of the accident, which occurred about 90 minutes before the end of the first shift, but some of the miners managed to escape through the air tunnel and three of them are in a guarded condition in Pottsville Hospital IC Unit: John Morgan, of Tower City; Ernest Morgan of Valley View; and Harry Fishburn of Mt. Carmel. Ernest Morgan is the father of Dennis Morgan, one of the trapped miners.
A mining official from the State Department of Environmental Resources said Wednesday afternoon that progress in reaching the remaining entombed men was slow because of the water. At the beginning of the rescue operation by volunteer miners of the area, water was from 30 to 48 inches deep.
A dynamite blast early yesterday morning removed the debris and the water began flowing out to the tunnel and from there to the outside of the mountain. The level of water behind the debris at the 10th chute from the main tunnel was reduced to 18 to 24 inches.
Lights enabled the rescue mining crew to see as far as the 13th chute. There the gangway made an angular turn and timber, rock and mud again dammed the water. The trapped men are thought to be somewhere in that area.
The mine is operated by the Leon E. Kocher Coal Company, Hegins. It employs about 150 men. Last year it produced 121,206 tons of coal. It is the largest deep mine in the anthracite field.
According to the recollection of Clyde Machamer, Tower City, a longtime president of the Independent Miners and Associates when coal mining was more prevalent than it is today, the tunnel was driven by the Reading Company in 1958.
It was a newer concept in mining. Instead of deep shafts being driven vertically from the top of a mountain with gangways leading from the shaft at different levels, this tunnel was driven horizontally into the mountain near its base.
A grid system was set up to the west side of the tunnel, with gangways spaced about 50 feet apart and with chutes going upward at 45 degree angles. The chutes were spaced 50 feet apart into the coal seams.
This form of mining eliminated most of the costly water drainage problems associated with conventional deep mining. It also facilitated taking coal from the mine.
The Reading Company mined the Porter Tunnel for about three years and then abandoned it. The tunnel remained idle until eight years ago when the Kocher Coal Company began mining anthracite coal there.
The old Brookside workings had three tunnels going horizontally into the mountain, but they were located at a considerably higher level and did not have as extensive a pattern for obtaining the coal as the Porter Tunnel.
No. 2 tunnel as located almost directly above the Porter Tunnel. No. 1 tunnel was to the west and No. 3 tunnel to the east about a half mile wast and just above the Keffers Mountain highway. The “waterfall” partially encased in concrete, along the highway is cause by mine water draining from the tunnel.
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WATER BROKE THROUGH FROM UNCHARTED MINES
Clarence Miller, district mine inspector with the Department of Environmental Resources, stated that the water which flooded the Porter Tunnel possibly came from abandoned, uncharted independent or bootleg mines in the area.
“We knew water was ni the area and we had a drilling program in operation there,” he states.
Miller said he is required to inspect mines in the region at least once every two weeks.
According to state regulations, miners are required to drill 20 feet ahead of the face of the coal upon which they are working. If water is found, it can be drained out before a charge of dynamite is set off.
The mountain has a history of accumulating water. When Brookside was working two tanks operated around the clock to remove water from the deep shafts in times of heavy rain, the mines were forced to close for a few days until the water level was reduced.
Over the past 45 years, independent or bootleg operators established mines on the mountain. These operators established mines on the mountain. These operations were not charted. Consequently, the exact location of large pockets of water are not known. The drilling ahead precautions are precautionary measures intended to prevent such tragedies as occurred at Porter Tunnel.
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EMERGENCY CREWS GO INTO ACTION
As soon as word of the mine disaster spread emergency crews sprang into action.
The Tower City Volunteer Fire Company Ambulance went to the scene and the crew helped with the handling of the body of Gary Klinger. The Tremont Ambulance also came to the scene and transported the men to the Pottsville Hospital.
The CB Club of the valley and the Porter-Tower Jaycees went into action and coordinated efforts of churches and individuals in providing hot soup, sandwiches, coffee, cake and other food items. Yesterday they obtained cots for the close relatives of the trapped men, so they could rest while waiting word of their loved ones.
When word of the tragedy reached the Press Herald office at Tremont, Mrs. Jane Atty of the Pottsville Red Cross office was delivering campaign material for the Red Cross Drive. She immediately called her office to arrange for help to be sent out, and also contacted Mitchell Raho and Bonnie Raho in Tower City to get helpers to arrange to serve coffee and sandwiches to rescue workers at the scene of the accident.
Pick and Shovel, Donaldson, provided two hot kettles of soup, hamburgers and coffee which were dispensed at the Red Cross van.
The Salvation Army also set up an emergency van and provided hot soup, sandwiches and coffee to the people at the scene.
Also assisting were volunteer nurses from Williamstown.
Commonwealth Telephone Company ran special lines to the tragedy site and set up four special booths for news media and emergency call use.
David Minnich of Tower City, Civilian Defense director for the area, helped with eht emergency measures required.
Trinity United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church members brought sandwiches and coffee to the Red Cross wagon.
The Red Cross obtained a service van from the Reading Red Cross unit. Irving Steinberger, Pottsville, transported volunteer nurses to the scene.
Women assisting were Mrs. Elizabeth Moser and Mrs. Beth Campbell, Pottsville; Mrs. Ross Rissmiller, Forest Hills; Mrs. Greta Sanner, Schuylkill Haven; Mrs. Irene Temple, Mrs. Jean Bair, Deanna Dietz, and Bobby Steranko of the Hegins area.
Also on the scene were Rev. James Flurer, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ; Rev. Paul Rauch, pastor of the United Methodist charge; and the Rev. Father Robert Wargo, Pottsville.
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GOV. SHAPP VISITS MINE
Governor Milton J. Shapp arrived at the Porter Tunnel yesterday at 3:30 p.m. He went over the situation with officials of the mining company, state police and men from the state Department of Environmental Resources. He had a half hour news conference with newspaper, television and radio representatives.
All the major TV networks and stations in this parts of Pennsylvania as well as radio and radio and newspapers had men and women on the scene. Television cameras were everywhere.
Minutes after the disaster was announced the Pottsville Hospital shifted to emergency disaster procedures. Twenty-six doctors and 8 resident physicians were in the emergency room waiting to treat victims of the flooding mine.
State police were alerted for traffic assistance, and radio stations were alerted to be ready to announce the need for all off-duty hospital personnel to report.
The doctors formed teams. Some served as a sorting team to identify injuries. Another group was prepared to give treatment.
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GRID PATTERN OF PORTER TUNNEL MINING
PORTER TUNNEL OF KOCHER COAL COMPANY OPERATIONS. This is a grid pattern, drawn by a State Police artist, of the tunnel, gangways and chutes, to show the workings of the mine where a rush of water caused the worst mine disaster in this area in many years. Superimposed are markings showing the area affected by the water breakthrough. Area circled at left is the place where Ronald Adley is trapped. Other circles areas mark the locations from which debris must be removed to reach the trapped men.
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WAITING FOR WORD. This part of the group of about 200 people who waited outside the Porter Tunnel yesterday for word about the eight men still trapped in the mine. The body of Philip Sabatino, Hegins, had been found but not yet removed from the mine. The tracks lead to the entrance to the tunnel in front and to the left of the police car.
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AMBULANCES ON CONSTANT DUTY. The Tower City and Tremont ambulances remained on constant duty shortly after the disaster alarm was sounded. The local crews changed shifts every three hours.
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DISASTER HELP UNITS ON THE JOB. Both the Salvation Army and the Red Cross quickly moved to the mine disaster scene on Tuesday and served coffee, doughnuts, sandwiches, hot coffee, soup and cake to the hundreds of people who braved the freezing temperature.
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NATION AND WORLD COVERAGE. TV newscasters and cameramen lined up at the barrier line with a focus the mine tunnel entrance. There were four others in this row and at least a half dozen portable units in the emergency area set up for the company, state police and DER officials.
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News articles, diagram and photos obtained through Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.