Mine Accident Listing

The Following is a list of Mine Accident throughout Luzerne and Lackawanna county. It is not a complete list.
Date Area notes
Jan 12 1846 Carbondale 60 entombed
1866 Eagle Shaft Pittston Explosion of Damp: 6 entombed
Sep 6 1869 Avondale Shaft, Plymouth 108 asphyxiated, 2 rescuers Killed
May 27 1871 Exeter Shaft, W. Pittston 20 asphyxiated
Aug 14 1871 Eagle Shaft, Pittston 17 killed explosion of fire damp
Feb 26 1872 Henry Shaft, Plains explosion of Fire Damp, 4 killed
Jun 26 1875 Nanticoke Shaft, Nanticoke Platform broke, 6 killed in 540 ft fall to bottom of shaft
Feb 12 1876 Exeter Shaft, W. Pittston 4 Killed in gas explosion
Oct 8 1876 Prospect Shift, Plains 4 Killed in gas explosion
Apr 23 1879 #9 (#10) Coll., Sugar Notch 7 men emtombed 5 (8) days, lived on mule meat, rescued.
May 6 1879 Stanton Shaft 6 Killed in explosion while fighting fire
Nov 2 1879 Mill Creek slope, Plains 7 killed in gas explosion
Mar 5 1880 # 2 (# 3) shaft, Nanticoke 6 killed in gas explosion
Sep 22 1883 Woodward Shaft #1, Plymouth Platform broke while men were timbering shaft, 4 killed, men fell 75 ft
Aug 11 1885 WestEnd # 1 drift, Mocanaqua 10 suffocated by white damp from underground boiler fires
Aug 21 1885 # 2 shaft, Plymouth 6 killed in gas explosion
Oct 21 1885 # 2 coll., Plymouth 6 killed in gas explosion
Dec 18 1885 # 1 slope, Susquehanna coal co., Nanticoke 26 (28) killed in flow of quicksand, bodies never recovered
Aug 30 1886 Fairlawn Colliery, Scranton 6 killed in gas explosion
Sep 13 1886 Marvine Colliery, Scranton 8 suffocated by gas
Nov 26 1886 Conyngham, Wilkes Barre 12 Killed in gas explosion
Jun 10 1889 Nottingham shaft, Plymouth 4 killed in fall of coal
Feb 1 1890 Nottingham shaft, Plymouth 8 Killed in gas explosion
Mar 3 1890 S. WB., shaft # 3, Wilkes Barre mine fire (gas explosion) 8 killed bodies recovered 9 mths later
Apr 2 1890 #4 slope, Nanticoke gas explosion, 5 killed
May 15 1890 Jersey # 8, Ashley 26 killed in mine cave-in
Sep 20 1890 Hollenback Shaft Wilkes Barre 4 Killed in gas explosion
Jan 1891 # 1, Jeansville 14 trapped in mine, one survived
Nov 8 1891 # 1 shaft, Nanticoke 12 Killed in gas explosion
1892 Gaylord mine, Plymouth several trapped in mine, all died
May 31 1892 West End Drift, Mocanaqua 4 Killed in gas explosion
Jun 22 1893 # 1, Nanticoke 4 Killed in gas explosion
July 24 1893 #4 Shaft, Edwardsville 4 Killed gas explosion.
Sep 21 1893 Lance # 11 shaft, Plymouth 6 killed (8) in gas explosion
Feb 13 1894 Gaylord mine, Plymouth 13 killed when workings caved in
Oct 7 1895 Dorrance Shaft, Wilkes Barre 7 killed when fire boss directing mining engineers through old workings with naked light exploded body of gas
Jun 28 1896 Twin Shaft, Pittston 58 caught in mine squeeze (fall of roof), bodies uncovered
Oct 29 1896 # 3 Shaft, S. Wilkes Barre 4 killed in gas explosion, 2 fire bosses suffocated by after damp in attempting rescue.
Oct 30 1897 VonStorch, Scranton 6 killed in fire
Oct 1 1898 Midvale Slope, Plains 5 suffocated by smoke from fire in air bridge crossing gangway
Nov 5 1898 Exeter Shaft, W. Pittston 9 crushed in descending cage when 3 loaded cars ran into the opening
Oct 30 1900 # 1, Edwardsville 4 killed in gas explosion
Oct 25 1901 Buttonwood shaft, Hanover Twp (Plymouth) 6 killed in gas explosion
Dec 8 1902 (Dec 9) S. Wilkes Barre 4 (5) killed; dynamite dropped by man carrying explosive.
Mar 6 1904 Dorrance Shaft, Wilkes Barre 4 killed when hoisted out of shaft against sheave wheels
May 5 1904 Lance # 11 shaft, Plymouth 5 Killed in gas explosion
Nov 2 1904 Auchincloss Shaft, Nanticoke 10 killed in descending cage when control of engine was lost
Mar 9 1905 (Mar 10) Clear Spring Shaft, W. Pittston 7 Killed in descending shaft when rope broke
Apr 26 1905 conyngham, Hudson Coal Co., Wilkes Barre 10 Killed in ascending cage when rope broke, 350-ft fall
Feb 17 1906 Buttonwood shaft, Hanover Twp (Plymouth) 4 killed in dynamite explosion
Aug 6 1906 # 1 shaft, Nanticoke 6 killed in gas explosion
Dec 6 1906 Buttonwood shaft, Hanover Twp (Plymouth) 4 killed in gas explosion
Feb 8 1907 #19 Shaft, Wanamie 7 suffociated by fire
Mar 2 1907 Hoden, Taylor 7 killed in gas explosion
Jun 10 1907 Johnson #1, Priceburg 7 killed in gas explosion
Jun 11 1907 #1 slope, Audenreid 9 asphyxiated by white damp
Aug 21 1907 # 14 slope, Port Blanchard, Jenkins Twp 4 killed in gas explosion
Sep 21 1907 S. WB. shaft S. Wilkes Barre 4 killed in gas explosion
May 12 1908 Mt. Lookout Shaft, Wyoming 12 Killed in gas explosion
May 13 1908 Prospect Shift, Plains 5 killed in fall of rock
Aug 18 1908 (Aug 28) Warrior Run Shaft, Warrior Run 6 men riding up slope killed when they met runaway car coming down
Mar 2 1909 # 14 slope, Port Blanchard, Pittston 8 Killed in gas explosion
Nov 9 1909 Auchincloss Shaft, Nanticoke 9 killed in gas explosion
Jan 11 1910 Nottingham shaft, Plymouth 7 killed in gas explosion
Mar 12 1910 S. W.B., shaft # 5, S. Wilkes Barre 7 killed in gas explosion
May 10 1911 Boston Shaft, Larksville 5 asphyxiated after explosion
Sep 12 1911 Marvine Colliery, Scranton 5 killed, mine cars
Jan 9 1912 Parrish Shaft, Plymouth 6 killed in gas explosion
Jul 17 1912 # 3 Shaft, S. Wilkes Barre 4 killed in gas explosion
Dec 9 1914 Diamond, Scranton 13 killed falling down shaft
Feb 17 1915 Prospect Coll., LV Coal Co., N. W-B 13 killed in explosion
Feb 8 1916 Lance # 11 shaft, Lehigh & WB Coal Co., Plymouth 7 killed in explosion
Aug 8 1916 Woodward, Edwardsville 6 killed in gas explosion
Jun 5 1919 Baltimore Tunnel, Wilkes Barre 92 killed in dynamite & powder explosion
Nov 3 1922 Eddy Creek, Olyphant 6 killed in premature explosion
Dec 8 1923 Mt. Jessup, Jessup 5 killed in fall of roof
Jun 6 1924 Loomis Coll., Glen Alden Coal Co., 14 killed in explosion
May 22 1925 Woodward, Edwardsville 7 killed in gas explosion
Aug 3 1925 Dorrance Shaft, Wilkes Barre 10 killed in gas explosion
May 26 1927 Woodward Coll., Glen Alden workings under Westmoor 5 trapped after explosion bodies never recovered
Nov 16 1927 Tomhicken Coll., near Hazleton, LV Coal Co 6 men emtombed, 1 died
Oct 10 1930 Hillman Vein, #4 Coll., Kingston Coal Co 4 Killed in explosion
Aug 24 1931 Mocanaqua West End Coal Co 6 emtombed 6 days; 4 died
May 7 1935 S. Wilkes Barre Coll., Glen Alden Coal Co., # 3 7 killed when boulder hits ascending cage
Aug 25 1936 Clear Spring Coll., Sullivan Trail Coal Co., W. Pittston 5 killed in blast
Jun 2 1938 Butler Slope, Volpe Coal Co., Pittston Twp 10 in gas explosion
Jan 15 1947 Nottingham shaft, Plymouth 15 killed in gas explosion
Apr 10 1947 Schooley Shaft, Exeter 10 killed
Sep 24 1947 Barnum Shaft # 2 of # 9 Coal Co., Duryea 3 killed in fall of rock
Dec 11 1947 # 9, Franklin Coll., LV Coal Co 8 dead
May 25 1948 Avoca Shaft of Heidelberg Coal Co 3 killed in fall of rock
Jan 5 1949 S. Wilkes Barre Coll., Glen Alden Coal Co., 2 killed in gas explosion
Feb 4 1949 Loomis Coll., Glen Alden Coal Co., 2 killed in fall of rock
Jan 22 1959 River Slope, Knox Coal co 12 drowned in river break through
Jul 27 1962 Bristal Coal Co., Nanticoke 2 men killed in rock slide
Aug 13 1963 Sheppton Mine, near Hazleton cave in 3 men trapped (rescued).

This information was submitted by: Tom Mooney from the Times Leader Archives.

©1997-20161997-2016 by Mary Ann Lubinsky for the PAGenWeb Project, and by Individual Contributors

 Mary Ann Lubinsky
County Coordinator

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