September 06 --
Tony Boyle, former president of the
United Mine Workers, is charged with murder in the 1969 deaths of former
UMW rival Joseph A. Yablonski and his wife and daughter - 1973
One
of the worst disasters in the history of U.S. anthracite mining
occurred at the Avondale Mine, near Scranton, Pa., when a fire
originating from a furnace at the bottom of a 237-foot shaft roared up the shaft, killing 110 miners - 1869
It started when the wooden lining of the mine shaft caught fire and
ignited the coal breaker built directly overhead. The shaft was the only
entrance and exit to the mine, and the fire trapped and suffocated 108
of the workers (the other two fatalities were rescuers). Among those who
died were five boys ages 12 to 17.
One of the first global relief efforts occurred after the disaster, with donations for the families of victims arriving from all over the world. Another result of the fire was the enacting by the Pennsylvania General Assembly of legislation establishing safety regulations for the coal mining industry, making Pennsylvania the first state to enact such legislation. These laws mandated, among other things, that there must be at least two entrances to underground mines.
The disaster also caused thousands of miners to join the Workingmen's Benevolent Association, one of the first unions to represent coal miners in the United States. Continuing labor and social strife in the Pennsylvania anthracite coal fields resulted in an increase of the activities of the "Molly Maguires", a controversial organization that conducted violent attacks against anthracite coal mine operators. These conflicts eventually resulted in the trial and execution of twenty members of the Molly Maguires in Pottsville and Mauch Chunk.
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