1900 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

No. 11. FIFTH ANTHRACITE DISTRICT. 173
away the explosion occurred. He hurried back and found Guitinan
lying dead, showing that he was leaning over the hole forcing down
the tamping stick, when explosion occurred, causing the accident
by which one of the most experienced men on stripping work in the
district
recklessly threw away his life regardless of rule or law.
No. 4. Joseph Coxe, a miner, was fatally injured at Lattimer
No. 2 east coal stripping on January 9th
?
and succumbed to his
injuries in the ambulance while on the way to the hospital. I
made a careful investigation of the accident and found that the
deceased was engaged in tamping a charge of black powder into a
hole in the coal. He had placed a dirt cartridge in the hole after
the powder and was tamping that with a coal drill, when the charge
exploded. He had been warned against using the drill and told
that he had better use the tamping furnished by the foreman for
the purpose, but he insisted on using the drill, thereby violating
article 12, rule 30, of the anthracite mine law, besides recklessly
throwing away his own life and injuring three of his fellow workmen.
No. 5. Frank Maroni, a laborer employed at Coleraine stripping No.
2, was fatally injured on January 13 and died at the Hazleton hospital.
He was sent to the road to warn persons that might be
passing that they were about to fire a blast on the stripping. On
teaching the mine railroad track, he stood in conversation with the
timber-man, paying no further attention to the blast or anything
else. A locomotive came along, pushing a trip of empty cars towards
the slope on which the deceased was standing. The engineer saw
the man on the track, but had no control of the cars, the engine being
en i from them. He blew the whistle, but the victim never moved
from the track until he was knocked down by the train. The investigation
of this accident showed that it could have been avoided
had the victim been attending to his business.
The writer is of the opinion that had the engineer proper control
of his train, the accident might have been averted. According to his
testimony, he could have stopped the train had his engine been
coupled to it. He was alone responsible for not being in lull control
of his train at the time.
No. 0. On January 13th, Daniel Dougherty, a patclior .employed
on an air motor in the mines at Highland Xo. 5 colliery, was instantly
killed, by having been crushed between a moving motor and an
automatic door on the gangway. The colliery being idle, the regular
crews on this run, were repairing the motors at the repair
pit. This being the only motor available at the time, the crew was
called to take empty cars from the bottom of the slope, inside, to a
point in the gangway known as "Lookout." This was the first
time for the crew to run over this route, therefore, they should have