Reports of the Inspectors of Mines of the anthracite coal regions of ...

102 Reports of the Inspectors of Mines. [No. 10,
William Williams, a miner, at No. 1 tunnel, Pittston, was killed July IGtb,
by a fall of top coal, alaiost exactly in tlie same mannei' as Alsop.
Accident No. 2Y Richard Jackson, a miner, at the Twin shaft, Pitts-
ton, was fatally injured, Jul}^ 1 6th, by a fall of roof, and died of his injuries
within ten daj's. His working place was in a very dangerous condition,
and was very poorly timbered. He lost his life through his own inexcus-
able negligence.
Accident No. 28.—John Richards, a miner, at the Cayuga shaft. Providence,
was instantl}^ killed, July 17 th, by a fall of top coal. Richards was
opening a chamber, and had just had his branch laid in from the gangway;
but the track was so close to the pillar, that a car would not pass, so that
it became necessary to shear off some of the coal. He was doing this
when the coal fell, which killed him. He had been oi'dered that morning
b}^ Thomas Watkins, mine boss, to draw the dangerous coal down ; and
his attention had been called to it, during the day, by five other persons,
and the laborer and mine carpenter were among the number. He, however,
paid no attention to these repeated warnings, but acted as if he were
determined, deliberately, to commit suicide. The laborer had refused to
go under it, and Richards contemptuously asked him :
" What's the matter?
Be you afraid of it? " And the laborer answered that he was afraid of it.
He then sent the laborer away to the box, to fill his lamp with oil, and
while he was away on that errand, he heard the coal fall ; and when he re-
turned, he found Richards dead. He left a widow, with seven small chil-
dren, in very destitute circumstances.
Accident No. 29.—Martin Hart, a laborer, working for Thomas Joyce,
at the Twin shaft, Pittston, was instantly killed, September 3d, by a fall of
roof. His miner had told him that the roof in that part of the chamber
was unsafe, and ordered him not to go there ; but while the miner was at
his box, getting a wedge to force the slab down. Hart, in utter disregard
of the miner's order, went under it, when it fell upon him, breaking his
neck, and killing him instantly.
Accident No. 32.—Michael Quinn, a laborer, working for James and
Michael Machan, at the Stark shaft. Pleasant Valley, was fatally injured,
November 5th, by a fall of rock. His back was broken, and he died, December
1 2th, of his injuries. These miners did not take proper care to keep
their chamber safe, and were to blame, in a great measure, for this accident.
Accident No. 83.—Michael Madden, a miner, at Law's shaft. Pleasant
Valley, was killed, November 13th, b}^ a fall of roof. Madden and Patrick
Daley were working together as partners ; they had finished their day's
work, and were about to go home ; but there was a piece of " checker
coal " hanging from the face, which they did not consider safe, and Mad-
den got a wedge to force it down. But he had struck only three or four
blows on the wedge, when Dalej^ saw the rock breaking over his head, and
cried out: "Run, Madden, for the roof is fixlling!" In running away.
Madden ran against a prop, and fell back, under the falling roof, which