This Library of Congress image captures a historic view looking south toward Pittston, Pennsylvania, offering a glimpse into the coal-dominated landscape of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
One of the most striking landmarks in the image is the blackened coal breaker of the Newton Coal Company’s Twin Shaft Colliery, seen on the left side of the photograph.
This colliery was the site of one of Pennsylvania’s deadliest mining disasters – the Twin Shaft Mine Disaster of June 28, 1896.
On that fateful night in June 1896, mineworkers were laboring deep underground, attempting to stabilize the mine roof, which had shown signs of imminent collapse. Despite their efforts, the mine suddenly gave way, entombing 58 men beneath tons of rock and debris.
The Twin Shaft Disaster remains one of the most tragic mining catastrophes in Pennsylvania history, underscoring the extreme dangers faced by anthracite miners and the industry’s long-standing safety issues.
Read more about this tragedy here:
The Twin Shaft Mine Disaster | June 28, 1896
Pittston, like much of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Coal Region, was shaped by coal mining and the risks that came with it. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the region’s landscape was dominated by coal breakers, rail yards, and deep mines, many of which were dangerously unstable due to aggressive extraction methods known as “robbing pillars.”
The Twin Shaft Disaster was a reminder of the deadly conditions inside Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal mines, fueling public outcry over poor working conditions and the need for stronger safety regulations in the industry. A few years later, the mine strikes of 1900 and 1902, organized by the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), began to secure better conditions and higher pay for the region’s mineworkers.
Read more about Pittston, Pennsylvania
A photograph of breaker boys at Pittston, Pennsylvania | January 1911
Captain Charles Flagg | Killed at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863
The Twin Shaft Mine Disaster | June 28, 1896
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Jake: Thanks for the research and story. My great grandfather, John Kehoe, his son Frank Kehoe, and John’s nephew, Thomas Barrett, were the 58 “men and boy” victims of the Twin Shaft Disaster, and entombed on that fateful day, June 28, 1896. Years later, my grandfather and his brother, founded the Kehoe-Berge Coal Company, in Pittston, and mined the former Newton Coal Company/Twin Shaft property. I own what is believed to be the only extant, privately-held, bound copy of the Pennsylvania government investigational report on the Twin Shaft Disaster. In 2016, I organized a 120th anniversary community memorial celebration of the Twin Shaft Disaster. It included a Catholic Mass, wreath laying, speakers’ presentation and a luncheon reception at the former St. Mary, Help of Christians Church (now known as Our Lady of the Eucharist Church), in Pittston’s “Junction Section.” From this parish, 32 of the 58 entombed “men and boys” were parishioners, leaving 72 orphans.