I recently came across the horribly vivid newspaper account of a mine accident at the Tuckerville Colliery in western Schuylkill County in November 1859.
It was reported by the Miners’ Journal newspaper in Pottsville and, as was common at the time, shared in graphic detail.
Reading this is not for squeamish – but it does share the level of danger facing mineworkers in the mid-19th century before the advent safety laws in Pennsylvania’s anthracite industry.
Horrible Accident –
On Friday morning of last week, John Hinch employed in feeding rollers at the Tuckerville Colliery, Swatara, was through some unaccountable means drawn through the rollers, head first, and instantly killed.
His head was crushed by the powerful machinery, into a shapeless mass.
The unfortunate man’s body stopped the machinery, and the engineer in ascertaining the difficulty, made the discovery.
Hinch was an Irishman, 32 years of age; a single man; had been employed at the colliery some two years, and by economy, saved a snug sum of money.
He had no relatives in this country.
Read more about mining disasters in Pennsylvania’s Coal Region
The Williamstown Colliery Disaster of 1904
A horrifying mining accident in Schuylkill County | July 1864
The East Brookside Mine Disaster | August 2, 1913
Avondale – The Coal Region’s deadliest mining disaster
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