On March 1, 1977, nine mineworkers were killed deep inside Porter Tunnel, an anthracite mine operated by the Kocher Coal Company on the outskirts of Tower City, Pennsylvania.
Workers breached an old mine in the bowels of Big Lick Mountain, inundating the Porter Tunnel workings with millions of gallons of water, leaving 9 dead, 3 injured, and one man trapped. Ronald Adley survived the rush of water, but found his path to escape blocked by fallen rock.
Adley was later rescued on March 6, 1977.
An investigation found that maps of the adjacent workings were not accurate, something common in areas of the Coal Region that experienced bootleg mining starting in the 1930s.
One of these workings had been accidentally ruptured, causing an inrush of water with incredible force that flooded out swaths of the mine. The bodies of all nine men were recovered in the weeks after the disaster.
Read more about the Porter Tunnel
“Never been so terrified in my life” – Interview with a survivor of the 1977 Porter Tunnel Disaster
Photograph of a mineworker during the Porter Tunnel disaster rescue efforts | March 1977
Remembering the local emergency response to the Porter Tunnel Disaster | March 1977