186:"The masonry work, running down the shaft some twenty feet, was as strong as stone and cement could make it. The engine-house was firmly built, the machinery of the finest kind used in the colliery business; the breaker, that covered the engine-house, and through which the broken coal was despatched through a long shute to the railroad track below, was built in the most substantial manner, and altogether the works to the casual observer seemed to leave no room for improvement. The shaft was sunk to a depth of 237 feet, with a space twenty-six feet by twelve, divided in the centre by a wooden partition, on one side of which the pure air descended to the mine, and on the other the impure vapors ascended to the top, and were dissipated abroad. After going in a sheer descent to the bottom of this shaft, the explorer of the mine found on either hand two long galleries, or avenues, one branching east 1,200 feet, and the other west 800 feet. Moving straight onward at right angles to the shaft, and at a distance from it of 220 feet, the furnace for creating a draught of air through the galleries and chambers of the mine might be found blazing away in dangerous proximity to the wooodwork lining of the passage-way reserved for the admission of the fresh air currents."
148:
162:, in late August and early September of 1869. On the miners' first day back at work (September 6), at approximately 10:00 a.m., the practice of using a small, bottom-of-the-shaft fire to circulate air led to tragedy when timbers in the shaft caught fire, spread to the surface and engulfed the breaker, blocking off the only exit for miners who were trapped underground. As the fire burned up the miners' oxygen supply,
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new rules promulgated ... whereby one shift goes on duty at 7 p.m. and work until 5 p.m., when it would be relieved by the other set , which in turn would be relieved at midnight by the men who quit at 5 o'clock." The colliery was subsequently idled when the employees affected by the rule change refused to participate in the new work schedule and were fired. The
198:"The mine consists of two great gangways; styled the east and west planes. The east plane extends 800 feet, and the west plane 1200 feet. Besides these there were numerous chambers which can only be reached by very circuitous passages. Parallel with each gangway is an air passage, and at intervals of 50 feet connections are made with the main gangway.
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Two hundred feet from the shaft is a furnace which, unfortunately, was used for keeping up the draft for ventilating the mine, instead of a fan, which is most common. Over the mouth of the shaft was built the engine-room, where the force was applied for raising the coal which had been mined. This was
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Still owned and operated by the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company in the early 1900s, the company's work practices were again called into question during the winter of 1902 when the company informed firemen and engineers employed at Avondale that they would be required to "adopt the
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coal mine located in the
Luzerne County community of Avondale. Leased by J. C. Phelps, a businessman from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on June 13, 1863 from Henderson Gaylord, William C. Reynolds and others, the mine's first entrance was a one-thousand-foot horizontal tunnel which failed to strike a
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to separate coal from the rock where it was mined. The new owners chose to build their new breaker directly above the
Avondale Colliery's single shaft in 1867. That construction practice, which was standard for industry operations during that era, was employed to improve ventilation for miners by
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The
Avondale Colliery was one of two that flooded in May 1897. It was idled for months due to problems in pumping the water out of the mineshaft and adjoining areas. Both collieries were ultimately saved, and Avondale was back to producing 41,000 tons of coal per year by the winter of 1899.
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new vein of anthracite. A second shaft was then tunneled out at a depth of two hundred and thirty-seven feet and cost of $ 2,000 per yard, which ultimate did locate a new vein.
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overwhelmed the miners, asphyxiating one hundred and eight men and boys, as well as two men attempting a rescue. Rescue teams were unable to reach the victims for two days.
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a large affair, several stories in height, and connected with a large breaker, two hundred feet long and eighty feet wide, and two stories high."
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in the small town of
Avondale. The mine was considered to be "one of the best and worst" operating in Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley.
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Tragedy at
Avondale: The Causes, Consequences, and Legacy of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Coal Industry's Most Deadly Mining Disaster
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reported that the mine was "threatened with total destruction" and abandonment as it began to sink below the soil level of the
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During the summer of that same year, the colliery reportedly employed a large number of men in mining a fresh vein of coal.
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Two
Flooded Mines May Resume Work: Progress Made in Getting Water Out of Avondale and Nottingham Workings
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The Coal Mine Horror: Affecting Scene at the
Cemetery: Interesting Details of the Disaster and Its Cause
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Following the disaster in 1869, the
Avondale Colliery continued to operate. During the spring of 1897,
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Two years later, miners at the colliery engaged in a seven-day strike against the mine's operator, the
583:," in "Clio." Huntington, West Virginia: Marshall University, retrieved online December 13, 2022.
232:, of District No. 1, threatened to strike in response to the company's treatment of the firemen.
408:"Avondale Mine Disaster Historical Marker," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 2019.
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Benchmarks: September 6, 1869: Pennsylvania's
Avondale coal mine fire kills 110, igniting reform
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allowing small fires to burn at the bottom of the shaft which created an air-circulating draft.
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in 1869, which took the lives of one hundred and eight miners and two volunteer rescuers.
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Opened in northeastern Pennsylvania during the mid-1800s, the Avondale Colliery was an
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348:." Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 2019.
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Avondale Colliery Is Now Abandoned: Engineers Decide That It Must Be Sacrificed
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Shortly after the disaster at the colliery in September 1869, Philadelphia's
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Avondale: The disaster that changed everything about anthracite mining
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Work Started at Two Mines: Men Working at the Avondale and Von Storch
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Consumption of Coal for Steam: Amount That Is Used at the Collieries
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s September 25, 1869 illustration of the Avondale mine disaster
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in January 1866. Soon after, Steuben Coal merged with the
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Buildings and structures in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
590:." Frederick, Maryland: Wynning History, March 4, 2019.
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Avondale – The Coal Region's Deadliest Mining Disaster
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of Carlisle, Pennsylvania presented this description:
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273:. Easton, PA: Canal History and Technology Press.
160:Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company
131:The colliery's management was transferred to the
85:Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company
269:Wolensky, Robert P.; Keating, Joseph M. (2008).
58:Plymouth Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
182:described the mine's construction as follows:
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526:Miners Strongly Demand an Eight-Hour Workday
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312:The Avondale Disaster—An Affecting Incident
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443:"Avondale! The Late Horrible Disaster,"
346:Avondale Mine Disaster Historical Marker
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329:Avondale! The Late Horrible Disaster
139:, which subsequently erected a new
111:This colliery was the site of the
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616:Former mines in the United States
318:, September 24, 1869, front page.
259:, September 10, 1869, front page.
137:Nanticoke Coal & Iron Company
102:Plymouth Township, Luzerne County
515:, February 26, 1902, front page.
16:Mine in United States of America
606:Coal mines in the United States
297:." Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania:
255:." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
430:"The Avondale Mining Horror,"
314:." Centre Hall, Pennsylvania:
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532:, March 21, 1902, front page.
361:." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:
581:Avondale Mine Disaster, 1869
549:, March 7, 1902, front page.
464:, April 3, 1897, front page.
378:." Lancaster, Pennsylvania:
562:." Scranton, Pennsylvania:
545:." Freeland, Pennsylvania:
528:." Freeland, Pennsylvania:
511:." Freeland, Pennsylvania:
494:." Scranton, Pennsylvania:
477:." Scranton, Pennsylvania:
460:." Scranton, Pennsylvania:
382:, September 15, 1869, p. 2.
335:, September 16, 1869, p. 3.
331:." Carlisle, Pennsylvania:
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498:, February 1, 1899, p. 10.
376:The Avondale Mining Horror
365:, September 8, 1869, p. 4.
395:." Alexandria, Virginia:
566:, August 27, 1902, p. 5.
543:Miners Will Appeal Again
417:"The Coal Mine Horror,"
509:Firemen Were Discharged
432:Lancaster Intelligencer
380:Lancaster Intelligencer
180:Lancaster Intelligencer
170:Description of the Mine
419:Daily Evening Bulletin
363:The Pittsburgh Gazette
257:Daily Evening Bulletin
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176:Daily Evening Bulletin
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113:Avondale Mine Disaster
106:Plymouth, Pennsylvania
46:Avondale Mine Disaster
621:Mines in Pennsylvania
481:, June 3, 1897, p. 7.
447:, September 16, 1869.
434:, September 15, 1869.
421:, September 10, 1869.
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564:The Scranton Tribune
496:The Scranton Tribune
479:The Scranton Tribune
462:The Scranton Tribune
316:Centre Hall Reporter
301:, September 4, 2019.
213:The Scranton Tribune
133:Steuben Coal Company
230:United Mine Workers
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445:American Volunteer
391:Crowell, Rachel. "
333:American Volunteer
192:American Volunteer
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626:Former coal mines
399:, August 3, 2018.
280:978-0-930973-40-7
218:Susquehanna River
94:Avondale Colliery
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53:Headquarters
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206:Later years
600:Categories
239:References
125:anthracite
98:coal mine
28:Mid-1800s
178:and the
71:Products
141:breaker
119:History
104:, near
48:in 1869
33:Defunct
25:Founded
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96:was a
81:Owner
275:ISBN
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