As a lifelong resident of northeastern pennsylvania, music journalist and author maxim w. This page was last edited on 15 january 2020, at 14. On january 22, 1959 the river broke into the mines. New book digs up dark secrets of sheppton mine disaster, nepa. River slope mine inundation knox coal company, port. A tenacious lawyer takes on a case involving a major company responsible for causing several people to be diagnosed with leukemia due to the towns water supply being contaminated, at the risk of bankrupting his firm and career.
The knox company wanted this to be lowered to 35 feet. From then on our focuse was to learn everything possible about the disaster. Because the book draws on the recollections of miners and. Knox mine disaster news newspapers books scholar jstor october 2018 learn how and when to remove this template. Local residents recall knox mine disaster news citizens voice.
Rec park the soccerbaseball fields and service buildings are clearly visible. Never miss a story choose the plan thats right for you. Knox mine disaster documentary to be shown times news online. Williams exited while three rockmen filled one last car. New documentary spotlights knox mine disaster news citizens. Our main tools were two books, the knox mine disaster and the voices of. Mocanaqua author signing books in berwick, wilkesbarre, and pottsville. The hole was an estimated 150 feet in diameter, funneling in 10 million gallons of water and ice like a bathtub drain. New documentary spotlights knox mine disaster news. Knox mine disaster survivor hastie turns 100 times leader. Near the entrance of the river slope mine this stone commemorates the twelve miners who died in 1959. Wolensky is assistant professor of sociology at winona state university.
The knox mine disaster, a wvia original documentary film produced in 1984, features many firstperson accounts of the tragedy that helped mark the end of deep mining in much of the wyoming valley. The knox mine disaster was a mining accident that took place in the port griffith village of jenkins township, pennsylvania, near pittston, on january 22, 1959. According to section 302 in the pennsylvania anthracite coal act, just one of 1,405 sections. Jan 10, 2016 the knox disaster monument was dedicated on jan.
Check out knox mine disaster documentary film on indiegogo. Bill hastie is last survivor of knox mine disaster the. Report of the joint committee to investigate the knox mine. Misericordia university to present documentary on knox mine.
This year, as part of mining history month, there will be a special presentation, the knox mine disaster commemoration at the anthracite heritage museum in scranton saturday. Ceremony marks 59th anniversary of knox mine disaster. Historic knoxville news podcast knox county public library. Over the years, hastie has been quoted in number author robert p. Mining music the knox mine disaster 1959 by tom flannery see also. Speakers at the ceremony included bob wolensky, author of several books about the knox mine disaster, and bill hastie, one of the workers who was on site the day of the disaster. Read the poignant and often shocking firstperson accounts of those who lived through one of the most devastating disasters in american mining history. The knox mine disaster was a mining accident on january 22, 1959 at the river slope mine in jenkins township, pennsylvania. Knox mine disaster is the story of anthracite, the men who mined it, a community that depended on it, and the disaster that ended it. As worker abuse and working conditions continued without. John williams testimony, joint legislative committee to investigate the knox mine disaster, march 19, 1995, 893.
From plymouth and areas n, take route 11 s past syls auto and turn left into the plymouth twp. The knox mine disaster pennsylvania center for the book. The knox mine disaster was a mining accident on january 22, 1959 at the river slope mine in. The river slope mine, under the ownership of the knox coal company, was one of many to be found in the northern anthracite coal field during the flourishing mining era. Maps of all mines should accurately show the boundary lines of the lands of the said coal mine or colliery and the proximity of the workings thereto, all pipelines, streams or other bodies of water, buildings and structures. Hastie will be given a special tribute at that presentation as the last living survivor of the disaster. Relive the drama of the knox mine disaster of january 22, 1959, through the voices of survivors, the victims families, contemporary newspaper accounts, and the literature and music generated by the tragedy.
The misericordia university department of history and government will celebrate mining history month with the presentation of the documentary, knox mine disaster, on friday, jan. This event caused major changes in the mining laws of pennsylvania today. Jan 21, 2018 bob wolensky, author of two books on the knox mine disaster, points to the list of those who died in the disaster. Wolensky, an area native and a sociology professor at the university of wisconsin, said in an interview last april.
Assistant foreman, jack williams, found the stone roof had cracked and water shot into the chamber. Apr 21, 2016 the catastrophic explosion of fraterville mine in coal creek, tn killed 184 men and boys. The knox coal mine company built as a hub for transporting coal by road, railroad, and boat back when pittston was essential for mining and coal transportation. Failure to learn from knox mine disaster william c.
May 29, 2019 over the years, hastie has been quoted in number author robert p. The wolenskys have authored several books together, including fighting for the union label penn state, 2002, and voices of the knox mine disaster. The river slope mine, an anthracite coal mine owned by the knox coal company, flooded when coal company management had the miners dig too close to the riverbed. Apr 20, 2010 failure to learn from knox mine disaster. Robert wolensky, a professor and historian who wrote two books on the disaster, said the incident never should have happened. The knox mine disaster also exposed the corrupt tactics of united mine workers officials, mine management, and mafiaconnected interests in the mid20th century. Kenneth wolensky, a historian who cowrote a book on the knox mine disaster, said northeastern pennsylvania was an area whose entire. After a significant rise in temperature over a few days preceding the incident, the susquehanna river began to thaw and climb to a staggering twentytwo feet on january 22nd. In 1896 a massive explosion had caused a cavein that killed 58 miners at the newton coal companys twin shaft colliery. A grand jury investigating the cave in found seven men guilty of involuntary manslaughter and three of them also guilt of conspiracy.
Jan 19, 2015 speakers at the ceremony included bob wolensky, author of several books about the knox mine disaster, and bill hastie, one of the workers who was on site the day of the disaster. Albert brocca thinks the footage contained in his new documentary about the 1959 knox mine disaster in jenkins twp. Robby griffith and craig smith read the may 20, 1902 frontpage coverage, and derek washington sings a song based on some letters written by miners trapped without hope of rescue. Bob wolensky, author of two books on the knox mine disaster, points to the list of those who died in the disaster. The pennsylvania center for the book knox mine disaster. President obama promised to strengthen oversight of the mining industry last week in the wake of the devastating explosion at west virginias upper big branch mine. Apr 21, 2009 from then on our focuse was to learn everything possible about the disaster. Knox mine disaster victims remembered news citizens voice. The fraterville mine disaster knox county public library. Filmmakers to screen knox mine disaster at pocono cinema. The knox mine disaster left 12 men dead and an economy in ruins. The 1959 knox mine disaster may not have the same name recognition of the centralia mine fire. Knox mine disaster author bob wolensky points to the names of the. Furek has always been interested in finding out what really happened during the sheppton mine disaster.
Ceremony marks 59th anniversary of knox mine disaster times. Because the book draws on the recollections of miners and their families, industry officials, and individuals involved in the legal aftermath of the disaster, it is an epic drama that is as spellbinding as it is sensational. The river slope mine, under the ownership of the knox coal company, was one of many to be found in the northern anthracite coal field during the flourishing. This film showcases survival through adversity the hope, faith, and courage needed to fight your way out of a dreadful situation. The knox mine disaster was a mining accident that took place in the greater pittston, port griffith, pennsylvania, near pittston, on january 22, 1959. The disaster occurred when workers were ordered to dig illegally under the susquehanna river without proper safety precautions, creating a hole in the riverbed which caused the river to flood into the many interconnected. Knox mine disaster examines this coal mining tragedy that occurred in the anthracite region of northeastern pennsylvania and sheds light into the life of the hard coal miner. Stories, remembrances, and reflections on the anthracite coal industrys last major catastrophe, january 22, 1959 wolensky, robert p. The knox mine disaster is much more than a history of an accidentor an industry, for that matter. Josephs church, port griffith, near the site of the 1959 disaster, when 12 miners were entombed when the susquehanna river broke into the mine.
Our main tools were two books, the knox mine disaster and the voices of the knox mine disaster, that guided us to make. Content is available under creative commons attributionnoncommercialsharealike. Jan 20, 2019 albert brocca thinks the footage contained in his new documentary about the 1959 knox mine disaster in jenkins twp. Nov 22, 2014 this video shows the location of the knox mine disaster and shows how it looks today as well as footage from 1959. Report of the joint committee to investigate the knox mine disaster. Wolenskys books on the knox mine disaster and the two coauthored a book entitled anthracite labor wars. Knox mine disasters my name is orloski and im employed by the knox company and ill lay my hands on the table for all to see. The final years of the northern anthracite industry and the effort to rebuild a regional economy robert p. This video shows the location of the knox mine disaster and shows how it looks today as well as footage from 1959. Knox mine disasters my name is orloski and im employed by the knox company and ill lay my hands on the table for all to see i come from miners whose ghosts they follow me down and watch my back when the roof turns into the ground. Stories, remembrances, and reflections on the anthracite coal industrys last major catastrophe.
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