Hellraisers Journal: December Death Toll for Nation’s Coal Miners Continues Apace with Yolande Explosion in Alabama

Share

Pray for the dead
And fight like hell for the living.
-Mother Jones

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday December 18, 1907
Yolande, Alabama – Many Miners Feared Dead in Mine Explosion

Broken-hearted families now huddle at the scene of yet another mine explosion, the third such this month, this time in Yolande, Alabama. The latest mine disaster has taken the lives of at least 50 husbands, fathers, brothers and sons, leaving behind widows and orphans to weep and mourn. They now face an uncertain, and likely bleak, future without their family breadwinners.

From The Gadsden Daily Times-News of December 16, 1907:

MnDs Yolande AL, Gadsden Dly Tx Ns, Dec 16, 1907

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: December Death Toll for Nation’s Coal Miners Continues Apace with Yolande Explosion in Alabama”

Hellraisers Journal: Orphans and Widows Wait and Weep as Monongah Mine Gives Up Its Dead

Share

Pray for the dead
And fight like hell for the living.
-Mother Jones

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday December 10, 1907
Monongah, West Virginia – No Hope Remains as Rescue Work Continues

Monongah Mine Disaster Waiting for News 3, Dec 6, 1907

From The Fairmont West Virginian of December 9, 1907:

Monongah Mine Disaster, Fairmont West Virginian, Dec 9, 1907

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Orphans and Widows Wait and Weep as Monongah Mine Gives Up Its Dead”

Hellraisers Journal: Pennsylvania Report Shows Grim Record of Death on the Job for Anthracite Coal Miners

Share

Pray for the dead and fight
like hell for the living.
-Mother Jones

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Friday December 29, 1916
Anthracite Coalfields, Pennsylvania – 333 Miners Killed in 9 Months

From the December 28th edition of the Northwest Worker:

333 MINERS MEET DEATH
IN 9 MONTHS
—–

PENNSYLVANIA REPORT SHOWS THAT
THE WAGE AVERAGE OF VICTIMS
WAS ONLY $13.80 A WEEK.
—–

PN Miners Killed on Job, Mt Carmel Item, Jan 11, 1916

HARRISBURG, Pa.-working for an average weekly wage of only $13.80, 333 anthracite coal miners in this State were killed and 6,958 disabled for periods greater than two weeks during the first nine months of 1916. These are official figures of the State Department of Labor and Industry.

There were 233 married men among those killed, and they left 481 fatherless children behind. If it were not for the workmen’s compensation act these men’s families would be left to starve, for, in the vast majority of cases, the miners had not been able to save a cent of their wages. As it is 181 of the fatal cases have been adjusted, the payments to be about $2,505 for each man killed, or a total of $453,499.80 for all cases.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Pennsylvania Report Shows Grim Record of Death on the Job for Anthracite Coal Miners”