The Knox Mine Disaster

Date Range

January 22, 1959 – January 24, 1959

Title

What occurred

The Knox Mine Disaster serves as a historical reminder of the dangers of greed and corruption and the devastating environmental impacts that are involved. The River Slope Mine, with its walls and ceiling adjacent to the Susquehanna River, had been quarried without the required benefit of surface boreholes to determine the thickness of the rock cover and without proper surveying. This ignorance of safety measures would prove to be deadly and environmentally costly. As the winter ice began to thaw on the Susquehanna raising its waters drastically, Federal, State and County authorities were made aware of safety concerns and ordered all digging in that specific vein to be halted. Unfortunately, the Knox administration ordered its mineworkers to keep digging at an upward angle towards the river bed.In the mining industry, the minimum width of land recommended between the mine and river was 35 feet. Tragically, the walls of the mine had been excavated to an estimated 19 inches from the rising Susquehanna. Millions of gallons of river water crashed into the mines, drowning some men like rats, and forcing others to scramble with all of the energy they could muster. During the first 64 hours, it was estimated that 2.7 million gallons of water per/minute was entering the mine shafts. 33 men were able to catch the last elevator shaft, while 32 men wandered underground looking for escape shafts and tunnels to avoid their deaths. The individuals at the top of the Knox organization were charged along with members of the Pennsylvania Coal Company. This incident serves as an example of ignoring environmental and labor safety procedures for profit and greed.

Location

River Slope Mine, Port Griffith, PA 18640

Image Citation

https://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/death-underground-knox-mine-disaster

Student name(s)

Reed Karaska

Faculty Site:

The Knox Mine Disaster