Sterling Colliery, Coal Twp

Colliery - a coal mine and the buildings and equipment associated with it

"A large quantity of excellent work has been recently turned out from these shops. Among other machinery, they have just completed for the Sterling Colliery, one pair of hoisting-engines sixteen by thirty, link-motion, with a capacity of fifty-horse-power each, which are justly regarded as the best hoisting machinery in the region. They also furnished a similar engine and the machinery for this. breaker. A considerable amount of machinery for the soft coal regions has been sent out from these, works." - Everts & Stewart's History Of Northumberland County

In 1883, the Sterling Colliery was owned by Kendrick, Zuery & Co.

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The Sterling Mine Disaster

October 14 1892

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Mount Carmel Ledger

Northumberland Co, Pa

Friday, October 14, 1892

About eleven o'clock on Oct 13, 1892, a terrific explosion

occurred at the Sterlin colliery, one mile south-west of

Shamokin, killing Thomas O'GARA, loader boss-outright,

burning two Polanders, and imprisoning eight other persons

in the mine. The explosion occurred on the third level.

As soon as the report was heard a half dozen men were

lowered into the lift whence the smoke issued to ascertain

the result of the disaster. Not many yards in the gangway

they found Thomas O'GARA, loader boss, dead, his head

crushed between a wagon and a prop. Two Polanders, names

unknown, who are not expected

to survive were seriously burned. John WELSH, a boss also

received severe burns, while William MCCALL and James

MCCALL were found uninjured. There was a fall of 400 foot

of rock.

Eight men are enclosed beyond the fall:

Samuel COLLLINS

Isaac DONEY

John HANCOCK, and his son

Patrick MCDEVITT

Daniel REED

Ben THOMAS

Mr. WILLIAMS

Rescuing crews were sent into the mine at once and at five

o'clock last evening they had advanced 15 yards. At the

same time ten men under John ROSS went in to assist the

brave rescuing party under Superintendents SCHREFFLER and

JEFFERSON.

The Shamokin Herald

Friday October 14, 1892 

EXPLOSION!

Death and Destruction at the Sterling

A Wave of Deadly Fire

Rolled With Great Fury Along the Upper Level about 11:00 Today

Thomas O'Gara was Instantly Killed, a Couple of Hungarians Were Brought Out Seriously Injured - at 11:00 PM a Number of Miners Were Still in the Slope and it is Thought that They have Been Lost - the Work of Rescue Being Rapidly Pushed Ahead.

Daily Herald of Thursday

About 11:00 this morning a mine explosion occurred at the Sterling Colliery about one and a half miles south of Shamokin. It took place in the upper level and tore things up pretty badly.

Thomas O'Gara loader boss was killed while passing the side of a wagon. The force of the explosion lifted it up bodily and caught him knocking hid head against a prop and breaking his skull.

The news soon reached this city and the rumors were that five men had been killed instantly. A Herald reported started for the scene of the disaster at once and met the ambulance bringing home the body of O'Gara. After reaching the mines excitement ran high. Great was the joy when it became known that most of the men were out.

The slope wagons were being hoisted up every few minutes. Several Hungarian miners were brought up badly burned about the hands and face, but not seriously injured. The reporter left the colliery about 1 PM when it was said that six or eight were still in the mine, and it was feared they had been overcome by the after Damp. The fire horse and the inside bosses were working hard to find the balance, but on account of the closing of the gangways, the work of rescuing the entombed miners was considerably impeded.

When the Herald representative arrived at the mines, there were few people at the place, news of the disaster not having been generally known. Those who were there lent willing hands in the work of rescue.

There was so much confusion that it was impossible to learn the names of those imprisoned. A couple of miners wre interviewed but none could give any idea as to who set off the sulphur. The rush of men to get out before black damp set in was great and presented a thrilling spectacle as the engine worked with swiftness hauling up the loads of human freight. On the way to town the road was alive with men, women and boys flocking to the scene. By nightfall if the men are still not out, thousands will be on the ground.

The explosion created great damage along the level of the disaster and it will take some time to repair it.

At 1:12 a number of Reading officials passed though town on the Transit bound for the Sterling.

Mr. O'Gara leaves a wife and six children to mourn his loss of a good kinds husband and father, four sons and a daughter. One son works as inside driver. Deceased was a marshal in the big parade of yesterday.

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The Mine was dismantled in 1934

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Fatal Boiler Explosion at the Henry Clay Colliery

The Sandusky Register, Ohio

October 12, 1894

 

Shamokin, Pa., Oct. 11. -- Four men were killed, two were fatally injured, and several others were painfully burned by a disastrous boiler explosion that occurred at the Henry Clay colliery early today.

The entire steam supplying plant of the mine, consisting of thirty-six boilers, was totally demolished, and in addition to the monetary loss, which will aggregate $30,000, the Henry Clay, Big Mountain, Sterling and Peerless collieries will be unable to resume operations for at least a month.

The explosion is the worst of its kind that has ever occurred in this region, and its cause is a mystery.

The dead and injured are:

• Thomas Carr, fireman; leaves widow and three children; one arm and leg blown off, and body cut in two.
• William Boyle, fireman; leaves widow; horribly crushed and lacerated about the body; dead when removed.
• William E. Slick, aged 18 years; neck broken and both hips fractured; died few minutes after being found. Peter Heck, fireman; side of head crushed and severe internal injuries; cannot recover. 
• Jacob J. Didiam, water boss of Mahoney Valley, married; scalded and crushed about the waist and legs; cannot recover.
• John McMaughlin, fireman, both legs broken and head crushed; died two hours after the accident.

The Injured:

• John Flenenstein, married; received very serious injuries about body; may recover.
• Dennis Brennan, scraper boy; struck in the face with a brick; is not dangerous.
• William Quinn, lamp man, of Springfield; cut on head by flying bricks.
• Michael Harris, switch boy, Springfield; injured by flying bricks.

 

It was about 7:35 this morning when the workmen at the Henry Clay colliery were startled by a heavy explosion.  At the same moment a portion of the boiler house was blown into the air and flying brick, sheets of corrugated iron and the big boilers were hurled in every direction.  Several other explosions took place.  The air was filled with escaping steam and debris for a radius of 400 yards, and many of the employees narrowly escaped.

The report of the explosion was heard in this city, a distance of more than two miles.  The terrible accident came upon the boiler house employees without warning, and only one of them, a Pole, escaped uninjured.  The others were buried between the mass of debris and some of the bodies were not recovered for two hours.  The boiler on the west end of the house is supposed to have been the first to explode, and then the adjoining boilers went up in quick succession, the repeated explosions resembling the roar of heavy artillery.

Only nine of the thirty-six boilers escaped destruction, and even these were so badly damaged that they are useless.  Many of the boilers were torn apart near the center by the terrible force, and the two sections would then take different directions.  One-half of a boiler was hurled a full quarter of a mile and lodged in the slush bank northwest of where the boiler house formerly stood.  Another that took a similar direction crashed through the side of the breaker and lodged against the scraper line.  Another crashed through the tip house and came near killing several employees.

Four collieries will be thrown into idleness by the accident for a month or six weeks, so that the total loss will aggregate $100,000.