College of Mines

Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, May 1, 1930

The College of Mines Building on the University of Washington campus. See article by Professor Joseph Daniels.

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Franklin miner is instantly killed

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 22, 1904

Boulder drops on Cuna Puhakka in coal mine and crushes him

Cuna Puhakka, a Finnish miner, was killed by a falling boulder in the Franklin coal mine Wednesday afternoon. Coroner Hoye was at Black Diamond at the time and went from there to investigate the case.

Puhakka and two other miners had been working in a breast of the mine and the fire boss had set off two shots. The shots tore away a couple of upright posts in the drift and while repairing these, the boulder dropped from the ceiling. Puhakka was crushed and instantly killed and the other two miners narrowly escaped injury.

Coroner Hoye says that the miner died as a result of his own carelessness, as he should have sounded the walls before putting in the new posts.

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Miners perish in cave-in at Black Diamond

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 23, 1920

Four men buried under rook when roof over pillar falls

Accident in morning; With hope abandoned, rescue party works all night to recover bodies

Buried under hundreds of tons of rock when the roof of the pillar in which they were working caved in, four men were killed yesterday in the Pacific Coast Coal Company’s mine at Black Diamond.

The dead are:
Charles Hevlin, fifty years old, miner.
Joe Grill, fifty, miner.
Frank Bussey, sixty-eight, timber man.
Frank Nivone, forty-five, timber man.

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New skipper

Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, February 1, 1929

Martin Hamlin, of Carbonado, on the right, turning the wheel over to Albert Allen, of Black Diamond. At the last meeting of the Central Council the regular semi-annual election was held and Albert Allen was elected to succeed Martin Hamlin as chairman. Both men are leaders and both are universally well liked.

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Safe in port

Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, December 1, 1928

Mr. N.D. Moore, vice-president, welcoming Captain J.E. Guptill of the S.S. Eastern Coast, on the occasion of the steamer’s arrival with the first cargo of limerock from the Alaska quarry of the Pacific Coast Cement Company. The captain reported a good trip but a heavy one.

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Ravensdale mining disaster laid to rash act

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, December 1, 1915

Formal inquest begun and witness tells of having reproved worker for tamping with coal dust

RAVENSDALE, Wednesday, Dec. 1. — Formal inquest into the death of thirty-one men November 16 in the No. 1 mine of the Northwest Improvement Company was begun here today with Deputy Coroner Frank Koepfil in charge. Witnesses were interrogated by Deputy Prosecutor F.P. Helsell and Mine Inspector Joseph Bagley.

Several witnesses were examined during the morning session, but at the time of the noon adjournment little of interest had been elicited with the exception of the statement of Fire Boss Joe Bruni, who declared he had discovered Joe Galob, one of the victims, tamping a shot with coal dust in place of clay a few days before and had reproved him sharply.

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Disobey an order: Coroner says miners caused their own deaths

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 8, 1902

Looking for Creghino: Theory is that missing man is buried under cave of earth in one of the chutes

It is the opinion of Coroner Hoye, who returned to the city yesterday, from Black Diamond, that the evidence warranted no other verdict by the jury impaneled to hold an inquest over the eleven victims of the Lawson mine accident than the one returned. This verdict was in effect that the men came to their death as the result of an explosion caused by two shots being fired, one after the other, the second igniting dust created by the first.

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Miners disobey a strict order: Someone fires an unauthorized shot at Lawson

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 5, 1902

What inspector found: Face of the gangway shows where the cause of Wednesday’s explosion lies

No trace of Creghino yet

It is practically certain now that the explosion on the fourth level of the Lawson mine Wednesday night was caused by two shots fired in the face of the gangway. These shots were fired by the gangway men in defiance of the strict orders of the company that no one save the fire boss should fire a shot. The fire boss would have reached the gangway within a few minutes, but for the explosion, as he was on his way down from the third level. Had the impatient gangway men waited until his arrival, it is probable the accident would not have occurred.

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Eleven men are killed: Extent of fatalities in Lawson mine

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 3, 1902

Injured will live: Sorrowful scenes at Black Diamond as bodies of miners are recovered

Cause of explosion unknown

BLACK DIAMOND, Oct. 2.—(Special.)—Eleven men were killed and three injured in a mine explosion on the fourth level at the Lawson mine, a mile from this place, about 9 o’clock last night.

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Robt. Cruickshank, master mechanic

Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, July 18, 1928

No, the mechanical contraption being demonstrated by Robert Cruickshank, master mechanic at New Black Diamond, is not a vacuum cleaner. Instead, it’s a device invented and manufactured by “Bob” himself for greasing the mine cars by air pressure.

This “grease gun” shoots the necessary lubricant into the bearings under 600 pounds pressure, more quickly and efficiently than it could ever be done by hand.

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