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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 4 |
| 1892 | 14 |
| 1893 | 15 |
| 1894 | 34 |
| 1895 | 5 |
76 stories
- A Jury Called the Franklin Mine Fire Arson. Thirty-Seven Miners Were Already Dead.
A coroner's jury found that someone deliberately set the fire that suffocated 37 workers in the Franklin mine. The only survivor described how one opened door and one stopped fan turned the gangway into a death trap.
- The Franklin Mine Fire: Thirty-Seven Dead, Not a Scratch on Them
A fire in breast sixty-two traps miners between flame and return airway; bodies are laid in rows as Seattle sends a special train.
- Thirty-Seven Miners Died 150 Feet From Safety
An 1894 coroner's jury in Franklin, Washington, heard how a small fire in the Oregon Improvement Company's coal mine became a wall of smoke — and why the men who could have escaped stayed to fight it.
- A Mountain of Coffins: Franklin Buries Its Miners
After a mine fire killed 37 men, the coal town of Franklin held a day of funerals—five graves at Black Diamond, three Italian miners on a hillside, and widows whose grief doctors feared would kill them.
- The Company Blamed the Dead Miner
After thirty-five men died in the Franklin mine, the Oregon Improvement Company answered a widow's lawsuit by saying her husband assumed the risk—and should have run sooner.
- Seattle Rallies for the Franklin Mine’s Widows and Orphans
A relief fund grows by small donations, Black Seattleites organize their own drive, and officials seal the burning mine to starve the fire.
- The Franklin Miners' Riot and a Bullet in a Corset
A trial over a labor-related shooting in Franklin reveals a harrowing account of guards targeting women from a moving train.
- Thirty-Seven Miners Died Because They Stayed to Fight the Fire
A blaze in the Franklin coal mine sent smoke through the gangways on Aug. 24, 1894, killing 37 men and boys who thought they had time to escape.
- A Town of Widows: Seattle Rallies for the Franklin Mine Dead
The Post-Intelligencer opens a relief fund for the widows and orphans left by the Franklin mine disaster, one of Washington's worst.
- The Siege of Franklin
In a courtroom packed with spectators, a Black miner defends his decision to open fire during a violent anti-Black labor riot at the Franklin coal mines.
- Manhunt in the Woods
A fugitive flees into the wilderness after a violent altercation at a coal mine leaves a local constable fighting for his life.
- The Miner Who Went Back to Warn Them
In the Franklin mine disaster, young Joseph Dawson chose to save his fellows and lost his own life—an editorial page's portrait of ordinary courage.
- Franklin Miners Blast Calls for a New Disaster Investigation
After 37 men died in the Franklin mine explosion, 152 miners signed resolutions defending the coroner's verdict and accusing outside agitators of exploiting their grief.
- The Ghost of the Coal Wars
A murder trial in Franklin uncovers the bitter reality of 'dead lines' and armed guards during a violent labor dispute.
- The Forgotten Siege of Franklin
A murder trial reveals the raw nerves of a violent labor conflict between striking miners and those who replaced them.
- A Striker's Wife Wounded in the Franklin Coal Wars
A woman permanently disabled by gunfire during a strike-breaking confrontation at Franklin mines sues the Oregon Improvement Company for $25,000.
- Fatal Shooting at Franklin Coal Mine
A quarrel between roommates at the Franklin coal camp ends in a point-blank execution, leaving the community reeling and the assailant in custody.
- The Trial of Little Willie Holmes
A young miner stands accused of killing a coworker in Franklin, revealing a community torn between justice and sympathy for the accused.
- The Franklin Mine Dead Were Buried. Then the Miners Went Back Down.
A relief fund swells with donations from Eddyville millmen and Seattle readers as surviving miners reopen the levels that did not burn.
- The Miner Who Hung by His Teeth
A coal miner's miraculous survival after a terrifying fall through a trestle near Palmer highlights the dangers of early industrial work.
- The Black Diamond Eisteddfod
Welsh mining communities bring a tradition of choral excellence and literary competition to the Washington coal fields.
- King County Mining Towns Denounce Labor Unrest
Citizens in Franklin and Newcastle rally to condemn strikers in Idaho and Pennsylvania, pledging support for those who continue to work.
- The Fugitive Foreman of Franklin
A man working at the Oregon Improvement Company’s stables in Franklin is revealed as a wanted fugitive for a fatal land dispute in Indian Territory.
- The Hell of Black Diamond
A local clergyman takes a fiery stand against a saloon and dance hall he claims is corrupting the village.
- The Constable Who Wouldn't Quit
A Franklin constable survives a gunshot wound to the head and returns to the beat, only to find the man who escaped his custody.