Roslyn Relief Fund Grows as Miners' Families Struggle
Seattle rallies for the widows and orphans of the catastrophic Roslyn mine explosion, while investigators confront the reality of corporate negligence and the brutal nature of the disaster.
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While the fund for the relief of the families of the Roslyn miners grows, the report of the relief committee tells a sad tale of destitution. Not one miner could be found who had not been in explosions, was not covered with scars, or had lost relatives. The danger of the 'slope' was known to every wife and child. One widow recalled her husband complaining of the danger, to which the boss retorted: 'You needn't be scared; I'll take care of your widow.' The force of the explosion was terrible: one man had the bowl of a scoop shovel driven into his body, another had a pick driven into his skull, and one body was simply a charred mass. Despite the heroism of the rescuers, who faced the risk of secondary explosions, the evidence points to a long history of safety warnings ignored by the company.
“Civilization should demand such a sacrifice is a pity, but as the work has to be done, every conceivable safeguard should be employed to protect life.”
The Roslyn tragedy of 1892 serves as a grim reminder of how labor rights and safety standards were bought with the lives of workers. Similar to modern-day occupational health debates, the story highlights the tension between industrial productivity and the basic right of workers to return home safely to their families.
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