Tragedy in the Roslyn Coal Mines
An industrial accident claims the life of an Italian miner, leaving six children orphaned as the community prepares to distribute relief funds.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Tony Bertol, an Italian miner, was killed by falling rock at Roslyn on Tuesday. His wife died in Italy about six months ago, and the accident to the father makes orphans of six children, the eldest of whom is only 15 years old. The funds in the hands of the Roslyn relief committee, amounting to $8,000, will be distributed this week between the widows and orphans of the unfortunate miners killed in the slope. The plan of distribution heretofore published will be followed.
“The accident to the father makes orphans of six children, the eldest of whom is only 15 years old.”
Roslyn’s history is defined by the dangerous labor of its coal miners and the vulnerability of immigrant families who lacked social safety nets. This story captures the era’s reliance on community relief funds to manage the human cost of hazardous industrial work, a precursor to modern workers' compensation systems.
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