Tragedy at the Gale Creek Coal Mine
An Austrian miner dies from gas inhalation after returning too early to a freshly blasted chute.
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.
A post mortem examination was held yesterday over the body of John Bust, an Austrian, who was found dead in chute No. 17 of the Gale Creek coal mine. Examination revealed death was due to suffocation. Mine foreman John Stewart discovered the body; he had originally thought the man was sleeping, but upon attempting to wake him, realized he was dead. The chute had been fired about an hour before, and it is believed Bust entered the area too soon after the discharge and was overcome by fumes. The Austrian society of Enumclaw will take charge of the funeral arrangements.
“This condition showed that death was due to suffocation.”
Coal mining deaths were a harsh, common reality of the era's industrial labor, highlighting the lack of safety regulations that would eventually trigger significant labor reform movements.
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