Fatal Mine Explosion Near Tacoma
Lyman Phillips, 57 years old, a fire boss at the Coast Coal company's mine at Pittsburg, near Tacoma, was severely injured in an explosion which occurred in the mine Monday and died yesterday as a result. The accident occurred while Phillips was alone in the mine, making an examination. The bottom of his lamp fell out and the gas in the shaft ignited. He was hurled 40 feet by the force of the explosion.
“The bottom of his lamp fell out and the gas in the shaft ignited. He was hurled 40 feet by the force of the explosion.”
Coal mining was a dangerous reality of the industrial economy in the South Sound region. While the town of Pittsburg, Washington, is largely forgotten or absorbed by modern boundaries, the risks inherent in deep-shaft mining remain a sober piece of regional labor history.
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