Corporate Settlements After the Roslyn Mine Explosion
Following a court ruling against miners, the Northern Pacific Coal Company pivots to voluntary settlements with the families of those lost in a mining disaster.
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There is a movement on foot to have the Northern Pacific Coal Company settle with those made widows and orphans by the Roslyn mine explosion. A representative of the company says that since the Widow Davies case was decided against the miners, it has been inquiring into the condition of the relatives of the dead miners with a view to settling with each. While the Davies case was on, and it was said the damage suits would be made to stick and the Northern Pacific Coal Company would be sold out to pay the claims, no action could be taken. But since the case was decided against the miners, the company proposes to make some sort of voluntary settlement. The company holds to the assertion that the miners killed themselves by going down into the mine and setting off blasts contrary to orders.
“The company proposes to make some sort of voluntary settlement.”
The tension between industrial liability and the survival of worker families is a recurring theme in Washington's labor history. The Roslyn mine disaster remains a dark chapter that forced early debates on workplace safety and corporate accountability in coal mining towns.
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