The Tragedy of Mine No. 4
A longtime coal miner is crushed by a sudden roof collapse in Newcastle, leaving behind a family and a history of loss.
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.
James Becley, one of the oldest employees of the Newcastle mines, was killed at 7 o'clock on Sunday morning under the following circumstances: Mr. Becley and his longtime partner, Chief McKenzie, were assigned to the night shift to drive a tunnel in Mine No. 4. The roof of the mine looked very secure and had always been considered perfectly safe. But before quitting work Sunday morning at 2 o'clock, Mr. Becley and partner started to the opening of the airway. Becley ran ahead and McKenzie followed, when out of a sudden a large piece of the sand rock roof gave way, falling with a terrible crash and striking Mr. Becley full on the head, crushing him beneath its great weight. McKenzie escaped, but was so close that the jagged edge of the rock tore his pants, but did him no injury. As soon as possible, he gave the alarm, and a large force of men soon maneuvered and removed the rock from Becley's remains. Life was extinct, and the body was fearfully crushed and mangled. Two years ago, one of his sons, Michael Becley, had his leg broken in the Newcastle mines, and died two months later from the effects of the injury.
“The roof of the mine looked very secure and had always been considered perfectly safe.”
This 1886 mining disaster underscores the long history of dangerous labor conditions in the Puget Sound region. Today's debates over workplace safety and the human cost of industrial output continue to echo these early struggles in the coalfields surrounding the growing city of Seattle.
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