In February 1883, dozens of men and boys descended into the depths of the Illinois prairie to mine coal. By noon, the pump man saw water rising in the mine tunnels. Little did he know that something was horribly wrong. In a matter of minutes, a third of the men in the mine that day would meet a terrible end in what would become one of the worst coal mining accidents in Illinois history.
Sources
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Bobrow, Abigail. Built on Coal. Storied.illinois.edu
Coal Mining Basics. Sierra Club Illinois Chapter.
Joyce, Richard. Early Days of Coal Mining in Northern Illinois. Illinois Labor History Society. Illinoislaborhistory.org.
Maue, August. History of Will County, Illinois. Topeka-Indianapolis. Historical Publishing Company; 1928.
Chart Industries. The Most Dangerous Gases in Mining. Chartindustries.com, 11/9/2023
The Black Year. Chicago Tribune, 2/17/1883
Diamond Mine Disaster Anniversary. Coal Mining in Illinois, Coal City Public Library District.
Klasey, Jack. KLASEY: The Diamond Mine disaster. Daily-Journal.com.3/11/2023