Mark Kroh
Services for Mark (Pat) Kroh, 46, of 44 Center St, Good Spring, a victim of the Kocher Coal Company mine disaster, will be held Thursday at 1 pm from the Robert Miller Funeral Home, Valley View. Rev D.A. Lashey of Tower City will officiate. Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery, Muir.
Mr. Kroh was a veteran of the Korean War.
He was born December 10, 1928, at RD 1 Hegins, a son of Harvey and Mildred (Morgan) Kroh.
He was a member of the Independent Miners and Associates,
Valley View VFW, Joliett Fire Company.
Surviving are his parents of Hegins; his widow, the former Hazel Fessler; a son, Mark Jr, at home; brothers and sisters, Andrew and John, of Joliett; Robert, of RD 3 Pine Grove; Eleanor Bixler, of Valley View; Mrs. Peter Poletti, of Valley View, and Mrs. Lorraine Bender, of Suedberg.
Thank you Joanne V. for the obit
Pennsylvania | Mining Explosions and Accidents | 1977
ONE DEAD, 9 TRAPPED IN TOWER CITY MINE.
WATER BURSTS WALL.
Tower City, Pa. (UPI) -- Eighteen rescue workers, searching for nine men believed trapped in an eastern Pennsylvania hard coal mine, broke into the main gangway leading into the mine early today but they found their way blocked by four or five feet of water.
The men were trapped in the Porter tunnel of the Kocher Coal Co., Tuesday when tons of water swept through the mine.
John B. Shutack, district manager of the Federal Mines Enforcement Safety Administration, said the workers were unable to proceed because a pile of timbers, coal and other debris had backed up the water.
Shutack said a team of explosive experts would go into the mine and blow up the log-jam of debris that was preventing access to the heart of the mine.
"We're going to blast it out," Shutack said. "We're going to send some highly qualified experts into the mine to blast it out." He said the closest rescue workers were able to get to the area where the men were believed to be located was 450 feet.
He said the experts hoped to blast out the log-jam in a few hours.
Shutack said "time is in our favor because there is plenty of fresh air and no buildup of noxious gases."
Asked if he would be surprised if the men were found alive, Shutack said, "no. I wouldn't. I'd be very happy."
Rescue workers shouted and banged on the side of the mine tunnel when they broke through but there was no response from the trapped men.
One miner, GARY CLINGER, 19, of Hegins was killed, three others were injured and at least nine were reported missing after the water burst through a tunnel wall and rolled 5,000 feet through the main channel of the mine located on Brookside Mountain.
The wives, children, friends and relatives of the missing miners kept a vigil in a dingy locker-room outside the portal of the mine, awaiting word on the trapped miners.
Miners and rescue workers slogged through knee-deep water and mud, removing timbers and other debris that was knocked loose by the force of the water. Most of the water drained from the mine by late Tuesday.
The anthracite coal in the Porter tunnel is mined vertically in shafts called breasts. State mining officials said the men may have survived if they were able to climb ladders up the shafts when the water swept through the tunnel.
"I don't know what their chances are, but out hope is that they were able to climb up the ladders to high ground when the mine flooded," said Walter Vincinelly, Pennsylvania's chief deep mine safety officer.
The source of the water is not known, but one Kocher Coal official speculated the burst may have come from an abandoned mine near the Porter tunnel.
The first rescue attempt failed Tuesday night. Teams working from either side of the shaft were unable to break through the tons of mine timbers swept into piles that blocked the 10-foot-high main channel of the mine.
"The water came through with a tremendous force. Those timbers came a whistling," Vincinelly said.
Using mine air shafts, the first rescue team got within 200 feet of the area.
"You just can't see a thing in there," said James Laird, a regional official of the Federal Mine Enforcement Safety Administration. "We've got to get an access route in there to see if we can find the men."
The second rescue attempt involved another assault on the debris in the main channel, along with an attempt to clear secondary channels called monkeys. The teams hoped to dig down to the trapped miners from the monkey channels.
About 100 miners were working some 5,000 feet from the entrance of the mine, which is located about a mile from this small hard coal region town in Schuylkill County, when the disaster hit.
Most escaped through an emergency tunnel.
A disaster unit was set up at Pottsville General Hospital, where the three injured miners were treated for severe abrasions, shock and explosure and admitted. They were JOHN MORGAN, 33, Tower City; ERNEST MORGAN, 49, Valley View and HARRY FISHBURN, JR., 25, Mt. Carmel.
The trapped miners were identified as:
RONALD ADLEY, 37, Power City.
TIMOTHY GROSE, 19, Ashland.
JOHN MOYER, Ashland.
DENNIS MORGAN, 30, Valley View.
RONALD HERB, 32, Valley View.
MARK KROH, 38, Good Spring.
RALPH RENNINGER, 40, Donaldson.
PHILIP SABATINO, 50, Hegins.
DONALD SCHOFFLER, 41, Garden City.
Tyrone Daily Herald Pennsylvania 1977-03-02
Thank you to FAG Contributor: Karen 47351306 for the newspaper article
Services for Mark (Pat) Kroh, 46, of 44 Center St, Good Spring, a victim of the Kocher Coal Company mine disaster, will be held Thursday at 1 pm from the Robert Miller Funeral Home, Valley View. Rev D.A. Lashey of Tower City will officiate. Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery, Muir.
Mr. Kroh was a veteran of the Korean War.
He was born December 10, 1928, at RD 1 Hegins, a son of Harvey and Mildred (Morgan) Kroh.
He was a member of the Independent Miners and Associates,
Valley View VFW, Joliett Fire Company.
Surviving are his parents of Hegins; his widow, the former Hazel Fessler; a son, Mark Jr, at home; brothers and sisters, Andrew and John, of Joliett; Robert, of RD 3 Pine Grove; Eleanor Bixler, of Valley View; Mrs. Peter Poletti, of Valley View, and Mrs. Lorraine Bender, of Suedberg.
Thank you Joanne V. for the obit
Pennsylvania | Mining Explosions and Accidents | 1977
ONE DEAD, 9 TRAPPED IN TOWER CITY MINE.
WATER BURSTS WALL.
Tower City, Pa. (UPI) -- Eighteen rescue workers, searching for nine men believed trapped in an eastern Pennsylvania hard coal mine, broke into the main gangway leading into the mine early today but they found their way blocked by four or five feet of water.
The men were trapped in the Porter tunnel of the Kocher Coal Co., Tuesday when tons of water swept through the mine.
John B. Shutack, district manager of the Federal Mines Enforcement Safety Administration, said the workers were unable to proceed because a pile of timbers, coal and other debris had backed up the water.
Shutack said a team of explosive experts would go into the mine and blow up the log-jam of debris that was preventing access to the heart of the mine.
"We're going to blast it out," Shutack said. "We're going to send some highly qualified experts into the mine to blast it out." He said the closest rescue workers were able to get to the area where the men were believed to be located was 450 feet.
He said the experts hoped to blast out the log-jam in a few hours.
Shutack said "time is in our favor because there is plenty of fresh air and no buildup of noxious gases."
Asked if he would be surprised if the men were found alive, Shutack said, "no. I wouldn't. I'd be very happy."
Rescue workers shouted and banged on the side of the mine tunnel when they broke through but there was no response from the trapped men.
One miner, GARY CLINGER, 19, of Hegins was killed, three others were injured and at least nine were reported missing after the water burst through a tunnel wall and rolled 5,000 feet through the main channel of the mine located on Brookside Mountain.
The wives, children, friends and relatives of the missing miners kept a vigil in a dingy locker-room outside the portal of the mine, awaiting word on the trapped miners.
Miners and rescue workers slogged through knee-deep water and mud, removing timbers and other debris that was knocked loose by the force of the water. Most of the water drained from the mine by late Tuesday.
The anthracite coal in the Porter tunnel is mined vertically in shafts called breasts. State mining officials said the men may have survived if they were able to climb ladders up the shafts when the water swept through the tunnel.
"I don't know what their chances are, but out hope is that they were able to climb up the ladders to high ground when the mine flooded," said Walter Vincinelly, Pennsylvania's chief deep mine safety officer.
The source of the water is not known, but one Kocher Coal official speculated the burst may have come from an abandoned mine near the Porter tunnel.
The first rescue attempt failed Tuesday night. Teams working from either side of the shaft were unable to break through the tons of mine timbers swept into piles that blocked the 10-foot-high main channel of the mine.
"The water came through with a tremendous force. Those timbers came a whistling," Vincinelly said.
Using mine air shafts, the first rescue team got within 200 feet of the area.
"You just can't see a thing in there," said James Laird, a regional official of the Federal Mine Enforcement Safety Administration. "We've got to get an access route in there to see if we can find the men."
The second rescue attempt involved another assault on the debris in the main channel, along with an attempt to clear secondary channels called monkeys. The teams hoped to dig down to the trapped miners from the monkey channels.
About 100 miners were working some 5,000 feet from the entrance of the mine, which is located about a mile from this small hard coal region town in Schuylkill County, when the disaster hit.
Most escaped through an emergency tunnel.
A disaster unit was set up at Pottsville General Hospital, where the three injured miners were treated for severe abrasions, shock and explosure and admitted. They were JOHN MORGAN, 33, Tower City; ERNEST MORGAN, 49, Valley View and HARRY FISHBURN, JR., 25, Mt. Carmel.
The trapped miners were identified as:
RONALD ADLEY, 37, Power City.
TIMOTHY GROSE, 19, Ashland.
JOHN MOYER, Ashland.
DENNIS MORGAN, 30, Valley View.
RONALD HERB, 32, Valley View.
MARK KROH, 38, Good Spring.
RALPH RENNINGER, 40, Donaldson.
PHILIP SABATINO, 50, Hegins.
DONALD SCHOFFLER, 41, Garden City.
Tyrone Daily Herald Pennsylvania 1977-03-02
Thank you to FAG Contributor: Karen 47351306 for the newspaper article
Mark Kroh
Services for Mark (Pat) Kroh, 46, of 44 Center St, Good Spring, a victim of the Kocher Coal Company mine disaster, will be held Thursday at 1 pm from the Robert Miller Funeral Home, Valley View. Rev D.A. Lashey of Tower City will officiate. Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery, Muir.
Mr. Kroh was a veteran of the Korean War.
He was born December 10, 1928, at RD 1 Hegins, a son of Harvey and Mildred (Morgan) Kroh.
He was a member of the Independent Miners and Associates,
Valley View VFW, Joliett Fire Company.
Surviving are his parents of Hegins; his widow, the former Hazel Fessler; a son, Mark Jr, at home; brothers and sisters, Andrew and John, of Joliett; Robert, of RD 3 Pine Grove; Eleanor Bixler, of Valley View; Mrs. Peter Poletti, of Valley View, and Mrs. Lorraine Bender, of Suedberg.
Thank you Joanne V. for the obit
Pennsylvania | Mining Explosions and Accidents | 1977
ONE DEAD, 9 TRAPPED IN TOWER CITY MINE.
WATER BURSTS WALL.
Tower City, Pa. (UPI) -- Eighteen rescue workers, searching for nine men believed trapped in an eastern Pennsylvania hard coal mine, broke into the main gangway leading into the mine early today but they found their way blocked by four or five feet of water.
The men were trapped in the Porter tunnel of the Kocher Coal Co., Tuesday when tons of water swept through the mine.
John B. Shutack, district manager of the Federal Mines Enforcement Safety Administration, said the workers were unable to proceed because a pile of timbers, coal and other debris had backed up the water.
Shutack said a team of explosive experts would go into the mine and blow up the log-jam of debris that was preventing access to the heart of the mine.
"We're going to blast it out," Shutack said. "We're going to send some highly qualified experts into the mine to blast it out." He said the closest rescue workers were able to get to the area where the men were believed to be located was 450 feet.
He said the experts hoped to blast out the log-jam in a few hours.
Shutack said "time is in our favor because there is plenty of fresh air and no buildup of noxious gases."
Asked if he would be surprised if the men were found alive, Shutack said, "no. I wouldn't. I'd be very happy."
Rescue workers shouted and banged on the side of the mine tunnel when they broke through but there was no response from the trapped men.
One miner, GARY CLINGER, 19, of Hegins was killed, three others were injured and at least nine were reported missing after the water burst through a tunnel wall and rolled 5,000 feet through the main channel of the mine located on Brookside Mountain.
The wives, children, friends and relatives of the missing miners kept a vigil in a dingy locker-room outside the portal of the mine, awaiting word on the trapped miners.
Miners and rescue workers slogged through knee-deep water and mud, removing timbers and other debris that was knocked loose by the force of the water. Most of the water drained from the mine by late Tuesday.
The anthracite coal in the Porter tunnel is mined vertically in shafts called breasts. State mining officials said the men may have survived if they were able to climb ladders up the shafts when the water swept through the tunnel.
"I don't know what their chances are, but out hope is that they were able to climb up the ladders to high ground when the mine flooded," said Walter Vincinelly, Pennsylvania's chief deep mine safety officer.
The source of the water is not known, but one Kocher Coal official speculated the burst may have come from an abandoned mine near the Porter tunnel.
The first rescue attempt failed Tuesday night. Teams working from either side of the shaft were unable to break through the tons of mine timbers swept into piles that blocked the 10-foot-high main channel of the mine.
"The water came through with a tremendous force. Those timbers came a whistling," Vincinelly said.
Using mine air shafts, the first rescue team got within 200 feet of the area.
"You just can't see a thing in there," said James Laird, a regional official of the Federal Mine Enforcement Safety Administration. "We've got to get an access route in there to see if we can find the men."
The second rescue attempt involved another assault on the debris in the main channel, along with an attempt to clear secondary channels called monkeys. The teams hoped to dig down to the trapped miners from the monkey channels.
About 100 miners were working some 5,000 feet from the entrance of the mine, which is located about a mile from this small hard coal region town in Schuylkill County, when the disaster hit.
Most escaped through an emergency tunnel.
A disaster unit was set up at Pottsville General Hospital, where the three injured miners were treated for severe abrasions, shock and explosure and admitted. They were JOHN MORGAN, 33, Tower City; ERNEST MORGAN, 49, Valley View and HARRY FISHBURN, JR., 25, Mt. Carmel.
The trapped miners were identified as:
RONALD ADLEY, 37, Power City.
TIMOTHY GROSE, 19, Ashland.
JOHN MOYER, Ashland.
DENNIS MORGAN, 30, Valley View.
RONALD HERB, 32, Valley View.
MARK KROH, 38, Good Spring.
RALPH RENNINGER, 40, Donaldson.
PHILIP SABATINO, 50, Hegins.
DONALD SCHOFFLER, 41, Garden City.
Tyrone Daily Herald Pennsylvania 1977-03-02
Thank you to FAG Contributor: Karen 47351306 for the newspaper article
Services for Mark (Pat) Kroh, 46, of 44 Center St, Good Spring, a victim of the Kocher Coal Company mine disaster, will be held Thursday at 1 pm from the Robert Miller Funeral Home, Valley View. Rev D.A. Lashey of Tower City will officiate. Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery, Muir.
Mr. Kroh was a veteran of the Korean War.
He was born December 10, 1928, at RD 1 Hegins, a son of Harvey and Mildred (Morgan) Kroh.
He was a member of the Independent Miners and Associates,
Valley View VFW, Joliett Fire Company.
Surviving are his parents of Hegins; his widow, the former Hazel Fessler; a son, Mark Jr, at home; brothers and sisters, Andrew and John, of Joliett; Robert, of RD 3 Pine Grove; Eleanor Bixler, of Valley View; Mrs. Peter Poletti, of Valley View, and Mrs. Lorraine Bender, of Suedberg.
Thank you Joanne V. for the obit
Pennsylvania | Mining Explosions and Accidents | 1977
ONE DEAD, 9 TRAPPED IN TOWER CITY MINE.
WATER BURSTS WALL.
Tower City, Pa. (UPI) -- Eighteen rescue workers, searching for nine men believed trapped in an eastern Pennsylvania hard coal mine, broke into the main gangway leading into the mine early today but they found their way blocked by four or five feet of water.
The men were trapped in the Porter tunnel of the Kocher Coal Co., Tuesday when tons of water swept through the mine.
John B. Shutack, district manager of the Federal Mines Enforcement Safety Administration, said the workers were unable to proceed because a pile of timbers, coal and other debris had backed up the water.
Shutack said a team of explosive experts would go into the mine and blow up the log-jam of debris that was preventing access to the heart of the mine.
"We're going to blast it out," Shutack said. "We're going to send some highly qualified experts into the mine to blast it out." He said the closest rescue workers were able to get to the area where the men were believed to be located was 450 feet.
He said the experts hoped to blast out the log-jam in a few hours.
Shutack said "time is in our favor because there is plenty of fresh air and no buildup of noxious gases."
Asked if he would be surprised if the men were found alive, Shutack said, "no. I wouldn't. I'd be very happy."
Rescue workers shouted and banged on the side of the mine tunnel when they broke through but there was no response from the trapped men.
One miner, GARY CLINGER, 19, of Hegins was killed, three others were injured and at least nine were reported missing after the water burst through a tunnel wall and rolled 5,000 feet through the main channel of the mine located on Brookside Mountain.
The wives, children, friends and relatives of the missing miners kept a vigil in a dingy locker-room outside the portal of the mine, awaiting word on the trapped miners.
Miners and rescue workers slogged through knee-deep water and mud, removing timbers and other debris that was knocked loose by the force of the water. Most of the water drained from the mine by late Tuesday.
The anthracite coal in the Porter tunnel is mined vertically in shafts called breasts. State mining officials said the men may have survived if they were able to climb ladders up the shafts when the water swept through the tunnel.
"I don't know what their chances are, but out hope is that they were able to climb up the ladders to high ground when the mine flooded," said Walter Vincinelly, Pennsylvania's chief deep mine safety officer.
The source of the water is not known, but one Kocher Coal official speculated the burst may have come from an abandoned mine near the Porter tunnel.
The first rescue attempt failed Tuesday night. Teams working from either side of the shaft were unable to break through the tons of mine timbers swept into piles that blocked the 10-foot-high main channel of the mine.
"The water came through with a tremendous force. Those timbers came a whistling," Vincinelly said.
Using mine air shafts, the first rescue team got within 200 feet of the area.
"You just can't see a thing in there," said James Laird, a regional official of the Federal Mine Enforcement Safety Administration. "We've got to get an access route in there to see if we can find the men."
The second rescue attempt involved another assault on the debris in the main channel, along with an attempt to clear secondary channels called monkeys. The teams hoped to dig down to the trapped miners from the monkey channels.
About 100 miners were working some 5,000 feet from the entrance of the mine, which is located about a mile from this small hard coal region town in Schuylkill County, when the disaster hit.
Most escaped through an emergency tunnel.
A disaster unit was set up at Pottsville General Hospital, where the three injured miners were treated for severe abrasions, shock and explosure and admitted. They were JOHN MORGAN, 33, Tower City; ERNEST MORGAN, 49, Valley View and HARRY FISHBURN, JR., 25, Mt. Carmel.
The trapped miners were identified as:
RONALD ADLEY, 37, Power City.
TIMOTHY GROSE, 19, Ashland.
JOHN MOYER, Ashland.
DENNIS MORGAN, 30, Valley View.
RONALD HERB, 32, Valley View.
MARK KROH, 38, Good Spring.
RALPH RENNINGER, 40, Donaldson.
PHILIP SABATINO, 50, Hegins.
DONALD SCHOFFLER, 41, Garden City.
Tyrone Daily Herald Pennsylvania 1977-03-02
Thank you to FAG Contributor: Karen 47351306 for the newspaper article
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