[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 15, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN RECOGNITION OF THE 120TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TWIN SHAFT MINING 
                   DISASTER IN PITTSTON, PENNSYLVANIA

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                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 15, 2016

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 120th 
Anniversary of the Twin Shaft Mining Disaster in Pittston, 
Pennsylvania. Fifty-eight miners lost their lives during a massive 
cave-in, most of whom were boys and men of Lithuanian and Irish 
descent. Their memories will be honored June 25, 2016 at Our Lady of 
the Eucharist Parish in Pittston.
  In the early hours of June 28, 1896, miners from the Newton Coal 
Company were at work in the Red Ash Vein of the Twin Shaft Mine. During 
the shift, two hundred acres inside of the mine collapsed, trapping the 
crew of workers four hundred feet underground. Volunteers were quickly 
assembled to respond to the crisis. Attempts were made to excavate two 
tunnels in an effort to bring the miners to safety. However, rescue 
efforts proved to be futile and the victims' bodies were never 
recovered. The tragic event remains one of the largest coal mining 
disasters in Pennsylvania history.
  A formal investigation of the cause of the disaster was opened by 
Pennsylvania Governor Daniel H. Hastings on July 10, 1896. Testimony 
indicated that the mine pillars displayed signs of instability in the 
weeks leading up to the accident. The investigation commission first 
issued its safety recommendations on September 25, 1896. The 
commission's findings helped make a strong case for better safety 
standards and workers' rights for mine workers.
  It is a solemn responsibility of northeastern Pennsylvania civic 
leaders and citizens to honor and remember those who perished in the 
Twin Shaft Mine Disaster. As the Greater Pittston area marks the 120th 
Anniversary of this tragedy, may we never forget the sacrifices made by 
our coal mine workers and all they have contributed to our nation's 
economic success.

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