| Summary: | Miners from N.W.I.Co.’s No. 2, 3, and 6 Mines pose with their Practical First Aid Trophy won in “a spirited contest” at the Unity Hall in Roslyn. The event was preceded by a free lecture given by Dr. Matthew Shield, who is considered the Father of First Aid. In 1910, Shields designed a first aid course for miners in Jermyn, Pennsylvania and then began traveling the country in a donated Pullman car teaching first aid skills to miners and railroad employees. Shields presentation at Roslyn’s Y.M.C.A., 6 Feb. 1911, was followed by a presentation by U.S. Mining Engineers who talked about mine safety and fire prevention, which was a growing concern during the early 1900s. Nearly 22,000 coal miners across the country had perished during those years; 362 in a 1907 explosion in Monongah, West Virginia, and 259 in a 1909 fire at the Cherry Mine in Cherry, Illinois. Roslyn had its own mine disaster in 1909, narrowly missing a catastrophic loss of life because the mine explosion happened on a Sunday. Ironically, two Draeger breathing units were on display at Seattle's Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition when Roslyn's No. 4 Mine in Roslyn exploded in Oct. 1909, and were immediately sent by train to Roslyn to help with recovery efforts. Mines filled with toxic gases after an explosion, and without breathing apparatus, rescuers could survive 10 or 15 minutes without artificial air. With one exception, all 362 miners in the Monongah Mine perished because rescuers could not reach survivors of the initial blast. D.C. Botting, Washington State Inspector of Coal Mines, accompanied the Draeger units to Roslyn and was the first person in Washington to use one of them in a recovery effort. Peter Bagley (third from right front row) was a foreman at the ill-fated No. 4 Mine at the time of the disaster, and became N.W.I.Co. Superintendent in 1910. That same year, a mine rescue and first aid training program was launched on the exposition grounds at University of Washington. ”A record number of miners have taken the complete course,” wrote the Seattle Times, "surpassing any station in the country (22 May 1910).” By 1911, Mine Rescue and First Aid Teams from coal mines across the state were competing against other. The pictured winners of the 1911 First Aid meet competed against miners from N.W.I.Co.'s No. 5 and No. 7 Mines and the Independent Mine in Cle Elum.
|
|---|