June 14, 1886: William Stevens Victim of Mine Accident

By Margaret Leidy Harner from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA.

June 14, 1886: There was a terrible accident at the Warwick Mines today: William Stevens has been buried under 500 pounds of ore. Three of his co-workers were able to dig him out from under the pile and managed to get him to the surface, alive but unconscious.

Dr. Thomas J.B. Rhoads was called, and he found Stevens critically injured with a deep gash in the back of his head, a fractured skull, a broken left shoulder and a badly injured right one, a paralyzed right leg and internal injuries.

They have taken him home to Morysville and is recovery is doubtful. Should he live, he will be crippled for life. Stevens is 35 years old, married and has five children, the youngest four months old. William Stevens died on June 19.

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