Skeleton found in coal mine

An unidentified coal breaker in Scranton, circa 1905

With thousands miles of abandoned mines below the surface of Pennsylvania, one can only imagine how many skeletons still lurk in the inky depths....


From the June 23, 1910 edition of The Scranton Truth:

Workmen in the Mount Pleasant mine of the Scranton Coal Company made a ghastly find this morning when in making a tour of the old workings at that colliery they came upon the skeleton of a man lying across the pathway. It was evident that the body had been lying there a number of years and nothing was found near the body that would lead to the identification of the remains. From the position in which the skeleton was found it is not probable that the man met death by accident incident to the unusual risks in mining such as fall of roof.

Indications point rather to the theory that the man may have lost his way and wandered into the old workings, where he either fell exhausted before he was able to get back on the right track or was murdered and dragged into the workings to hide the crime. No one in the vicinity remembers of the sudden disappearance of anyone within the past few years that would lead to the solution of the mystery. 

Not a particle of flesh remains on the bones of the victim, but portions of the clothes are still intact. Coroner Saltry was notified by David Williams, an employe of the company, but it is hardly probable that an inquest will throw any light on the mystery.