Pabst Mine disaster
The Pabst Mine disaster was an incident that occurred on September 24, 1926, at the Pabst Iron Mine in Ironwood, Michigan, United States, when a mine shaft containing 46 iron ore miners unexpectedly collapsed. Three miners were killed in the initial collapse, while 43 survivors were left trapped for 129 hours. The subsequent rescue of the trapped miners, with the last miner removed from the rubble at 11.22p.m. on the fifth day, made national headlines in the United States. Background The Pabst mine was named after the Milwaukee brewer Frederick Pabst, who owned the mining lease briefly in the late 19th century. It passed through a number of corporate owners before being purchased by the Oliver Iron Mining Company, which became a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation in 1901. Three years later, the company added another shaft to the mine, named "G" shaft, which would become one of their most productive. This new shaft was dug on a sixty-four degree incline towards the north, and was by 18 feet 8 inches. It descended nearly through quartz slate and, for safety, its walls were lined with concrete and wood planks held in place with steel. The mine elevator that