They were in pursuit of a coal seam that seemed to angle upwards towards the riverbed.
But the company owners kept pushing the miners to dig closer and closer to the river bottom.
In reality, less than six feet of rock remained between the mine and the river bed.
Some say, the rocks separating the miners from the Susquehanna River was lesser stillonly 19 inches.
The whirlpool formed by the draining of the Susquehanna river into the underground mine.
Sixty nine miners managed to escape, but twelve died.
He was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.
Another miner, Myron Thomas, led twenty-six miners to safety.
One of the railroad tracks nearby was cut and diverted towards the site of the accident.
But the water kept rushing in.
Finally, the river was diverted around Wintermoot Island by building dams at both ends of the island.
Once they pumped the water out between the dams they were able to begin sealing the hole.
Unfortunately, all the convictions were overturned on appeal.
The disaster marked the end of the anthracite coal mining industry in the northeast.
It also led to new safety laws that prohibited mining very close to bodies of water.
There are two memorials along the Susquehanna River today commemorating the victims of the tragedy.
After the mine was pumped dry, a mangle of wagon cars were seen inside the mine.
A photo from 2000 shows a hopper car washed upon the bank of the river.
