Free Republic

The small group of men fleeing onrushing water through the Knox Coal Co.’s River Slope Mine tore frantically at the pile of debris before them, trying to clear a way to the air shaft through which they hoped to escape. But even when they managed to reach the bottom of the 10-foot-by-10-foot Eagle Shaft, they found it was a good 50 feet to the surface – straight up the dirt and rock walls. Miner Amedeo “Paul” Pancotti was not ready to quit. “For 10 minutes he climbed, seeking holds wherever he could before reaching the surface, at one time depending...

POTTSVILLE (AP) — How’s this for irony: Pennsylvania sits atop 7 billion tons of anthracite coal, but consumers who use it for home heating have been having a tough time getting it this winter. Coal yards in Schuylkill County, the nation’s No. 1 producer of anthracite, say they are rationing coal to existing customers and telling new ones to look elsewhere. "I’ve been burning coal for 20 years, and this is the first year I’ve had any trouble getting it," said George Watts, 68, of Dillsburg, who uses coal in his home and business. The culprit is lack of production....