11 October 1884: New Straitsville mine fire

Podcast: On This Day in Working Class History · Working Class History

Opublikowano: 2026-10-11

On this day, 11 October 1884, one of the longest-burning fires in the world began when striking mine workers set fire to the New Straitsville mine in Ohio. Miners employed by the Columbus & Hocking Coal and Iron Company had walked out on strike in June, and mine bosses hired scab replacement workers in their place. To prevent the mines from operating, a group of unknown people set fire to mine cars and pushed them into six mines in the area, setting them on fire. The employers attempted to put the fire out but failed, and in the 1930s the government...