Dangers of Mining

Title: Article About a Cave-in
Type: Newspaper
Date: November 29, 1903
Source: Mesaba Ore & Hibbing News

Description: This article describes a cave-in that occured at one of the mines.
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Activities:

1. What does the time at which the accident occured tell you about what life was like for a miner?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Because they were working at 2:30 in the morning, you can tell that some workers were expected to work during night shifts.
2. Did the men do something that caused the cave-in?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The article doesn't say so. It seems as though they were just unlucky enough to be standing there when the dirt dropped.
3. Why didn't the men just dig themselves back out of the dirt?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The article says that the man who was killed was covered by several tons of frozen earth. There was a very large amount of dirt that collapsed on these men.
4. What can you learn about mining from the fact that a large number of men responded quickly to an alarm?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Dangers like cave-ins must have been a constant threat. That the mining company installed an alarm and that the men responded quickly suggests that everyone was aware of the dangers.