Coal Miners Toiled in Dangerous, Often Deadly Environment

Summary

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"Death came to Jacob Osman, vast in fantastic horrors," began a Dec. 11, 1899, story in The Bloomington Bulletin.

Osman, an employee of the McLean County Coal Co., was in the screening tower when his jacket became entangled in a rapidly whirling power shaft. "His brains were dashed out and death was mercifully instantaneous," The Bulletin said. "His body was drawn around and around through the narrow space, perhaps a foot in width, between the shafting and the boards of the building, and several revolutions were made before the machinery was stopped."

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Extract

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Coal Miners Toiled in Dangerous, Often Deadly Environment

Labor Day is a fitting time to remember the men who lost their lives working in area mines, including the McLean County Coal Co. on Bloomington's w...

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