Stock printed by Snyder, Black & Sturn, N.Y. Certificate #3! Early and Very Rare!!! The Avondale Mine Disaster On September 6, 1869, a fire broke out at the Avondale Colliery near Plymouth, Pennsylvania. The Steuben Coal Company had built a breaker directly above the single shaft. Small fires were kept burning at the bottom of shafts to create drafts that then promoted better air circulation for the working miners. The official cornoner's report stated that sparks from this ventilating furnace set fire to the timbers in the shaft, and the flames then engulfed the breaker at the surface. There was no other way out. The breaker collapsed into the shaft and the fire consumed the oxygen. The death toll was 110, making this the worst anthracite mining disaster. The total included five boys between the ages of twelve and seventeen, and two volunteers who were suffocated while attempting rescue. Item ordered may not be exact piece shown. All original and authentic.