1867 Oaks Mine Disaster England, Roscoe Conkling Portrait — Jan 26
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🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · January 26, 1867
Complete Issue · New York
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A historically rich issue combining extensive coverage of England's worst mining disaster with a portrait of newly elected Senator Roscoe Conkling, a maritime rescue, a railroad snow plow, Kane Masonic Lodge dedication, and a vivid double-page centerfold of city life adventures. Strong content for collectors of Victorian industrial history, New York political history, and Masonic history.
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⛏️ THE OAKS MINE EXPLOSION — ENGLAND
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💥 MULTIPLE ILLUSTRATIONS — "THE MINE EXPLOSION IN ENGLAND" — INCLUDING THE EXPLOSION, DESCENT OF VOLUNTEERS, DEAD AND MANGLED BODIES, AND THE FUNERAL
A significant multi-illustration spread documenting the Oaks Colliery explosion of December 12, 1866 — the worst mining disaster in English history, which killed 361 miners and rescuers at Hoyle Mill near Barnsley, Yorkshire. The four illustrations — "The Explosion," "Descent of Volunteers," "Dead and Mangled Bodies," and "The Funeral" — together form a comprehensive visual documentary of the disaster. The Oaks explosion was caused by a firedamp ignition that ripped through the underground workings during the afternoon shift, when the mine was full of men and boys working extra hours before Christmas. Three rescuers went down immediately and found 20 badly burned survivors; when approximately 70 volunteers descended to help, a second massive explosion killed 27 of the rescuers as well. The funeral scenes documented here showed the entire community of Barnsley in mourning. The disaster remains the worst mining disaster in English history and prompted major reforms in British mine safety legislation. This Harper's Weekly coverage — published six weeks after the event — is the primary American illustrated primary document of the tragedy. A significant piece of Victorian British industrial and social history.
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🎖️ SENATOR ROSCOE CONKLING
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👤 QUARTER PAGE — "HON. ROSCOE CONKLING, NEW YORK SENATOR ELECT"
A quarter-page portrait of Roscoe Conkling — just elected to the United States Senate from New York, beginning the career that would make him the most powerful Republican boss of the Gilded Age. Conkling would dominate New York Republican politics for the next fifteen years, control federal patronage across the state, champion African American rights during Reconstruction, and clash famously with President Garfield over the spoils system before his dramatic resignation from the Senate in 1881. A significant piece of Gilded Age political history at the very outset of Conkling's senatorial career.
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🗺️ DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD
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🌆 DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — "THE ADVENTURES OF A MISSING MAN; OR, TWENTY-FOUR HOURS IN THE METROPOLIS" — FIFTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS
A double-page centerfold with nine large and six small illustrations documenting the comic adventures of Peter Morris, a missing man spending 24 hours in the New York City metropolis — a vivid and entertaining piece of Gilded Age New York street life, social satire, and urban culture. A warm and very frameable piece of Victorian New York City history.
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🖼️ INSIDE THE ISSUE
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⚓ ONE-THIRD PAGE — "RESCUE OF THE CREW OF THE WRECKED TUG 'ISLANDER'"
A one-third page illustration of the dramatic rescue of the crew of the wrecked tugboat Islander — a vivid piece of Victorian American maritime rescue history.
🚂 HALF PAGE — "RAILROAD SNOW PLOW — HOW SNOW DRIFTS ARE REMOVED FROM RAILROAD TRACKS"
A half-page illustration of a railroad snow plow in action — a significant and detailed piece of Victorian American railroad technology and winter operations history.
👦 HALF PAGE — "CHILDREN'S SOCIAL GATHERING IN BROOKLYN"
A warm half-page illustration of a children's party in Brooklyn — a charming piece of Victorian American childhood and social life.
🏛️ HALF PAGE — "DEDICATION OF KANE MASONIC LODGE"
A half-page illustration of the dedication of Kane Masonic Lodge — a significant piece of American Masonic fraternal history, likely named for the Arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane, whose fame made him a celebrated figure in Masonic circles.
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📋 CONDITION
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I photograph every page of every issue so you can inspect the condition closely before purchasing. Please review all images carefully and don't hesitate to ask any questions — I'm happy to provide additional detail or close-up shots of any page, illustration, or area of concern before you buy.
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📌 DETAILS
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Publication ········ Harper's Weekly
Date ··············· January 26, 1867
City ··············· New York
Format ············· Illustrated newspaper, complete in 16 pages
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📦 SHIPPING & PRESERVATION
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• Stored in an acid-free protective bag and flat-shipped in a padded envelope with heavy cardboard reinforcement
• Fully tracked for your peace of mind
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🔍 SEO TAGS
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1867 Oaks Mine Disaster England, Roscoe Conkling Portrait — Jan 26
$38.88