Local resident and historian, Bill Kombol will share a presentation on local coal mine hazards this Sunday, Oct. 29 at 1p.m. in the Black Diamond History Museum. The 90-minute talk answers the question, “Is there a mine in your backyard?” with a focus on history, geology, and engineered solutions. The museum is located at 32627 Railroad Avenue, Black Diamond.
While rarely in the news, coal mine hazards have surprised property owners after hidden underground dangers make their presence known. Though Washington’s last underground coal mine, Rogers No. 3 closed in 1975, abandoned subsurface workings still remain.
Both King and Pierce Counties have a rich history of coal mining in Newcastle, Issaquah, Renton, Black Diamond, Ravensdale, Cumberland, Wilkeson, Carbonado, and Burnett, plus dozens of disappeared towns and mining camps. Early residential development generally avoided areas prone to subsidence because owners were knowledgeable of prior mining so located buildings on better lands. But as time passed and development pressures grew, some new developers paid scant attention to long-ago mining.
Kombol, who grew up in Enumclaw began working at Palmer Coking Coal Co. in 1968, as a 15-year-old Saturday boy. He attended the University of Washington, graduating with a B.A. in Economics. During his senior year of college he worked night shifts at Rogers No. 3. Kombol joined Palmer full time in 1978, rising to Manager in 1982, and serving in that role for 40 years before retiring in 20
