Tuesday,
September 18, 2007
"The Darkest Month" Coal Mining Symposium ; Dec 1 in
The
ANNOTICO Report
"The
Darkest Month" refers to December of 1907 when there were Mining
Disasters at Monongah, WV on Dec 6th, with
362 victims ,and
Darr/Jacobs Creek, PA
on Dec
18th, with 238 victims. Monogah
was the Largest mine Disaster ever, the Darr the
Fourth largest. Many of the Monongah victims were Italian immigrants. as was true with the Dawson Disaster.
The
Stag Canon/Dawson NM Disaster of October 22, 1913 with 263 victims was the Second largest, and The Cherry, IL Disaster of
Nov 13, 1909 that claimed 259 victims was the Third Largest.
In
1907, there were 18 coal-mine disasters, and two disasters in the metal
and nonmetal mining industry. The 1907 disasters that included the forgoing Monongah coal mine explosion led Congress to create the
Bureau of Mines.
Coal
Miners lived with dangers the rest of us can't even imagine: slag falls,
explosions, fires, gases, cave-ins or being crippled for life either from
broken bones or the 'black-lung' disease.
The
working conditions were deplorable; with water constantly dripping
from the ceilings, and standing ankle deep in mine shafts. Some of the coal
seams were only 20 to 28 inches which meant the miners had to lie in the water
and mud on their sides while working. I can't imagine how they managed to crawl
to bring their load out.
The
Miners were paid a pittance, in Company "scrip", and could only use the
scrip at the over priced Company Store, and had to buy much of their mining
supplies. Often the longer they worked the greater they became indebted to the
Company/Robber Baron. It was a return to the Feudal Lord and Serf.
Coal Mining Disasters (Incidents with 5 or more fatalities)
since 1839.
615
incidents with a total of 13,810 miners: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/discoal.htm
The Darkest Month Coal Mining Symposium
December
1, 2007
An
exhibition and symposium commemorating the 100th
anniversary of the Monongah
and Darr coal mining disasters
and chronicling the history of immigrant miners in
Schedule
of Events
9:00
- 10:00 Coal Mine
Safety and the
Dr.
Irwin Marcus,
Climbing Jacob's Ladder:
The Coal Mining Disasters of
1907 in Historical Perspective
Dr.
Elizabeth Ricketts,
10:15
- 11:15
"Il Fuoco di Minonga:" The 1907
Mine Disaster and the Making of Transnational Identity
in W.V.
Dr.
Joan Saverino, Historical Society of
1:00
- 2:00 Remembering the Darr
Mine Disaster and the Coal
Miner's Legacy:
A
Community Roundtable
2:15
- 3:15 Immigrants, Mining,
and the American Dream
J.
Davitt McAteer: Author of
"Monongah 1907: The
Story of
3:15
- 3:30: Closing Remarks: Senator Roman Prezioso,
Peter
Argentine, Argentine Productions, with excerpts of his new film on Monongah
"Darkest
Month Symposium"
Historical
Society of
c/o Nicholas Ciotola, Curator
For
more information, contact Nicholas Ciotola at 412-454-6433 or
npciotola@hswp.org or visit www.pghhistory.org
The
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