Monday, January 02, 2006

Coal Mine explosion

Every time I hear about an accident at a mine, especially a coal mine I think back to what I learned about my father's family. They were from Nelsonville in Southern Ohio and most of them worked in the coal mines.



Mining while still a dangerous and dirty job is safer today than it was during that time period. Miners faced horrible working conditions and were not paid fairly. In Southern Ohio miners were especially hard hit. In 1884 several mines striked, one town in particular New Straitsville had enough. When the mine owners cut wages and threw the miners out of company owned housing the miners set the mine on fire. It is said this fire is still burning and has never been able to be put out. In 1991, a hole about 15 feet across opened, and smoke and flame belched from the earth. This happened on the edge of Wayne National Forest and took about three years to burn itself out and disappear back into the earth, where it is probably still smoldering. Some have called the New Straitsville coal fire the “longest-burning manmade fire in history.”

My grandfather left Nelsonville, opting to join the Army so he could escape a future in the already dying employment situation at the mines there. However the stories I've learned since the make me appreciate what his family and the families of those still working in the mines today go thru to try to support their families. My prayers are with the family of the 13 missing men that they are rescued.



12 comments:

Hooda Thunkit (Dave Zawodny) said...

Remotely operated mining equipment is wha it will take to keep the miners out of the mines. They really do have a thankless job, with muck personal risk.

I just said a prayer for their safe return. I'll say 12 more before I sleep tonight.

Anonymous said...

I too pray for their safe return.

Unknown said...

It doesn't look good, carbon monoxide tests are showing pretty high.

Anonymous said...

Mining is a frightfully dangerous, dirty, underpaid job. One thing I would say for John L. Lewis, when he was head of the UMW, is that whneiver the owners wanted to introduce a new machine that would replace miners underguond, he endorsed it. Better machines should do as much mine work as possible, even tho' it meant fewer members for the UMW. Mert Baker

Anonymous said...

Update:

12 of 13 found alive!

Thank you, God, for saving these lives and have mercy on the family of the one who didn't make. Amen.

Unknown said...

Looks like the poor families were given wrong information. Only one man is alive and is in very bad condition.

Why would they not be more careful in telling families...

Subcomandante Bob said...

National Nitwit has breaking news on the Sago mine disaster.

National Nitwit - guaranteed at least 50% truthful.

Note: wicked satire; not for the faint-hearted or still grieving.

Anonymous said...

I don't know. I was peeved this morning when I heard the correction. I can only imagine the hell those families are going through. A lot more than an apology is called for here.

Subcomandante Bob said...

Undaunted, National Nitwit continues to cover the Sago, WV mining disaster, despite a wave of criticism from the politically correct.

Subcomandante Bob breaks the story of Richard Simmons and his Sago-themed exercise video.

Unknown said...

Becareful Bob, you are almost becoming more of a blog whore than historymike...

:-)

historymike said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
historymike said...

Subcomandante Bob is a sick, disturbed individual.

But not nearly as much of a blog whore as historymike, whose blog is one of the top three blogs to ever discuss the work of the Reverend Cutting Marsh, a 19th-century missionary who spent the winter of 1829-30 here in Northwest Ohio.

That's historymike's musings, located just down the road from Liberal Common Sense, the excellent blog by Lisa Renee.