William Penn Life, 2002 (37. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
2002-04-01 / 4. szám
The Darr Mine explosion ON DEC. 19,1907, AN EXPLOSION in the Darr Mine, near Van Meter and Jacobs Creek in Westmoreland County, Pa., killed 239 men and boys. Van Meter is located across the Youghiogheny River from Jacobs Creek. The explosion shook the area in a horrible wake. According to records, this was the worst mining disaster in Pennsylvania history and one of a series of mining catastrophes across the country that gave December 1907 the name "The Dreadful Month." That single ignition of flame in the poorly ventilated shaft of the Darr Mine left hundreds of people without a source of income, many wives widowed, hundreds of children orphaned and many parents mouring their young sons. Young boys and men of all ages perished needlessly. Over 100 of the dead were of Hungarian descent. Many of them were relatives, brothers, koma's (in-laws) and földi’s (home-townsmen). The mining company (Pittsburgh Coal Company) laid the blame for the disaster on the miners. Records read "the owners of the mine are no way to blame, nor are they in any way responsible." A few years later, the federal government recognized that, indeed, the owners were responsible. Ironically, the miners and their families of the Van Meter/Jacobs Creek area had been shocked and saddened just 13 days earlier by a similar explosion that claimed 361 lives in Monongahela, W.Va. It was considered the worst mine disaster in American history. Five days before that, and 18 days before the Darr Mine disaster, another 34 miners died at the Naomi Mine, just a few miles from the Darr Mine. According to records from the Department of Mines, about 450 men and boys were regularly employed at Darr Mine. The reason there was not a greater loss of life that fateful day was that many of the foreign miners were absent that day observing a Greek Catholic Holiday, the feast of St. Nicholas. According to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, 3,242 miners perished in 1907. From 1839 to 1977, a total of 121,204 coal miners were killed across the country. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania has been no stranger to coal mining disasters. The list of mining disasters in the state include:- Mount Pleasant, 1891,109 dead;- Johnstown, 1902,112 dead;- Cheswick, 1904,179 dead;- Marianna, 1908,154 dead;- Finleyville, 1913,96 dead;- Spangler 1,1922, 77 dead;- Mather, 1928,195 dead; and- Portage, 1940,63 dead. Eight other disastrous explosions due to gas and coal dust occurred between 1880 and 1905, killing a total of 145 miners. Because such catastrophes and fatal accidents were frequent, it was natural that the need for self-help was felt most keenly by the miners and their families. That is why the first Hungarian fraternal organizationthe Verhovay Egyesület—was founded by coal miners in Hazleton, Pa., on Feb. 21,1886, followed by the Rákóczi Beteg Segélyzö in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1888. m Volunteer fights to preserve memory of those lost in mines ecemly, I had the pleasure of meeting Ann Toth of Bobtown, Pa. Ann (pictured at right) is an American-born Hungarian, the daughter and granddaughter of coal miners. Ann spent most of her adult life working for the American- Hungarian cause, for the preservation of our heritage and for the recognition of thousands of coal miners who died needlessly in coal mining accidents. Ann also has been leading an effort to clean up St. Emery’s Hungarian Cemetery in Connellsville, Pa. There, a number of the Darr Mine explosion victims are buried underneath a monument which was erected by the Verhovay Benefit Society in 1909 to honor the martyred laborers. Ann was also instrumental in having a historic road marker erected beside Olive Branch Cemetery along Route 981 in Smithton, Pa., to honor the graves of 71 Darr Mine victims. The historic marker reads: “Darr Mine Disaster—On Dec. 19, 1907, an explosion killed 239 men and boys, many Hungarian immigrants, in Darr Coal Mine near Van Meter. Some were from the closed Naomi Mine, near Fayette City, which exploded on Dec. I, killing 34. Over 3,000 miners died in Dec. 1907, the worst month in the U.S. coal mining history. In Olive Branch Cemetery, 71 Darr miners, 49 unknown, are buried in a common grave.” Ann Toth has made notable contributions with her volunteer work and service for the recognition and betterment of coal miners and our people. llilliiiiii I1TMLite, April 2002 3
