William Penn Life, 2004 (39. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-12-01 / 12. szám
Branching Out with Endre Csornán Remebering the past NINETY-SEVEN YEARS AGO, on Dec. 19, 1907, families were anxiously preparing for the Christmas holiday in the Jacobs Creek, Pa., area along the Youghiogheny River when, at 11:30 a.m., an explosion shook the hills and the ground trembled like an earthquake at the Darr Mine of the Pittsburgh Coal Company. Only one man made his escape. The other 230 miners working at the time were entombed by the huge explosion. It remains the second-worst mine disaster in the history of the United States. About 400 men and boys were regularly employed at the time. Many of them were foreigners who survived that day only because of the religious holiday: the feast of St. Nicholas, a Greek Catholic holiday. The new immigrants from the Old World— from Slovakia and the Carpathians—gave up a day's pay to attend the St. Nicholas holiday liturgy when the ground shook at the time of the accident. The saving of the lives of these coal miners is represented in the Miracle of St. Nicholas icon, located in the Greek Catholic Union's Carpathian woodenstyle chapel in Beaver, Pa., 28 miles north of Pittsburgh. December 1907 is known as the most fatal month in U.S. mining history. On Dec. 1 of that year, an explosion killed 34 men at the United Coal Company's Naomi Mine. On Dec. 6, and explosion at Fairmont Coal Company's Monongahela Mine killed 361 men. Two monuments remembering those killed were sponsored by the late Franz Joseph, emperor of the former Austrian-Hungarian Empire. They are located at St. Emory's Cemetery in Connellsville, Pa., and at the Olive Branch Cemetery in Van Meter, Pa. The William Penn Association supports the efforts of Ann Toth of Bobtown, Pa., and others who are working so hard to assure the future maintenance of these monuments. The Darr Mine disaster is remembered every April 28, known as Workers' Memorial Day. The day marks the anniversary of the enacting of the Occupational Safety of Health Act (OSHA) which mandates decent conditions in the workplace. In the early part of the 20th Century, the coal companies could not have cared less about the lives of the miners. "Just don't hurt that mule," as the old saying goes. It is a must that we preserve monuments to the past, such as those at the Olive Branch and St. Emory's cemeteries. Only then will the miners' story remain alive, and each generation can pass on its lessons to the next. [WPL THAT’S A QUESTION YOU MAY not have asked yourself very often, if ever. But, it’s one you should ask yourself at least once a year. We can’t stress enough the importance of regularly checking the beneficiaries listed on your life insurance policies. It is the only way to ensure that the people you want to receive the benefits of your life insurance are the ones who will receive it. Think about the changes that have occurred in your life since you purchased your life insurance. Getting married, having children, losing a loved one, getting divorced, getting remarried-all these life changes affect your responsibilities. Do the beneficiaries currently listed on your life insurance policies reflect such changes? If you think you need to update the beneficiaries listed on your policies-either primary or secondary beneficiaries—contact your WPA representative. Or, call our Home Office toll-free at 1-800-848-7366. Willi» Pen Life, December 2004 5
