William Penn Life, 2007 (42. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2007-11-01 / 11. szám
Branching Out with Endre Csornán We can never forget THIS YEAR MARKS the 100th anniversary of the Darr Mine disaster, remembered as one of the worst mining accidents in our nation's history. On Sept. 29, a commemoration ceremony took place at the Olive Branch Cemetery, located on State Route 981 in Van Meter, Pa., followed by a luncheon held at the Holiday Inn in Belle Vernon, Pa. The Olive Branch Baptist Church was filled to capacity with local residents and visitors from far distances. The WPA's Board of Directors and many of the Association's members were present. The keynote addresses were delivered by Chip Norton, pastor and Darr Mine historian, and Raymond D. Popp, president of the Rostraver Township historical society. WPA Chairman of the Board Stephen J. Varga addressed the crowd on behalf of the William Penn Association and the American Hungarian Coalition. Remarks were also given by Kevin Stricklin, administrator of the Coal Mine Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, and Edward Yankovich, international vice president of the United Mine Workers of America. A wreath-laying ceremony-which included a 21-gun salute, the playing of taps and a bagpiper who played "Amazing Grace"~was held at the monument site where the miners lay in a common grave. After the luncheon, the group visited the Darr Mine area. The commemoration concluded with the laying of a wreath in Van Meter Historical Park. Special thanks go to the Rev. Imre A. Bertalan, executive director of Bethlen Home Communities, for his hard work In the photo above, paying their respects at the wreathlaying ceremony are (l-r) the Rt. Rev. Koloman Ludwig; Endre Csornán, WPA national vice president-fraternal; Stephen J. Varga, WPA chairman of the Board; Bryan Dawson; the Rev. Chip Norton; and Joseph Fabri, member of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America Board of Directors. (Photo by Steve Charles) and dedication which made this event a success. Once again, the William Penn Association represented the largest group at the commemoration, and a significant portion of the expenses for the day's events were financed by the Association. What follows are the remarks I presented during the commemoration: I am indeed honored to be part of this commemoration ceremony in remembrance of the 1907 Darr Mine disaster. I am an employee of the oldest and largest Hungarian fraternal benefit society in the U.S. A.-the William Penn Association, established in 1886 by coal miners to assist the sick, the widows and the orphans of Hungarian immigrants who suffered injury and perished in mining and other accidents due to exploitative working conditions. Therefore, this remembrance today of the men and children who died in the Darr Mine disaster of 1907 has a special meaning to me. Of the 239 men and children who lost their lives that cold day of December 19,1907, more than 100 were of Hungarian descent. My words today are not to pay honor to a particular ethnic group. Rather, I should like to share my thoughts on our lives as citizens of the United States of America-a country founded on the belief of the rights of the individual citizen. The statistics related to the conditions of miners in the past century are astounding. In December 1907 alone, more than 3,000 miners died; in 1910, 2821; and in 1940, the number of deaths dropped to 1,388. In 1970,260 fatalities were reported; and by the end of the century, less than 100 miners perished in mining accidents each year. Often, these deaths were blamed on the miners themselves. For example, the report of the superintendent and foreman of the Darr Mine, following the 1907 accident, laid blame for the disaster on miners who were claimed to have been in a forbidden section of the mine. The report ends with, and I quote: "The owners of the mine are in no way to blame, nor are they in any way responsible...." In 1910, the federal government finally recognized that Continued on Page 15 William Penn Life, November 2007 3
