Magyar Egyház, 2007 (86. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2007-10-01 / 3-4. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 9. oldal Bishop Sándor Szabó said, “This is a day I’m proud of, not only to remember but now to sadly reflect on how these events have impacted my own life. The miners’ names, recorded in today’s program, are written in the book of life and, more importantly, are written in our hearts.” General Secretary of the Hungarian Reformed Church Rt.Rev.Stefan M. Torokon the Commemoration Rev. Imre Bertalan, Jr., Director of the nearby Bethlen Communities in Ligonier, PA which originally housed the widows and orphans taken in by Hungarian Reformed pastors Rev. Sándor Kalassay and Sándor Harsanyi said, “These fallen miners were simply breadwinners made heroes mainly through tragedy.” Rev. Ilona Komjáthy, pastor of the First Hungarian Reformed Church of Pittsburgh, PA reminded attendees that following the disaster, the widows and orphans had to vacate their small cottages near the mine site, a coal mining rule if the family’s breadwinner died or left. “If not for the two Reformed pastors, Kalassay and Harsanyi,” Komjáthy said, “these women and children would have had no place to go. In fact, a street in Ligonier, PA is named Kalassay Drive in one of the minister’s honor.” Pennsylvania State Representative from Pittsburgh, the Honorable Nicholas M. Kotik, echoed her sentiments. Ironically, historian and Pastor Chip Norton, keynote speaker, purchased the Darr Mine pit boss’s home and after extensive renovation, lives there today with his wife Hope. Norton said, “Because of where we live and walk, I feel like I’m standing on holy ground today. Exactly 100 feet from my front door, the bodies were laid out as they were brought from the mine.” He went on to read the mine inspector’s report that listed the miners’ ages, names, and numbers of children and widows left behind. Among the many nationalities of Scottish, German, Russian, Slovakian, Polish, and Austrians, the greatest number of fatalities, 116, were Hungarians. “ No wonder this event is still called “Black December,” Norton said. In addition to displaying many artifacts discovered in the Darr Mine area following the mine’s closure, including the porcelain, enameled numbers taken from the front of the small cottages where the miners lived and the metal numbers taken from the front of coal cars as they emerged from the mine to be weighted, Norton read small biographies of three of the Hungarian miners who died to give an overview of the people who worked there. First was 29 year-old László Bensa, single, who came from Hungary through Ellis Island in 1902. He had left a family in Hungary but had none here. He worked at the mine for 5 years. The second profile was of Andrew (András) Contra, an 18-year-old laborer who was single and arrived in the U.S. in 1904. Three years later, he died in the mine disaster. Then, there was Peter (Benja) Lackatosch, a Romanian and Hungarian worker who arrived in the U.S. in 1907 and only worked at the mine for six months. He was thirty-two years old, married and had three children. Six days before Christmas, the tragedy occurred so Historian Norton concluded, “Imagine that Christmas for that family, homeless, with no income, no food, and most of all, no father. But others too suffered. There were 221 children affected and 521 persons left without an income.” The Honorable Kevin Stricklin, a Hungarian, former miner and now administrator of Mine Safety and Health Administration for the U.S. Department of Labor, said, “It’s an honor to be part of the this ceremony to recognize that these miners have not died in vain. The year following this disaster, the number of mining fatalities began to drop, and never again approached the terrible total of 1907. In 1954, the number of mining fatalities dropped below 100 for the first time since mining began in Pennsylvania. Although deep mining remains a dangerous occupation, advances in knowledge, equipment and regulations have combined to make Pennsylvania’s Deep Mine Safety program a national model.” Another Commemoration speaker, Edward Yankovich, International Vice President of the United Mine Workers of America, said that mining began in Pennsylvania in 1760 and since then, there have been 100,000 total deaths and hundreds who have died of black lung, but the Mine Workers Union, formed in 1890, is most proud of its policy of non-discrimination. Wreath laying ceremony at the cemetery by the elders of the organizations Perhaps an even greater tribute during this Commemoration was that all organizations and churches were able to remember together. All sentiments were expressed by William Penn Fraternal Life Insurance Company President George S. Charles when he summed up the feelings of most when he said, “This ceremony is what America is all about. Sacrifices were made so future generations will have a better life.” By Kalliy Megyeri
