Fraternity-Testvériség, 2008 (86. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2008-01-01 / 1. szám
HRFA Hosts Commemorative Darr Mine Event By Kathy A. Megyeri “Great things were born only when those willing to sacrifice did sacrifice. ” Endre Ady, Hungarian Poet. a'io wusEdw ee«Mt«sie»i 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. 1, Killing 34. Over 3000 miners died in Dec. 1907, the worst month in U. S. coal mining history. In Olive Branch Cemetery, 71 Darr miners, 49 unKnown, are burled in a common grave. On December 19, 1907 at 11:30 a.m., an explosion in the Darr Mine near Smithton, PA took the lives of 239 men and teenage boys as young as 10 years of age. Most of those killed were Hungarian immigrant laborers. One hundred years later, on September 29th, 2007 at the Olive Branch Baptist Church and Cemetery in Van Meter, PA, the William Penn Association and the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, both fraternal benefit societies, joined The Bethlen Home, a retirement community, the Calvin Synod of the United Church of Christ, the Hungarian Reformed Church, and the Rostraver Township Historical Society as well as other organizations to ensure that these miners have not been forgotten. All groups in charge of the Commemoration jointly issued a statement that said, “By remembering the Darr tragedy, we reaffirm our nation’s focus on safety in the workplace. We affirm that the sacrifices were not in vain, and we pledge ourselves to continue working together for the good of humankind.” The Darr Mine Disaster is known as the second worst in America’s history and the worst in Pennsylvania’s history. December, 1907, became known as the Deadliest Month in U.S. mining history for a number of reasons. First of all, on the first day of the month, an explosion killed all 34 miners inside the Naomi Mine in Fayette County. Five days later, the single greatest mine disaster in American history occurred when massive explosions and roof collapses killed 362 men in Monongah, West Virginia. Ten days later, on Dec. 16, an explosion in Yolanda, AL killed 57 miners, many by asphyxiation. By the time this deadly month ended, more than 3,200 American miners had died in accidents. In Pennsylvania alone, 1,400 miners died that year, 708 in the Anthracite mines and 806 in the Bituminous fields. On the particular December day of the Darr Mine event, a methane gas and dust explosion killed the miners in the dark tunnels near Rostraver Township in Western Pennsylvania. The Darr Mine, one of the oldest since coal had been taken out for 65 years, was located on the riverbank of the Youghiogheny with a slope entrance. The total dead at Darr would have been much higher, eclipsing even the Monongah disaster, if not for the fact that many of the miners were recent immigrants of the Greek Orthodox faith which celebrates the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 19 according to the Julian calendar. As a result, nearly 200 miners chose not to go to work the day the explosion happened. Those who worked that day were mostly Hungarian immigrants. It was recorded by residents of both sides of the river that there was one explosion and it was accompanied by a flaming detonation. Tremors were felt over a mile away and one young man was thrown from the mouth of the mine into the air and fell some distance away. According to the report contained in the Dec. 20th edition of the Washington Penna. Reporter, “Their houses shook and the earth rumbled as the gas and dust made a fruitless effort to belch itself forth through any entrance, all of which were too confined for its purpose. Great masses of broken timbers, stones and twisted iron were volleyed from the mine entrance. This was the warning to the neighborhood and it was not mistaken. The explosion came as a warning and a death knell. Survivors Are Brave.” The Report of the Department of Mines, 1907, Nineteenth Bituminous district, reported the horror in even more detail: “The explosion was so terrific it was soon discovered that it would be impossible for any one to get out alive. Only one miner who was inside made his escape (actually two made it out alive, it was later reported). The ventilating fan remained intact, but nearly all the stoppings in the mine were blown out and had to be replaced as advancement was made into the mine, which necessarily made progress very slow. Great precautions had also to be taken as there was danger of fire being left. The recovering of the bodies progressed without any serious trouble and on the night of the 27,h, the entire working portions of the mine had been explored and 220 bodies recovered except those that might have been buried under falls of roof and debris. The inspectors then left the mine in charge of the company officials to search for the Fraternity - Testvériség - Winter 2007/Spring 2008 15
