William Penn Life, 2002 (37. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
2002-05-01 / 5. szám
The Darr Mine explosion This monument, erected by the Verhovay Benefit Society in honor of those lost in the mines, stands at the Chestnut Hill Cemetery. Its simple inscription-written in both Hungarian and English-reads: “A Munka Vértanúinak/ For the Martyred Laborers.” (This article is the continuation of "The Darr Mine Explosion" which appeared in the April 2002 issue of the William Penn Life.) Beside the great loss for the families, it is estimated that St. Emory's Roman Catholic Church of Connellsville lost close to 100 parishioners in the Darr Mine and Naomi explosions. Many of the victims were members of the Verhovay Egylet. The miners of the Catholic faith killed in the mine explosion were buried by the Rev. Béla Bliesz of the Connellsville Catholic church. Those of the Reformed faith were buried by Rev. Alexander Kalassai of the Pittsburgh Reformed Church and Sándor Harsanyi of the Homestead (Pa.) Reformed Church. The following declaration was sent by them and reads as follows: "To our Hungarian Brethren of Jacobs Creek and vicinity it was pleasing to God's caring wisdom to put us through these trying times. In the past few days one mine explosion followed the other, that caused the number of our widows and orphans to increase steadily. Because of the last explosion at Jacobs Creek (Darr Mine), 50 Hungarian women and at least 100 Hungarian children lost a bread-winner and an earthly caretaker. It is our Christian duty as members of the Hungarian Ethnic community to alleviate their sorrow as much as possible by giving them moral and financial support. We all have the duties and responsibilities toward those whose bodies they buried in the common graves, unidentified due to the devastating fire, with no one grieving over them and no one praying or singing at their burial. Those missing miners and those buried in the common graves deserve to be buried as Christians. Therefore, we summon all our Hungarian brethren and Hungarian organizations of Van Meter, Banning, Whittsett and vicinity to come to Jacobs Creek for a funeral service to be held at the Common Burial Place, Saturday, January 4,1908 at Noon." It is not clear how many miners were néver identified and buried in mass graves. Some of the victims had to be taken as far as McKeesport, Pa., for burial. The P&LE and B&O railroads transported the simple wooden coffins to whatever burial site the family requested. One month after the explosion, the mine was sealed, entombing the bodies of those miners who could not be brought up. The Greensburg Catholic Diocese closed St. Emory's Hungarian Roman Catholic Church in 1970. The church records were transferred to another Roman Catholic church. It is hard for most of us to accept the idea of closing our Hungarian Roman Catholic churches in Western Pennsylvania. According to St. Emory's church history, the cornerstone was laid Oct. 9, 1904, and the church was dedicated July 16,1905. The church was the home parish for not only the area's Hungarians but also many other Catholics from the Smithton, Van Meter, Star Junction c(hd Benning areas. For someyears St. Emory had mission churches at Star Junction and Brownsville. The parishioners and others sent petitions to the bishop of the Greensburg diocese in opposition to the closing, but it fell upon deaf ears. Indeed, the Hungarian section of ChéStnut Hill Cemetery was neglected to the point that it was a shameful eyesore. A few years ago the WPA, Boy Scouts Troop III from Trinity Lutheran Church in Connellsville and a local landscaper reclaimed the grounds from years of neglect. In order to complete the restoration and maintain the site, the Chestnut Hill Cemetery Maintenance Trust Fund is appealing to all American-Hungarians for taxdeductible contributions. You can send your donation to: Ann Toth Box 96 Bobtown, PA 15315. We thank everyone who responds to this appeal. |jyji[] llilliaiii Penn Life, May 2002 3
