The Monongah Heroine

As I stood in front of the Monongah Town Hall staring up at the woman before me who was clutching her children close, I tried to imagine what it would be like to lose all the men in my family at once- my husband, my brother, my son, my nephew, my father... I couldn't. I couldn't even bare the thought of what her life must have been like or what she went through; what she thought; what she felt... after a disaster of this proportion.

On December 6, 1907, on a day I am positive was absolutely freezing, the worst mine disaster became forever ingrained in American History. Upward of 360 plus men including boys lost their lives. They left behind 250 widows and over 1000 children. The sad fact is that there were a lot more victims unaccounted for, most being Italian and Slavish immigrants. In the early 1900's, workers were paid for the amount of coal they extracted not by the hours they worked. It was not uncommon for one man to bring his sons, brothers, cousins and so forth to help him mine for coal. The fact remains that there were a lot more men and children in the mine than could have ever been expected by rescue workers.

Poor regulations and not enough pressure to follow them is ultimately what created this disaster. Simply put, methane lit the coal dust in mine numbers 6 and 8. Had there been stricter regulations and better ventilation this disaster may have never happened. As rescue workers arrived they were limited on the help they could give due to lack of respirator devices. In fact, a few rescue workers died due to the poisonous gases in the air and their determination to help. Many changes in safety practices began in response to the Monongah Mine Disaster shortly after. In fact, the New York Times reported on December 19, 1907 the rise in mine deaths due to poor regulations. In 1908, more proof came to the surface that unsafe conditions were more costly and inefficient. Its a shame that the 'inefficiency' is what finally turned the heads of mine owners. By 1910, the US Bureau of Mines was established and government regulations on mines with inspections began.

In October 2007, nearly 100 years after the tragedy, the Monongah Heroine statue was dedicated to all those left behind. The statue project took 4 years and $75,000 (with the aid of the Italian government) to accomplish. She was made from Carrara marble and became known as "an obligation finally fulfilled".

As I turned to leave her standing there, I had an over whelming haunted feeling run through my bones. I had stood underneath a true heroine. One I could never fully understand but one that was finally recognized.

Check out this website if you would like to read a more complete history on the Monongah Mine Disaster. It also includes photos of the mine, the workers and their housing, as well as the funeral procession that followed the disaster.