COAL MINING

The coal mining industry has been in the news way too much lately.

Several weeks ago...in China...a coal mine 'flooded' with over 150 men in it. Trapped for over a week in the mines, when rescuers finally reached the men...miraculously over 100 survived. Numbers like that are rare in the mining industry.

The reality of those numbers came to fruition less than a week later with a mining accident in West Virginia. A few men survived but at least 25 men died, with 4 more likely dead...although efforts are under way to find them as I write.

I'm reminded of my uncle Jim...my only uncle on dad's side...who worked the mines of southern Indiana. He went to work for, what would eventually be known as, the Peabody Coal Company, in Lynnville, Indiana in the early 1940’s. When the mine shut down in the 1960’s, he went to work at the Millersburg, Indiana mine and was the engineer on the coal train that took coal from the mine to the Alcoa plant in Newburgh, Indiana.


A few years ago...many members of the family gathered to celebrate uncle Jim's 95th birthday with him.

The coal mines didn't claim uncle Jim. Our family was fortunate.

Many families in West Virginia...aren't able to say that.


Dan