MATHER
2002 — The Mather Mine Memorial dedicated as a
tribute to the 195 men who died during an explosion at the mine on
May 19, 1928.
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The transformation of the gob pile from an "eyesore to
history" brings the day closer to moving the Mather Mine Memorial,
which was dedicated in May 2002, through the efforts of a volunteer
committee headed by Chick & Charlotte Virgili. The memorial is
to be moved to the reclaimed site and a park or recreation fields
established for the benefit of the community.
The monument is an eight-foot, black-granite marker on the lawn of
Mather Christian Church; the dedication ceremoney brought out
several hundred people, many descendants of those killed in what is
still known as one of the 10 worst mining disasters in U.S.
history. The disaster had never been marked in any permanent way in
Mather, but about a year ago, Orlando "Chick" Virgili and his wife
Charlotte decided that needed to change.
The entire ceremony was a solemn, moving experience, including the
personal memories of the speakers, the reading aloud of the names,
and a solitary voice singing "Nearer My God to
Thee." |
But it was the eery moan of the Mather
Collerieries whistle at exactly 4:07 p.m. Sunday (the day of the
dedication service) that silenced the crowd, transporting them back
in time to that tragic day.
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) President Cecil Roberts
described what it must have been like in those first moments.
“Imagine you’re a wife home washing clothes and tending the
children, and you know that whistle means another disaster,” he
said. “Imagine you’re a child and you know there’s a chance your
father might not be coming home. Imagine the people running to the
mine. Imagine the commotion in this community ...
Imagine the bodies ...”.
In all, nearly 100 women were widowed and 500 children were
orphaned. "Afterwards," Roberts said, "The wives had no husbands,
no home, and no place to go. Some went to the company store and
begged."
As the news broke on T.V., the mine exploded again. "Now the nation
saw it," Roberts said, adding “The moral of the story is that coal
built communities like this. This community has seen a lot of
tragedy ... but we love who we are, and we are the most
patriotic people. We fight the wars. We are America."
Of the men who died on that tragic day in Mather, "Every one of
them were heroes".
Following are accounts of the Mather Disaster from other papers
published at the time of the explosion:
MINE EXPLOSION MAY 19, 1928, MATHER,
PA.
KILLED: 195, DEATH TOLL 195, IN MATHER MINE
Corner Defers Inquest Until Cause Of Explosion Has Been
Determined
MATHER, Pa. June 3. (AP)—The official death toll in the mine
explosion here, May 19, was 195. Coroner John W. Ross announced
tonight. He said all but three bodies had been recovered. Only two
of the victims were buried without identification. He had not yet
fixed a date for the inquest, he said, pending a decision by mine
inspectors as to the cause of the explosion.
The work of clearing the mine is progressing rapidly. Officials of
the Mather Colliery Company said the workings would be reopened in
a few weeks.
WEDNESDAY MORNING,
MAY 23, 1928.
~~ A MAJOR DISASTER ~~
With hope given at first that many of the men trapped by a gas
explosion in the Mather mine in Greene county last Saturday might
be saved, the emmensity of the disaster has dawned by degrees. It
is now indicated that it was one of the worst catastrophes of the
kind, with its death list but to 196. That would leave it exceeded
by only one other in the history of Pennsylvania, that of Jacobs
Creek in 1907, in which 239 lives were lost. It would make it the
sixth worst in the history of the country: Monongah, W.Va., in 1907
with 361 victims; Dawson, N.M., in 1913, with 263; Cherry, Ill., in
1909, with 259; Jacobs Creek with details biven above; Scofield,
Utah, in 1900, with 200, and now Mather.
The only relieving note in the dispatches present is that of the
heroic efforts that were made to save lives, with rescue teams
rushed forward not only from all the surrounding districts of
Pennsylvania, but also some from West Virginia. As usual, the Red
Cross was early on the scene and there also have been many
volunteer relief workers. Even though the mining company doing
everything within its power to aid the stricken families, and even
though there was insurance carried for the workers, the need in a
disaster of such magnitude is great. With the facts before it, this
sympathetic and generous community will know what to do to meet any
further need for help. |
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Lone Survivor
Owes Life To Sitting Down for Rest
Unable to Get Up Again Because of Weakness, Dozes While
Afterdamp Clears; Delirious After Rescue 60 Hours
Delayed.
MATHER, Pa., May 22, (AP) — The fact Frank Krubik, rescued
alive from the Mather mine today, sat down to rest and was unable
to get up again, probably saved his life, safety experts who had
talked with the miner said tonight. Krubik was taken from the
workings more than 60 hours after an explosion Saturday had killed
or entombed more than 200 miners.
George Riggs, connected with the United States department of mines,
declared Krubik told him he had wandered about the underground
passages in various directions, after the explosion, until he came
to the 14 butt where, between two trap doors in an air shaft, which
guaranteed him fresh air, he sat down to rest. ... Could Not
Get Up.
"I couldn't get up again after I sat down," the rescued miner was
quoted as saying. "I tried several times to rise and continue
walking, but each time my knees gave way. Then I decided to sit
there and wait what was coming to me. I had two long sleeps that I
know of, and each time I woke up I thought I was in another world.
Fortunately I had plenty of water, and dirty as it was, it tasted
excellent to me. I kept my handkerchief soaked in the water and
pressed to my face."
Those who talked with Krubik, and there were only a few, said it
was impossible to continue a lengthy conversation for he became
delirious under the slightest strain. He was being cared for by
several nurses and doctors at the mine's emergency hospital
tonight, while state troopers guarded the door, permitting only
authorized persons to enter.
Not Enough for
Harm!
Members of the mine rescue team which located Krubik said tests of
the air in the room where he was found showed signs of afterdamp,
but not sufficient to cause a man's collapse.
Tests of the air were made with canary birds. Since the Mather
blast upwards of 100 of the little feathered creatures have been
martyrs to the cause of safety for the rescued workers within the
poisonous atmosphere underground. A fresh supply of canaries is
kept constantly in readiness for use. |
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