My knowledge of the town is a slightly earlier period than when you lived there, Shirley. Sounds like they built it up a good bit through the years. Actually, there were 6 or 7 operating mines within a mile of so of Smithdale in the 1890 to 1930 period, several perhaps closing before 1930. On the Smithdale side of West Newton was the West Newton Shaft. Across from Suterville was Douglas, and Douglas Run. Up Douglas Run there were 3 operating mines, the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Warden. The Atlantic probably closed before 1900 (or was it the Pacific?). And, just north of Douglas was the Sarah Mine. All of these would be easy walking distance from Smithdale, most being a bit north. Several of these mines likely connected with each other underground, as they were all mining the same vein of coal. Those up the Run might have been mining a slightly higher vein, although the Pittsburgh seam was mostly all that was mined during this period. The higher veins were too thin to be economically feasible for underground mining, even today. That is why they have stripped some areas, to get at the thinner seams. Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: "Karns,Nancy C" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 22, 2008 1:31 PM Subject: Re: [PAWESTMO] Coal miners > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 11:31 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [PAWESTMO] Coal miners > > > > In a message dated 8/21/2008 8:36:33 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > Maybe you could add your father, > grandfather and uncles' names to the Smithdale database when you figure > out > the name of the mine. On the census records where they are listed as > miners, > does it say anything in the occupation category to suggest the name of > the > mine? > > > > I thought there was just one mine in Smithdale. I was just a kid but I > > remember only one mine. It may have changed owners over the years. > I remember the kids I played with and went to school with. > Not their parents' names. > I'll look through the 1930 Smithdale census. I know the kids were too > young > to be on the census, but perhaps their parents were. And by chance, > perhaps > the mine's name is, as well. > I can see the village yet. Where they sat, the company store, the post > > office, the tavern, the church, the school on top of the hill next to a > burning > slag heap,the ferry over the Yough River, the houses and outhouses, the > RR > track, and the mine, and the town pump that wasn't needed anymore when I > was > young. It's burned into my memory. Especially the disaster siren that > sent us > all running over the tracks and up the hill to the mine entrance. I > heard it > again as the emergency vehicle siren in Europe and it sent shivers up > my > spine. > Grandpap Harry Moore had a slate wall fall on his head and it broke a > bone > in his neck that wasn't discovered until he was an old man. He suffered > > horrible headaches all his adult life. My dad, Harley Drake, suffered > his last > years with coal miners' lung. My Uncle Harry Moore was disabled by a > ruined > lung. >>From my years of breathing the coal dust as the train cars passed > within 20 > feet of my front porch I have had lung problems. There were mine > injuries > the records will never show. > > Indian Territory doesn't have the same sort of miners site. They have > a > statue with names on it, none on line. > That's too bad. My aunt's father in law lost his life in those mines, > T. A. > Drake. My grandmother's first husband was killed in those mines, Lee > Williams, and her father, John Hasty, was injured. My grandfather Joe > Drake was a > union organizer, deported out of the territory by federal troops, but > he > returned and continued with his union activities. My father was > blackballed at > age 15 when his father died...he could never work in those mines, they > said, > because of his father's union activities. > > It is a fascinating subject. My first cousin, Daniel Moore, was a coal > > miner who was laid off. To pass the time, he enrolled at a community > college > near Smithton. He wrote such compelling history papers on the coal > mines that > he was encouraged to continue and now has his Ph.D in mining, but > Central > America, not USA. I sent those articles to the Chestnut Ridge > Historical > Society. > > I think our family has a speck of coal dust in our genes. > > Gr.grandpap Jim Moore somewhere near Chestnut Ridge, his sons whereever > they > could find work. Gr.grandpap Charles Alexander Sholey somewhere near > Derry > Station. His dad, Cyrus John Sholey of Ligonier, in Sutersville. > > Shirley Maynard > Hampton, VA > > > > > **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. 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