Elaine, There was a rumor in my family that my great grandfather worked in a coal mine, before moving to Cumberland, MD, to work for the B&O. Do you know if the disaster you transcribed caused the coal mine to go out of business and sent the other workers looking for work elsewhere? Thanks, Lonny ----- Original Message ----- From: Elaine D Tomkins <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2000 9:57 AM Subject: [WVMINERA] Mineral Co. Mine Disaster > The following was posted to the Hampshire Co. List by a cousin, and > I am reposting it to this one for those of you who may not subscribe > to that one. > > > NEWS TRIBUNE MAY 5, 1911 > > FUNERAL SERVICES OVER 23 MINERS WHO PERISHED IN NO 20 MINE > ELK GARDEN W VA > APRIL 24TH > > The dead are buried. The ghastly scenes that will remain in our > memories while life shall last are now in the past. The heart still > aches, but submits to the awful stroke, and feels that some day we > shall understand. It was stated last week that Festival and Moody's > > Halls were diverted into morgues and undertakers F C Rollman and Wm > H > Kight were given charge of the dead jointly. These undertakers and > their assistants worked faithfully at their gruesome task. Hundreds > of > persons, home people and strangers, visited the morgues when > conditions were suitable and thus realized to some extent the force > of > the awful calamity. Some of the dead were burned about the face and > hands, some were bruised and faces scarred, while others showed no > external signs of violence, but seemed to be calmly sleeping. Wm > Pearson's remains were taken to Lonaconing Wed morning to the home > of > his sister, Mrs Wm Reiber, for interment. His age is 32 years and he > > leaves a wife and three small children. On Wed afternoon at five > o'clock four of the Wilson's were interred in Nethken Hill cemetery. > > Revs. J W Bedford and L C Messick conducted the church service. The > remains in the four caskets which were in the church at the same > time > were, John Wilson, aged 57 years, 5 months and 16 days. He leaves a > wife and a number of children, all adults. Lester Wilson, aged 18 > years, 2 months and 26 days, leaves a young wife. George Roy Wilson, > > aged 23 years, 6 months, 16 days, leaves a wife and two small > children. Frank (Thomer) Wilson, aged 23 years, leaves a wife and > two > small children. Lester and George Wilson were both sons of Jno R > Wilson and Frank Wilson his son-in-law. Thursday was funeral day. > The > undertakers did their parts exceedingly well, and worked almost > exact > schedule time. the congregations gathered quietly and quickly and > while one interment was going on in the cemetery, another funeral > was > being held in the church. The M E Church South, was used for all > church funerals on Wed. The large crowds of people at the > cemeteries, > on the streets, and in the church were noted for their quiet > demeanor > and orderly conduct. At seven o'clock in the morning Father O'Hara > conducted the funeral services in the Catholic Church of James > Dempsey, aged 57 years, Leo Dempsey, aged 23 years, and James Brown, > > aged 38 years. James Dempsey leaves a wife, one married and four > single daughters and a small boy. His remains and that of his son > Leo > were taken to Barton for burial. James Brown leaves a wife, and two > small children. His remains and those of Wm Buski, aged about 25 > years, were taken to Westernport for burial. At nine o'clock Rev Geo > W > Yost preached the funeral sermon of Harry Trainum, aged 26 years, at > > his residence. He leaves a wife and one small child. At ten o'clock > > the funeral services of John R Prichard, aged 48 years, 8 months and > > 16 days, and his son, Arthur Prichard, aged 17 years, 9 months, and > 28 > days, were conducted at the church by Rev L C Messick. Mr Prichard > leaves a wife and seven children, some of whom are grown. At eleven > o'clock in the church the funeral rites of Charles Wilson, aged 21 > years and unmarried, son of Floyd Wilson, was conducted by Rev W J > Bernard. At twelve o'clock Rev J W Bedford conducted the funeral > services of John White Sr, aged 42 years, and John White Jr, aged 24 > > years in the church. John White Sr. is a widower and leaves two > daughters, Mrs Maude Shriber and Miss Goldie. John White Jr was > single > and was known by the name of "Geet." At one o'clock the funeral > services of Ed Hershbarger were conducted at his late residence by > Rev > L C Messick. His age was 33 years, 2 months and 17 days. He was the > son-in-law of Rev W S Rau, and leaves a wife and two small children. > > At two o'clock the funeral services of Hawthorn Patton, aged 20 > years, > son of F C Patton, was conducted by Rev J F Leeper in the church. > Red > Men of Elk Garden and Modern Woodmen of Kitzmiller Md, attended this > > funeral. At three o'clock, the funeral services of William Hetzel, > aged 61 years, were conducted in the church by Rev L C Messick. He > leaves a wife and two grown daughters, one a widow and one single. > The > Mystic Chain attended this funeral. At four o'clock, Rev J F Leeper > conducted the rites of William Pugh, aged 24 years and Frank Pugh, > aged 29 years, at the residence of their father, John Pugh. Both > were > unmarried. Frank Pugh was a fireman on the B&O and had been home on > a > furlough several months. At five o'clock the funeral services of > Walter Runion, son of John Runion, aged 19 years, 11 months, and 14 > > days, and Wilbur Shears, aged 31 years, 1 month, and 23 days, were > conducted by Rev L C Messick in the church. Walter Runion was > unmarried, but Wilbur Shears leaves a wife and five small children. > At > six-thirty, the funeral services of Thomas Yost, aged 29 years, 4 > months and 9 days were conducted in the church by Rev L C Messick. > He > leaves a wife and three small children. Thus, as the evening shades > were falling, the last of the ill fated miners were laid to rest. > Rev > L C Messick was assisted by Rev A B Mann of Bayard, Rev Geo Burgess > of > Laurel Dale, and Rev W S Ran of Virginia. The choir was composed of > Misses May Arnold, Lizzie Grant, Olie Clark, Lou Barrick, Mrs Maude > Grant, Mrs Rosa Dean, Mr and Mrs D C Arnold, Messrs James Norman and > > David McKinley of Elk Garden, and Prof Groves, Mr Burns, and Mrs > Richard Markwood of Kitzmiller. But what will the Davis Coal & Coke > Company do for the widows and friends of the unfortunate victims of > the explosion? In the first place, $400 will be paid for each death, > > which is the amount of miners' insurance with the Company. In the > second place, the Company pays the funeral expenses, which amounts > to > $2160.60, and further the widows are allowed to get goods at the > B&L store to satisfy their immediate needs, and the prices of the > goods is not deducted form the insurance. In giving credit for > heroism > displayed in rescue work at the mine we do not wish to detract any > credit due the many faithful mine officials, but we do wish to > commend > the miners of the Elk Garden region, including Wabash, Oakmont, > Kitzmiller and from distant mines for their coolness, skill and > daring. It was their brother miners entombed and they toiled, they > braved the dangerous gases, they reeled under the influence of the > poison, and when refreshed plunged into the mines again. The city > dailies drew on their imagination in stating that women and children > > were at the mines uttering heart-rending cries. The women in nearly > every case staid at home, and there patiently bore the awful > suspense > until their loved ones lifeless forms were brought to them by the > undertaker. It is difficult to tell which were the greater heroes, > the > women remaining at home in the deepest grief, watching, hoping, > praying, or the miners braving the deadly gases to rescue the bodies > > of their unfortunate comrades. >