The Whistle of a Kettle

The whistle of the kettle brought back a memory to me, and I was feeling sad but sentimental. I started thinking back ten years from today, January 2nd, the anniversary of a mine disaster in Sago, West Virginia. The mine whistle was very much a part of life there. It blasted from 6:00 am to 8:30 pm, sending the first shift into the mine and time to milk the cows for the farmers. Another blast got the children up and off to school. In fact, there were eleven different blasts a day for all different occasions. A long continuing blast signaled a disaster at the mine, an explosion, or a cave-in. I recently read that the Titanic funnel whistle was the same design.

As I reflected, I remembered that the mine owners dictated the rhythm and reality of our lives, and that brought to mind the company store that had everything from candy to caskets. It was the center of the camp, with the little houses all in rows. We had no other options for shopping. The scrip that made up Daddy’s pay was only redeemable there.

Coal mining was a dangerous job requiring skill and judgment. Life was hard with everything done by hand. Coal was dug from the vein, broken up, and loaded on carts. The roof had to be propped up with wooden beams. All this was done 650 feet below ground. Distances between mine shafts were considerable and never close to where the men were working. The men had to travel great distances to find their way out. The elevators worked with a winch that lowered and lifted people and equipment throughout the day. Their hum and clang added to the constant noise and commotion underground.

When Daddy came home after his shift, I would always run out to meet him. In his lunch bucket, there was always half a cheese sandwich with mustard for me. I remember the coal-like taste of it and the love I had for Daddy as we sat together as I ate.

Because of my pride as a coal miner’s daughter, I love the history of coal mining in West Virginia. A large part of West Virginia’s heritage is its coal mining history. It has contributed significantly to the state’s economic, political, and social history since discovered in Boone County in 1742 in the area now comprising West Virginia. It was officially reported that John Peter Salley found large cropping of coal along the Kanawha River while exploring the Allegheny Mountains. Coal was utilized then as only settlers, blacksmiths, and iron foragers used small amounts when they were close to an outcrop. The stimulus for coal mining began in 1797 due to the erection of salt furnaces.

The first steamboat burned coal. The coal began to replace charcoal as a fuel for salt furnaces. Coal was used to heat the brine pumped from salt beds underneath the river, and that led to the opening of a number of mines to provide furnace fuel. Steamboats consumed great quantities of coal, and the rest was used for factories and homes. Then it was needed for locomotives and steamships.

Work was hard. The coal was dug out, shoveled into baskets and sacks, and carried away. Later, sleds, wheelbarrows, and carts came into use. Oxen, mules, goats, dogs, and sometimes men worked together to haul the coal to the surface.

Many coal companies were organized, and corporations were created to encourage financial investments. Then immigrants from Wales, England, and Scotland came to work in the mines.

James Otis Walson was the first operator in West Virginia to ship coal by rail using the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. When the Civil War began, things slowed down. Confederate troops set up camps in the valley, and many locks and dams were destroyed, preventing shipping. In the towns of Elkins and Fairmont, the fields remained active to provide coal for the Union. The coal was used for railroad engines and heating in the east.

After the Civil War, the growth of the coal industry brought a new era of development. In 1867, 490,000 tons of coal were produced in West Virginia. Then came the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad to connect Huntington, West Virginia, and Richmond, Virginia as the coal industry began to grow. In January 1880, the first strike occurred, but the West Virginia Militia was used to stop it and set a precedent for handling future strikes.

Most of the mines were located too far from established towns, so mining operators built company towns. The places consisted of inexpensive homes, a company store, a church, a post office, and often recreational facilities for the miners and their families. They were entirely run by the company. The scrip was used for the company store to simplify bookkeeping and eliminate the need to keep large amounts of money on hand. Each company had its own symbol on the tokens only to be used at the local store.

Homes were distributed to miners in a social hierarchy, with the managers living in better homes. The mine superintendent usually lived in a mansion with 10-20 rooms located on a large lot with trees and well-kept grounds. Lower-quality housing on the edge of the community was occupied by white miners, while blacks and immigrants were in less desirable areas near the main entrance of the mine.

In 1883, due to the poor conditions in the mines, a law was passed that provided for inspectors and safety laws as the industry grew. Additional cheap labor from Southern Europe was brought in, and they were abused with long hours, poor medical care, and inferior living conditions. More miners were recruited, and the ethnic and racial mixture changed. Social services improved. Things previously unavailable or scarce, like electric power, public schools, and libraries, were improved. Further improving the quality of life, the company made available professionals such as doctors and dentists. Improvements in all areas were made to include electric coal cutting, loading, and hauling, more inspections, and laws.

However, mining disasters continued to happen, with hundreds of miners killed. The worst in all the United States history was in Monongah, where 361 men were killed. People and animals were impacted as far as eight miles away. Buildings were destroyed as well. An interesting fact is that only 74 of the miners were classified as Americans.

Unrest and strikes brought about even more changes and revolutionized methods and machinery. Events happened fast, and the West Virginia coal industry exhibited a sense of responsibility. I’m proud to say that over the years, West Virginia has furnished our nation and the world with the finest bituminous coal unmatched anywhere in the world. I hope this history helps everyone understand the pride I feel.

One bright sunny day, the whistle blew continuously, and all the folks gathered around the mine shaft. Wives, mothers, fathers, grandparents, children. Everyone was there. There was a methane gas explosion 2 miles from the entrance. The mining officials thought that lightning caused the ignition.

Twelve men had gone in that morning, and one died instantly as concrete walls were broken and dirt, dust, and debris were propelled everywhere. The other eleven men, 1,000 feet below the explosion, donned their one-hour self-contained breathing apparatus and attempted to escape. They couldn’t, so they returned to the work area, erected a barricade, and waited to be rescued. They died of carbon monoxide poisoning before rescuers arrived 41 hours later. Daddy was one of those men, 49 years old with 37 years of experience.  He had started working at 12 years of age which was common. Son did as the father, and his son did as his father, and so on.

Everyone there felt the tragedy as their own. The love and kindness of our neighbors helped us through that terrible time. The whistle of the kettle was a blessing to me. Sweet memories can be sorted out from tragedy.