Slide shows dig deep into miners' history
1985 1985-02Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 5 →
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SOCIALIST ACTION FEBRUARY 1985 5 The history of coal mining is told in two recently produced slide shows, "Monongah 1907," by Thomas Bethell and Babitt McAteer, and "Coal, Our Story," by Genny Zebach, who wrote the following review.
FAIRMONT, W.Va.—The slide show by Bethell and McAteer carefully documents the evolution of coal mining from the time of the tragic disaster at Monongah in 1907 until the present. Close to 700 miners died in the explosions at Monongah and 3000 during that year alone-at a time when miners were legally helpless to do anything about unsafe conditions.
Rare historic photos of disaster after disaster are coupled with numbing facts. Bethell and McAteer take us to the 1968 Mannington No. 9 explosion, which was the first disaster to attract nationwide news coverage. The authors focus on the legislated changes that followed but, unfortunately, do not deal in detail with the public outcry and the bitter struggles in the coal fields to unionize for better and safer working conditions.
In "Coal, Our Story,' I combine the slides with stories and songs that kept the history alive-songs of hard times, the mine disasters, and the company store. I have been collecting and singing coal songs since my early teens, and I accompany myself on guitar and mountain dulcimer.
Because I can adapt the slide show to the needs of the audience, I have been able to keep third graders at church camp on the edges of their seats-as well as stimulate thoughtful discussion among those currently employed in the mines. I hope that our programs are not only informative but inspiring to you, your work, and your daily life.
For information on using the slide shows, contact "Monongah 1907," Humanities Resource Service of West Virginia, P.O. Box 204, Institute, W. Va. 25112, (304) 768-8869; and "Coal, Our Story," Genny Zebach, 1642 Oregon Ave., Fairmont, W. Va. 26554, (304) 3630171.
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