THE NEWSLETTER OF THE HUBER BREAKER PRESERVATION SOCIETY
Volume 3, Number 3 August 2004
HBPS Hosts Roundtable Interviews with Miners
On July 20, 2004, Dr. Robert Wolensky led a roundtable discussion with workers formerly employed by the Huber Breaker and Colliery. The event was held at the Earth Conservancy conference room, following a brief regular meeting of the society. Dr. Anthony Mussari, chairman of the Board of Directors of HBPS, introduced the discussion. Dr. Mussari, whose television documentaries, “Windsor Park Stories,” appear regularly on WVIA, taped portions of the program for inclusion in documentaries he plans to produce. The roundtable program was publicized by a front-page story in the Times-Leader and drew a sizable audience, which included Debbie Higgins, mine-heritage reporter for the Citizens’ Voice.
Bob Wolensky, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and author of The Knox Mine Disaster and Fighting for the Union Label, has taped several such interviews with miners, as an oral history project supported in part by Wilkes University.
Why memorialize anthracite mining? Extracting energy from the stubborn earth has never been easy or safe. But without energy, human life expires, and without usable fuel, an economy cannot move. The enterprise, courage, and toil that extracted and processed anthracite coal merit honor, and workers who suffered deserve the reward of respect. Mining coal is dirty and dangerous business, yet miners have built families, communities, and nations through their patient service. Talk to a miner’s son, and you will hear what a treasured legacy a miner can bestow on his children and his world.
The mineworkers who assembled for Bob Wolensky’s panel touched on every facet of mining, from the satisfaction of honest work to the pain of unfair treatment or physical injury.
Marxist readings of American history reduce workers to mere slaves of capital, making them victims, not builders, of American society. This analysis would diminish to uncreative servitude not only miners, but all who farmed land, dug canals, constructed bridges and railroads, and transformed ores into products of engineering wizardry. In fact, these workers were builders. A close look at the Huber colliery tells the story of skilled workers who rose in the ranks, or laborers who were proud craftsmen, of a brotherhood of managers and men that was productive and not demeaning.
Wayne Grilz worked at the Huber Breaker as a member of the repair gang from 1969 to 1974. He appreciated the lessons he learned from older workers and supervisors. “It was a good job. It was an honorable job.” And he liked his pay. “I earned it. That was a good feeling.” He also appreciated the modern equipment at the Huber that sorted, broke, and cleaned coal, much of it designed by local engineers.
Phil Voistok drove over from Freeland in the 1950’s to work at the Huber. “I was young and strong then. You raised five kids, you had to work.”
His pay was $15 a day. That was better than no pay, and better than you got at many other jobs. The risks of mine work were recognized. Phil noted that it was a practice to put a young guy and an old guy together. “Experience and muscle.” You learned how to do the work, and you learned not to take chances.
Tom Potsko belonged to a family of miners and stayed a miner for 26 years.
Chet Saremba was a member of the office staff at the Huber from 1968 to 1971, responsible for billing and the accuracy of paper work. “A good place to work,” said Chet. “The men were friendly and helpful. There was camaraderie. Everybody worked for Blue Coal.”
John Zubkov was almost buried once. Falling rock or a cave-in was often a cause of injury to mineworkers. John was a miner from 1947 to 1969. “I stuck it out,” he said.
The open discussion following the interviews brought out fresh insights and information on mine technology. Robbing pillars (taking exposed coal from a section reserved for the stability of the chamber) increased the underground risk, yet was sometimes done routinely. “Greed,” said a panelist. A member of the audience observed, “And it led to the Knox Disaster.” One questioner asked whether mules were still being used in the mines where these men had worked. A reply came, “No mules. I was the mule.”
Toward the end of the anthracite era, some men didn’t know how to build timber protection. “To work in the mines, you had to be a craftsman,” said one veteran. “To protect your life.”
Such testimony of those who worked in the mines, underground and above ground, replaces legend with fact and replaces loose generalizations with concrete details. Preserving this testimony will enrich the anthracite record.
Avondale Mine Site Being Cleared for Public Access
The efforts led by Joe Keating to uncover the Avondale Mine in Plymouth Township have achieved significant success. In May, he and Mike McDaniels cut a walking path from the old railroad bed to the shaft. On June 28, 2004, a team of workers, including men from Plymouth Township and student volunteers from Wilkes University, helped Joe, Bill Best, and John Dziak open up the massive stone walls shown in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly of 1869 as the background for the recovery of victims of the fire that took 110 lives.
“Avondale restoration began today,” declared Joe. On hand throughout the day were Helen Youells and Johnny Usefara. Ed Brennan, Plymouth Township Supervisor and Roadmaster, made heavy equipment available. An observer can now stand on the railroad bed (of the Bloomsburg and Lackawanna line that carried Welsh miners from Scranton to Avondale the day of the disaster) and see the panorama drawn in Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly. It resembles a Roman amphitheater in scope and drama.
John Dziak is assembling an album of photographs, with copies of Frank Leslie’s illustrations (which give precise representations of the aftermath of the disaster) and historical records of the Avondale Mine from 1870 to its closing in 1958. In a supportive email, Schuylkill County Historian Tom Dempsey wrote Joe that “the Avondale in the annals of anthracite history is Hallowed Ground and should never be forgotten.”
A memorial service is being planned to dedicate the Avondale site and to honor the victims of the tragic fire that occurred 135 years ago, September 6, 1869.
Robert Hughes, EPCAMR Regional Coordinator, visited the site on August 4, 2004, and reported to Joe that he found the massive stone structures at the Avondale “truly impressive” and “a testament to the workmanship of the miners who built the framework for the Avondale Colliery.” He is now conferring with other officials on how to fund the necessary measures for safeguarding the site as an environmental and historical treasure.
Mine Country Features Stories on Huber and Avondale
The website of the regional journal, Mine Country (www.minecountry.com), offers visitors news of anthracite events. The current issue features articles on the Huber Breaker and the Avondale Mine site. The editor of Mine Country, Christine Goldbeck, invites readers to submit news and comments for publication. Visit the website and click Contact Us.
Anthracite Living History Group Invites Participation
A brochure has been issued by the Anthracite Living History Group that describes the nature and mission of the group. Copies are available from the founder of the group, Joe Keating, and from HBPS officers. Email a request for copies to Dick Loomis (morgan@intergrafix.net).
From the brochure: “The Anthracite Living History Group preserves monuments of anthracite history and offers programs that bring anthracite history to life. . . . The Group has no formal structure, but is a gathering of like-minded volunteers. Whoever shares their interests is welcome to join.” For contact information, go to the Huber website, www.huberbreaker.org
Members of ALHG are leading the effort to open the Avondale Mine site to the public and to mount exhibits that will display its history.
Bill Bests reports that Charles Huber III, grandson of the man for whom the Huber Colliery is named, has expressed renewed support for the campaign to preserve the anthracite heritage of Wyoming Valley.