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It wasn’t easy getting out of bed Monday morning and heading off to work in near-zero or below-zero temperatures.
Even early risers, we’re sure, wanted to stay under that warm blanket for an extra 10 or 15 minutes.
But a lot of us work in a warm office with little to no physical exertion required.
All in all, not too bad.
Not everyone, however, has enjoyed such fairly pleasant conditions throughout the history of human labor.
We bring these points up now because Tuesday marks exactly 60 years since the Knox Mine Disaster of Jan. 22, 1959, that claimed 12 lives near Pittston.
Bill Landmesser hit the nail right on the head during Sunday’s events for the 60th anniversary of the tragedy.
“I think everyone who is a Northeastern Pennsylvania native should remember what their ancestors went through to make a life for their families,” Landmesser told Times Leader reporter Dan Stokes. “We also have to note their contribution to the industrial development of the United States in the 1800s.”
He went on: “The anthracite coal allowed the country to develop and grow.”
How true that is.
The deposits of anthracite left in a roughly 500 square-mile area of Northeastern Pennsylvania were once one of the world’s most sought-after commodities.
Anthracite, or hard coal, was so desired because it burns cleaner and produces more heat than other coals, “making it an excellent source for heating and metal production,” says a DEP website on the state’s mining history.
But anthracite is relatively scarce in this part of the globe.
According to ExplorePaHistory.com, about 95 percent of the Western Hemisphere’s supply of anthracite comes from our area.
That led to an economic boon in Northeastern Pennsylvania that helped power the Industrial Revolution and transform the United States.
What’s largely forgotten, however, is none of that would’ve been possible without the grunt work put in by the guys underground.
The miners were the ones who made coal the king, not the barons who collected profits off their toil.
It’s important to remember the sacrifices those workers made and the miserable conditions they endured, all of which helped lead to the relatively comfortable existences many of us presently enjoy.
In 1959 Pennsylvania, coal was maybe more of a prince than a king. But that in no way makes the men lost during the Knox disaster any less significant.
Hats off to the people who remember them every year. It’s vital to our history, our culture and should help us gain some valuable perspective on the challenges we face in the workplace versus what some other people faced years ago.
We also salute the effort by two cousins with NEPA roots who made a feature-length documentary on what happened on that fateful day 60 years ago.
The documentary debuts Tuesday night at the Kirby Center for the Creative Arts in Kingston. If you can’t make it, we’d suggest making it a point to see the film when you have a chance.
A trip to the Anthracite Heritage Museum in Scranton or Eckley Miners’ Village near Weatherly is worth your time as well.
The story of coal in Northeastern Pennsylvania shaped not only our landscape but our people.
Knowing that story is critical to knowing who we are.
— Times Leader