MONONGAH MINING DISASTER

 

Immigration to America has been a subject of concern for a long time, even though the laborious tasks performed by them and others built this country into what it is today. Most engaged and are engaging in works that others disdain or reject and consequently, subject themselves to greater risks to their health and well-being as demonstrated in this article.  

The disaster occurred on December 6, 1907. It relates to our subject matter of Everything Italian and Italian American because most of the victims were Italian immigrants. It occurred in Monongah, West Virginia and historically was the worst mining catastrophe of the century. The tragedy was the result of a series of explosions and fires that wrecked two large coal mines, No. 6 and 8, of the Fairmont Coal Company, which was a constituent of the Consolidation Coal Company of Maryland.  The land at which the mines were located, the company leased from ex-Kentucky State Senator Johnson Newlon Camden, originally from Parkersburg, West Virginia.   Of the 362 killed in the explosion, 171 were Italians, the rest represented various ethnic groups, Slavs, Poles, Greeks (5) Blacks (11) and Anglos. Other figures extend upwards to a loss of 500, since many of the miners took their children to work with them, indicating piece work, the more coal you gather the more you make.

The disaster left 250 widows and more than 1,000 children fatherless.  For that day and age we can easily imagine the burden of the wives to support their children and make their way. Most, we can conjecture, were unable to speak English, or able to read or write. Nevertheless, the response of society to the disaster resulted in significant aid to the families from churches, charitable organizations, and people in general. A monument from the Italian government recognizes the strong communal response.

The Italian victims were mainly from San Giovanni in Fiore, Cosenza, Calabria and the region of Molise. In San Giovanni in Fiore, the residents in 2003 to commemorate the explosion, erected a memorial with the inscription “Per non dimenticare minatore calabrese morti nel West Virginia (USA). Il sacrificio di quegli uomini forti tempri le nuove generazione.”

The Italians in Molise presented a bell to the town of Monongah, which today sits in the town square next to a statue representing the widows of the victims.

The picture of the polished black megalith erected at the Mt. Calvary Cemetery in 2006 by the Italian government as a reminder of the catastrophe, sits next to small markers under which are the partial remains of unidentified victims.

Below are pictures of Monument in San Giovanni in Fiore, the bell from Molise, and the statue commemorating the wives of the victims.

 

http://www.wvculture.org/HISTORY/disasters/monongah03.html. (West Virginia Archives and History)

http://www.historyinsidepictures.com/Pages/MonongahMineDisasterTombstonesinlocalgraveyardsorcemeteries.aspx.

 

addendum

 

The disaster brought about significant attention to immigration. Anti-immigration forces date back many years, beginning with the great Irish immigration of the 1850s on. The forces grew stronger seeking to only allow middle class, professional and skilled immigrants mainly of the Protestant faith. The development of the steam ship was instrumental in providing affordable passage for many immigrants. This increased the flow from southern and Eastern Europe. Most of these people were illiterate and peasants. Something of which the anti-immigrant forces highly disapproved.

 

In an article in Charities and The Commons, (a weekly journal published in New York in the years of 1905/06-1909) under the title of “The Effect of Emigration Upon Italy, Threatened Depopulation of the South,” Antonio Magano pointed out: “While we, in America, are considering the restriction of immigration by means of an educational test, the Italian parliament has spent several sessions discussing the possibility of forbidding the emigration of those who cannot read and write.  This would leave the educated classes free to emigrate, but would greatly restrict the emigration of the southern peasants who are needed to till the fields.  Only last March, one of the members of Parliament pointed out the fact that emigration, if it continued at the present rate, would surely prove a severe injury to the country.  Mr. Celsea said:”

'The exodus of our people threatens to be in the near future far and beyond that which we believe and threatens to absorb that gradual increment of population which for some years past had been our pride.  Allow me to remind you that tour emigration from 88,000 in 1886, from 503,000 in 1903, enormously increased in 1905 to 726,000.  During the first half of this year (up to March), the number is 458,000, a tremendous increase over 1905.  Alongside of this fearful increase in emigration is the decrease in the number of those who return.  For if in 1905, 78 per cent returned, in 1906, only 23 or 28 per cent. In the southern provinces, we found almost universal desire to emigrate.'"

ROCKY MARCIANO

 

Rocky was a famous pugilist, whose original name was Rocco Francis Marchegiano. He is noted as being the only world heavyweight champion to retain his title throughout his career. It lasted from the twenty-third of September, 1952 until the twenty-seventh of April, 1956.

Rocky was born on the first of September, 1923, and reared in Brockton, Massachusetts. His father Pierino and his mother, Pasqualina Picciuto were immigrants from Abruzzo and Campania, respectively. Rocky had three sisters and a younger brother. Rocky was active in sports in high school, mainly baseball and later weightlifting. He was a client of the famous Italian American Charles Atlas (Angelo Siciliano). Rocky also toyed with boxing and had a makeshift punching bag that he hung from a tree in the backyard of their home. He quit school in the tenth grade and supported himself and helping the family by doing odd jobs.

 In 1943, at the age of twenty, the army drafted him and assigned him to Swansea, in Wales, England. His duties involved transporting supplies to the mainland. On his return to the U.S., while awaiting discharge, he did amateur boxing for the army and won the 1946, Amateur Armed Forces Tournament. Throughout his army stint he continued to keep an interest in baseball and boxing. He fought as an amateur boxer until 1947, when he fought Lee Epperson, as a professional. He knocked him out in three rounds.

Afterward he returned to amateur boxing in the Golden Gloves’ League. He won the bulk of his engagements, except for one which he lost to Coley Wallace. In a later knockout bout, he hurt his hand and turned his attention to baseball. He went to Fayetteville, North Carolina to try out for a farm team. He lasted three weeks before they cut him from the players. He returned to professional pugilism, and in his first bout on the twelfth of July 1948, he won over Harry Bilizarian by a knockout.  It was uphill from there. Rocky won his first sixteen bouts by knockouts, each before the fifth round and another nine before the first round finished. Some of his most notable competitors were, Marciano v. La Starza, Red Applegate, Rex Lane, Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, and his most famous, Jersey Joe Wolcott, in September of 1952.

In this bout, Joe was the defender of the Championship Heavyweight Crown. Rocky was losing the match. The scores were all in Jersey Joe’s favor. The bout continued for thirteen rounds when in that round Rocky gave Joe his famous Susie Q, a left hook from which Jersey Joe slumped to the floor. Marciano was now the champion. This final round is available on U-tube at www.rockymarciano.net.

Rocky continued to fight, maintaining the crown and fought his last bout, on the twenty-first of September, 1955, when he fought for his third time at the Yankee Stadium against Archie Moore. He knocked him out in the ninth round. He officially retired on the twenty-seventh of April 1956.

Rocky lost his life on the thirty-first of August, 1969, in a plane crash at the age of forty-nine. In Abruzzo, Italy there is a statue of him in a boxing stance with the inscription―A ROCKY MARCIANO-CAMPIONE DEL MONDO-I CITTADINI DI RIPA TEATINA. (Rocky Marciano Champion of the World, from the citizens of Ripa Teatina)

 

 

CHRISOTPHER COLUMBUS

First Voyage

In celebration of the discovery of the Americas for the Europeans, here are a few short synopses of Columbus’ trips. I say the discovery for the Europeans simply because there were people here for a very long time prior to their arrival. Christopher Columbus made four trips to the Americas. The first took place in 1492. He left Spain with three ships in August of that year. He sailed to the Canary Islands; did necessary repairs, loaded his ships with fresh water, fruits and vegetables and sailed off into the unknown on September 6th. He arrived sometime around the 12thof October, landing at what they named Hispaniola, which is modern day Dominican Republic and Haiti. Here they built a fort―Fuerte de la Navidad and when he returned to Spain, some crew members remained at the fort awaiting his return.

Second Voyage

Columbus set out on his second trip from Cadiz, Spain on September 25, 1493 with seventeen ships, 1,200 men and boys including sailors, soldiers, colonists, priests, government officials, gentlemen of the court and horses. The purpose of the trip was to establish colonies in the name of Spain, and to reunite with the crew members who had stayed at the fort.

Columbus also sought great riches in what he believed to be part of the Far East. On November 3rd the crew sighted another island which today is Dominica. Later, the discoverer of Florida, Juan Ponce de Leon, one of the passengers on this trip, became governor of the island. On November 27ththey reached Hispaniola. None of the crew members that remained survived. He ordered his men to destroy the fort and conquer the natives. He established the first colony in the new world, Santo Domingo and became the governor.

Third Voyage

Christopher returned to Cadiz on July 31st, 1496, and set sail again two years later on May 30th, 1498 for the New World. Six ships left Cadiz, making the usual stop at the Canary Islands, on this embarkation three ships sailed for Hispaniola and three, under the lead of Columbus, took a southerly route and thereby discovered the islands we know as Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, and Margarita. He thought he spotted another island but in fact saw the shore of South America. He returned to Hispaniola, arriving on the 31st of August, and found the colonists in rebellion and in dire need of food stuffs. Information of the conditions reached Spain and upon receiving the news the monarchs sent representatives to investigate. The representatives arrested Columbus and sent him back to Spain in chains. In October of 1500 Columbus, appeared before the royal couple, Ferdinand and Isabella, and vindicated himself.

Fourth Voyage

On May 9th, 1502 Columbus set sail with four ships and 150 crewmen, one being his thirteen year-old son Diego. They arrived in Hispaniola on June 29th and the colonist forbade him to disembark for fear he might stir up trouble in the colony. Five days later he departed to look for a way to the East, what he discovered instead, was present day Central America.

On January 6th, 1503 he anchored off the coast of Panama and sent a party ashore; they discovered gold in the area and built a trading post. The natives were not friendly and forced them to leave. Three ships left. The fourth was in such a dire condition that they had to abandon it.

The two other ships were in such a poor condition, that by June 25, 1503 the ships were no longer sailable and they hobbled to the shore of the island of Jamaica.

After landing, he procured canoes from the local Indians and sent sailors to Hispaniola, 160 miles away, for help. They safely made the trip, but out of spite, the royal governor delayed sending any assistance for a year. After his rescue, Columbus, disappointed at his failure to find a new route to the East, returned to Spain on November 7th, 1504. He settled with his family in Seville and awaited a royal summons from the king and queen which never came.

 

THE FAMILY OF CHRISTOPHER COLMBUS

Christopher Columbus had two sons, Diego and Fernando; Diego (1480-1526) was born in Portugal. His mother, Felipa Perestrelas Moriz, died when he was four years old. Fernando (1488–1539) was born in Spain. His mother was Doña Beatriz Enriquez de Arana, a lady of a noble family of Spain, whom Columbus loved deeply but never married. They remained together into their later years.

Diego was a favorite of his father, and accompanied Christopher on his last voyage to the Americas in 1502 along with Fernando, who was fourteen at the time. In 1498 Queen Isabella appointed Diego as one of her pages.

Columbus in his will (1505) left Diego an ample income, and which royal grants augmented. Historians conjecture that other family members were included since Christopher was to receive ten percent of the gold discovered from the diggings in Hispaniola. Columbus continued to add codicils to his will up until his death on May 20, 1506 at the age of 54.

Later, when Diego obtained confirmation of the privileges originally conceded to his father; Viceroy of the newly discovered lands, he sailed to Santo Domingo in 1509 as Admiral of the Indies and Governor of Hispaniola. Diego arrived to open opposition to his appointment. He replaced Juan Ponce de Leon, much to Juan’s displeasure. Afterward, while looking for the island of Bimini, Juan discovered Florida

Despite the opposition, Diego remained performing his position well. He returned to Spain in 1520 and the king and queen favorably received him. After a short stay he returned to Santo Domingo, only to have to return to Spain two years later to answer trumped-up charges against him. He spent the rest of his life in legal suits, against the royal treasury and suits against him by other heirs.

Fernando went to Hispaniola with his brother and after a few months returned to Spain where he lived the rest of this life. He had a good income from his estate and became a writer. He wrote about his father’s adventures and was a bibliographer and cosmographer, developing a library of 1,500 books. His writings are a significant source on the history of his father’s travels.

Christopher had two brothers Bartolomeo, his senior and Diego his junior. Both accompanied him on his journeys and both died in Santo Domingo. Bartolomeo was very active in working with Christopher. He tried unsuccessfully to get the British Crown and France to take an interest in Christopher’s quest for the East before the Spanish royalty assented. Diego was not as active, but accompanied Christopher on his second voyage and all three returned to Spain in chains. After exoneration of the charges brought against them, Diego became a priest and returned to Santo Domingo where he died in 1509.

These men were exceedingly brave. None of the trips that Columbus made were without strife. Some of them were exceedingly horrible. The contending with unpredictable weather conditions, worm-eaten boats, rotten food, illnesses, native discontent, mutinies, internecine violence and jealousies, demonstrate significant mettle of all of those involved. Yet, with all of these problems on the sea, at home, and in and about the new land they continued their quest to find the East (Asia).

Pictures are of Columbus and Doña Beatriz Enirquez de Arana, his brother Don Bartolomeo and his son Fernando.