In 1907, Pittston resident Thomas Huntley helped rescue a fellow mine worker from a cave-in.
Daniel Thomas, of Scranton, died trying to save two others from suffocation in 1916.
Amedeo Pancotti, a Pittston miner, helped rescue those trapped by floodwaters during the Knox Mine Disaster in 1959.
Those names, along with 37 others etched in black marble, symbolize the dangers of mining Anthracite coal — and the heroism that happened regularly deep underground.
The Anthracite Heritage Foundation, in partnership with King’s College, will dedicate on Saturday a new monument honoring 40 recipients of the prestigious Carnegie Medal. The Carnegie Medal is given in the U.S. and Canada to those who risk death or serious physical injury to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.
“Anthracite took a huge human toll, and we in the Anthracite Heritage Foundation are simply trying to acknowledge that in a small way through the individual mine worker,” said Professor Robert P. Wolensky of King’s College and the heritage foundation. “There are a lot of people who are very interested in preserving the memory of the anthracite era, and key to that memory are the individual mine workers who came, most of them from another land as immigrants, and mined the coal and built the nation and fired the industrial revolution.”
Miners Memorial in Wilkes-Barre
Tucked behind a fence on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre, an open-air tribute to miners sometimes goes unnoticed.
Dedicated in 2014, the Miners Memorial includes bronze plaques with the names of about 1,600 miners who lost their lives — a small fraction of the death toll. From 1850 to 1950, 35,000 men and boys died while mining Anthracite in Northeast Pennsylvania, Wolensky said.
“There's little doubt statistically that mining is the most dangerous occupation that we have. Still is,” he said.
Many more sustained injuries. Asthma or black lung made any kind of physical activity difficult and caused premature death.
The memorial sits on property owned by the college, which has a long history of supporting miners. The Congregation of Holy Cross founded King’s College in 1946, seeking to provide education to sons of coal miners and men returning from World War II.
The memorial at 20 Public Square serves as solace in a busy downtown. Cars pass. Birds chirp. Farmers set up for the weekly market across the street.
The new marble, etched with the names of the 40 men, reflects the morning light.
Saturday’s event
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission recognizes individuals who perform extraordinary acts of heroism. Since its establishment by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1905, the commission has awarded more than 10,000 Carnegie Medals.
The dedication ceremony will recognize the courage and sacrifice of miners who risked their lives to save others. The monument bearing the names of all 40 anthracite medalists will be unveiled and blessed during the event.
Saturday’s event begins at 1 p.m. at the Alley Center Auditorium of King’s College, 20 Public Square. The blessing of the new monument outside will follow.
The public is invited to attend. Free parking is available in the high-rise parking ramp behind the Alley Center, accessible from North Main Street.
