Beverly McCall’s memories of her Dad, Raymond McCall’s 17
years in the mines….
When I was 4-5, I can remember my Dad coming home from the
Mines covered in black coal dust. He
would strip down to his one piece long johns on the porch and wash his face and
hands outside so he did not bring the dirt in the house. My Mother, Alice, packed my Dad a bucket
every day. They were called Coal Miner
Buckets and you could place water at the bottom and food on the top.
The fun part of Dad coming home was always looking to see
what food was left in his bucket. As I
got older, I remember my Dad telling me stories of how they crawled through the
mines on their bellies to dig for coal and many times they had to eat in that
position. The only light they had at
times to see with was the light on their hat.
Where we grew up, the row of houses called Tow Row or #9 Road in
Spangler, Pennsylvania, were built for the coal miner. At the end of the road was the #9 Coal Mine
built before I was born. This mine
stretched for miles under our homes and we didn’t even know it at the
time.
Our Mothers shopped at the Barnes & Tucker Coal Mine
Company store for our food and clothes.
It was said that shopping at the coal miner store made it easier for the families but also made sure the miners always went back to work to pay for the goods. Dena remembers her mom telling her about her Dad, William Joseph McCall who
would walk five miles a day to the mines in all kinds of weather conditions and
seasons. Wow, this must have been so
hard since he would have had a lot of clothes on to keep warm underground and had
to carry his bucket as well.
I love these coal miner stories and memories of our parents. Keep ‘um coming please. Thanks Bev for sharing. Blessings and Prayers for those who spent their working years underground to provide for their families. You are all greatly missed by many. Dena
A Miners Favorite: Sixteen Tons by Tennessee ernie Ford (Lyrics on Screen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkRYuMqw-B0
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