John Huffman today did something that is difficult to achieve. He lived to retire from the coal mines, one of the world’s most dangerous occupations, after 38 years of providing coal for the nation.

John is married to Goldie Basagic Huffman, who grew up in a coal mining family and knows the fear of waiting to see if family members come out alive each day.

Brooke Pethel, Goldie Huffman’s daughter, wrote:

“I am so proud of my father! Today marks a day of new beginnings! He has retired from the coal mines where he worked for 38 years. He has provided for his family, put two children through college and supported us in our decisions throughout our lives. We love you, dad! You and mom need to enjoy the next chapter in your lives!”

Adam Pethtel, a prankster who hacked into Goldie’s Facebook page and told the world what a great son-in-law he is and made it look like Goldie was doing the bragging, is Brooke’s husband.

John and Goldie can spend more time with their family, such as granddaughter Winnie who had her 5th Birthday in 2014; and Jackson who, I think, is their grandchild by daughter Brooke.

December has been a good month for Goldie, who celebrated her birthday Dec. 6 and now has her husband home safe and sound for the rest of their lives.

I know all about the dangers of coal mining, but not from going into the hellfire, because my father told me: “If you go in the coal mines, I’ll kill you.” Good enough advice for me. I chose West Virginia University and a 43-year newspaper career instead.

John W. Olesky, Sr. survived TWO cave-ins. Both covered his entire body. Rescuers had to dig through four feet of coal to get to any part of his body. Just about every bone in his body was broken. Consol was so sure that he would die that they took him off the payroll, which he learned when he returned to work 18 months later.

But the coal mines won in the end because Dad died of black lung after years of using oxygen tanks. It is like suffocating, millimeter by millimeter, hour by hour, day by day. Terrible way to go.

No one in this world gets more respect from me than coal miners.

Everyone in Monongah knows about the 1907 twin explosions in Monongah mines No. 6 and 8 that killed 362 officially (Consol’s claim) or more than 500 in reality (Father Everett Briggs and gravediggers’ count).

Leo L. Malone, General Manager of the two mines, told The Fairmont Times that 478 men had checked off as entering the mines. That did not include the 100 trappers, mule drivers, pumpers and other men and boys not subject to the check system (fathers brought sons as young as 10 into the mines with them). 

So Father Briggs’ count seems more accurate, maybe even a little low since 478 plus 100 totals 578 and only Peter Urban survived the twin blasts, only to be killed several years later in a slate fall.

The grandfather of Steven “Bucky” Satterfield, Class of 1949, was a foreman at the Monongah mines. But he decided to go rabbit-hunting in the snow with Bill Colvin. They heard the explosions while hunting, and avoided the tragedy. Grandpa spent 3½ weeks helping families cope with the terrible event.

Charlie Dean, grandfather of Tom Dean, Class of 1949, who lives in Altavista, Virginia, who was alive beyond 1907 because he missed work on the day of the explosions, and lived to the age of 85.

It still is the worst coal mining disaster in American history, even if you go by Consol’s too-low body count. In that same year, 1907, if you go by Consol’s count, 3,242 miners were killed around the world. Thirteen days later, 239 miners died in the Darr mine in Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania. Dawson, New Mexico, with 263 miners killed, is No. 2 to Monongah in American history.

After 1,779 miners were killed in three years, the U.S. Bureau of Mines was established in 1910 to try to force coal operators, sitting far from West Virginia in their mansions counting the money the miners made for them, to make the miners safer. It worked, although it took a full century before “only” 18 were killed in 2009, the best year on record.

There have been 623 coal mine accidents that killed 5 or more miners since records were kept before 1875.

Larry Brian Radka,  Class of 1961, has some value photographs of the 1907 horror. Go to Monongah Mine Disaster and then Monongah Mine Explosion Memorial Photographs to see them.

God bless every coal miner as he enters that dark, dank place of employment. Lord knows they need all the help they can get to return home safely to their families.