Existing comment:
An Immigrant Workforce:
The mine workers of Monongah were symbolic of the melting pot of America which consisted of a diverse group of nationalities. The vast majority were Italians who had migrated from San Giovanni in Fior, San Nicola dell' Alto, Falerna, Gizzeria, Roveto, Duronia, Civita d'Antinio, Canistro, Torella del Santo and other villages in Calabria, Abruzzo and Molise. According to the 1908 Annual Report of the Department of Mines, the list of those who died in the mines was arranged based on ethnicity or country of origin; Americans, Polish, Greek, Slavish, Italians, Livitch, Irish, Negro, Hungarians, Scottish and Lithuanian. The disaster left 250 widows and more than 1,000 children without fathers and primary wage earners. Many of the survivors did not speak English or have relatives in this country except for their immediate families. |