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- West Frankfort Mine Disaster
- From
- Chris Yoars
On the evening of December 21st, 1951, citizens of West Frankfort, Illinois were shocked when the word “explosion” echoed through the streets of their humble mining community. Just hours before West Frankfort’s Orient #2 mine was to close for the Christmas holiday, an underground blast killed 119 mineworkers during the second shift.
Over the next few days the blackened and charred bodies of miners were carried up from the depths of the mine and moved to the West Frankfort Jr. High School gym floor for identification.
The explosion garnered national attention and resulted in the passage of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act of 1952. The West Frankfort disaster is the worst of its kind since 1940, leaving 111 widows and 176 fatherless children in its wake. Those who died at the Orient #2 Mine are still remembered by the town of West Frankfort.
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Piece Description
On the evening of December 21st, 1951, citizens of West Frankfort, Illinois were shocked when the word “explosion” echoed through the streets of their humble mining community. Just hours before West Frankfort’s Orient #2 mine was to close for the Christmas holiday, an underground blast killed 119 mineworkers during the second shift.
Over the next few days the blackened and charred bodies of miners were carried up from the depths of the mine and moved to the West Frankfort Jr. High School gym floor for identification.
The explosion garnered national attention and resulted in the passage of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act of 1952. The West Frankfort disaster is the worst of its kind since 1940, leaving 111 widows and 176 fatherless children in its wake. Those who died at the Orient #2 Mine are still remembered by the town of West Frankfort.
Intro and Outro
INTRO:On the evening of December 21st, 1951, citizens of West Frankfort, Illinois were shocked when the word “explosion” echoed through the streets of their humble mining community. Just hours before West Frankfort’s Orient #2 mine was to close for the Christmas holiday, an underground blast killed 119 mineworkers during the second shift.
Over the next few days the blackened and charred bodies of miners were carried up from the depths of the mine and moved to the West Frankfort Jr. High School gym floor for identification.
The explosion garnered national attention and resulted in the passage of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act of 1952. The West Frankfort disaster is the worst of its kind since 1940, leaving 111 widows and 176 fatherless children in its wake. Those who died at the Orient #2 Mine are still remembered by the town of West Frankfort.
OUTRO:Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dying Miner | Woodie Guthrie | Struggle. | Ludlow Music | 1947 | 00:00 |
Additional Credits
Assistant Producers: Adam Porter, Kevin Boucher
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Laura Herberg
Posted on December 02, 2008 at 08:29 PM | Permalink
Haunting
This piece was haunting, but it is important to hear about things like this. The music throughout did a good job of setting the mood and being a common thread.