Just want to say a big hello, and a even bigger respect from a EX British coal miner (Harworth colliery). Gone now, like every other coal mine in the UK. But once a miner always a miner.
My grandpa was a miner in WV and western Pennsylvania from 1918 to 1979. He told me countless stories of cave ins and deaths from noxious gasses. He was a modern medical miracle with black lung, smoking a pipe until he died in 2002 at the age of 97. He was born in 1905 and started at the age of 14. I will never forget the stories of death.
Avoca, PA (Luzerne county) here. Coal mining is in my blood too, that's why I feel obligated to study Environment Science, so I can make an improvement to our mine scarred region. IMO we are always going to need coal, at least a small amount, so we should be supporting the most environmentally friendly method of coal removal. These small, privately owned mines seem to be as "clean and green" as you can get when dealing with mining.
They really are. The nature of underground mining on a tight budget means that you only remove what you need and not what you don't. The strip mines in PA need to remove all of the shale that the underground mines of our past chose to leave. They don't even get any coal until the whole mountain is gone.
I was a miner. My dad,grandfather,and great grandfather was miners. My dad and I both worked surface mines. I went underground for about 6 months. Rather run equipment. I got hurt a few years ago. Now I can't pass there physical now. I miss it so bad I can't stand it. Being a miner was such a honor. I feel like something big is missing from me
I truly hope you can find something else that you enjoy as much or even more. It’s safer that you are now away from it, but I still send love. I bet your loved ones are relieved for your health and safety.
Y'all rock! Indiana County here. Mary jane mine was the last mine a uncle of mine worked and retired from. Ill never forget my grandfathers coming home covered in coal dust. Cleaning dust off them as they were head'en out to the fields and taking care of their crops, farms. Hard to the core they were. Im one of the oldest grandkids and remember it well. God Bless Y'all
That lady in the red shirt hit it right on the nose its the big company's paying these inspectors to shut them down with fines so they can swoop in and buy their land for pennys
Damn strait...and here in WV and Pennsylvania, the EPA shuts them down if they don't. It's absolutely decimated a lot of families. It was the one job a man could do and support his family and leave the wife to raise the kids and not have to worry about the bank taking the house😔
My family has been is West Virginia forever. My grandfather left in the 50s and took his family to California. He left because he didnt want his kids working in the mines. Im thankful that my grandfather made that decision. Alot of the family still in West Virginia are living a ruff life. Alot of unemployment and drug addiction. I wish large companies like ATT would open up call centers there instead of sending thoses jobs overseas
I'm in Morgantown and most jobs are still $10 an hour. I'm leaving and never coming back. Came back for love...left broke and heartbroken both times. NEVER AGAIN. ITS SAD HERE...and it's a shame because I grew up here. It's beautiful, but it's not worth living in poverty
@@keetahbrough Many talk about keeping the land,but,you know,they are killing you all off,and God allows it,because most people are secret society members and serve false gods.Drug addiction is desecrating many families.People will still not repent and turn to the real God,and except Jesus as their Lord and savior.
Sad thing some of these men in this film are now passed on. My Husband work with a few of them and he passed away this winter from Black lung. My one son remains in the mines today and the future looks not as good now as it could.
Coal is trying to make a comeback. I have returned power to a prep plant that hasn't run since '12. I hear the trains now that I stopped hearing go by. There will always be a place for coal. My condolences to you and your family.
My I ask to which mines he works and what it is mining. I have a blacksmith shop and it uses anthracite coal as the fuel of choice and there may be a small chance the coal I use comes from the mine your son works in.
* The Independent Miners; Remember that the Lord loves a Hard-workin man! God, please Bless these families. * The Filmmakers; Very well done. Thank you for reminding people how to make an unbiased documentary - Semper Fi
lord loves miners and he has shown that thru high death rates.slavery like conditions etc.jesus truly loves the hard working man and in bible he says you should not work,leave your family to die of neglect,live your life like a bird in the sky.what the f k are you talking about moran!!men of god rape children and talk you out of your hard earned money to pay for their whores.how many miners god saved?how many black lungs did jesus heal?how many broken families has god blessed.why are coal regions among the poorest in nation??
I’ve been in love with the coal region and coal mines ever since I was first introduced to the pioneer tunnel in Ashland when I was around 4-5. My love for the region will never die.
Pittston PA here as someone who grew up in coal country these men needed these jobs to survive and the towns never truly recovered. This is why so many of us leave the area to find jobs things haven't changed as much as we'd like to think.
Hard men and hard living... It builds character and and moral! These are the men who would pick up arms and defend your freedoms... These are the men who built this great nation and now the government has turned against them ... I learned a long time ago the American dream is no longer reachable.. It is just that now a dream... I take my hat off to every one of these gentlemen!!!! God bless you brothers!
OMG and I thought I had a tough life. I dropped out of High School and joined the US Army and went Airborne, jumping out of airplanes for $76.00 a month plus $55.00 for hazard pay. Ten years later I attended OCS and became an officer, and off to fight in a stupid war for two tours and was wounded during both tours. After the Army I went into being a mechanic, but that paid poorly, so I went to work at the County jail and State prison, then finally got a job as a police officer here in the town I retired from the Army in. Then until injuries retired me out. I salute these brave hard working folks that risk their lives to feed their families. My God, look at that coal dust they are inhaling. Most have bad teeth and either work or someone else will take that job. So what is going to change for the better, you are looking at it. I am 84 years old, and today I have an appointment with the VA.
My family is from the Shamokin Pennsylvania region. I remember my Grandfather working the mines. There are no harder working family then a coal family!
52:48 This is the reason for MSHA/ATF/UMWA being called in & all the fines. Nothing more, nothing less. Big Business pushing out smaller Companies. *DAMNED SHAME* 😡
So sad. I am from Harrisburg, PA. I have been to several places mentioned here. You can tell that these places mentioned were once alive. Now they are rundown, poor, and look like an empty shell of what once was a hustling, bustling place. It is extremely sad 😥
I live in Southern West Virginia, not to far from Mingo County, which used to be a booming coal mining town before so many of our coal companies shut down. Those coal miners were some mighty brave, hardworking, good men.. I honestly admire anyone who can tolerate working underground for long hard hours where a lot of the time they can't even stand up straight underground. I can't imagine how spooky & scary that would be. May God bless & protect every single coal miner! 🙏 ❤️
My great-grandmother was born in Mingo County in 1902 and my great-grandfather died in a coal mine collapse a Taplin mine in Logan County in 1932. I come from many who mined the areas of West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky and Ohio. I think of them every time I flip on a light or do laundry.
I worked for 20 years in Ky Wv Va and i can tell people if you have never worked in a mines you have no ideal, I loved the mines and My Brothers coal miners, How i wish i was still a miner at 61 years old
Over here around Pittsburgh it's steel in the blood. And its west Virginians and Kentucky we count as brothers. Sometimes we forget our brothers on the other side of the mountains. Thank you for the reminder.
I'm a retired boilermaker the shutting down of the coal fired power plants hurt us very bad lets hope they can turn it into diesel fuel i know a few people that heat with hard coal this is terrible in every way
It almost seems that if you were born and raised in the USA, the Government does not want you to succeed in anything that you can do on your own!!! It has been forgotten that this country is the greatest in the world because of the labor and ingenuity of hard working Americans.
They haven't had an accident in 40 years and they are getting citations. I work in a supermarket and we don't even make a year without someone hurting themselves
very poignant and insightful documentary being in England where are coal mines were shut in the 70s and the damage it's caused to families, I know how much those guys must be hurting..
@ 1:04, you ain't going out no handcuffs you're going out in a casket thank you for this video I hope it stays up on RUclips for a hot minute I'm sharing it
Same in my family in nyc,my grandfather, father,brothers,cousin,uncles,and our sons all in cement and concrete workers local 6a queens,ny but we work in all 5 Boro it’s a family tradition I knew I was gonna do this when I was a young kid
Brilliant. My ancestors were Irish and Scottish. The Irish side of the family came in 1800 to dig the Erie canal.then worked on the train tracks of the transcontinental railroad. But some went into the coal seams under the green hills of Pennsylvania. All of them members of the ORDER OF HIBERNIANS. And yes, They were Molly Maguires until Pinkerton infiltrated the brotherhood, and 11 men were hung in 1877.anyone else out there got the blood of the Mollies in their veins? Anyone who has ever heard of them???
@@WMsandKFCisBackMOFOs Many do not want to hear this,but the real reason,the Mountain people are poor,and live like they do,is many are secret society memebers and pretend to be christians.Many Mountain witches,either cursing the people,or God is.Witcchraft and the occult is Forbidden.Many young people are drug addicts and dying of opioid addiction.Still,the people will not repent of their sins,and turn to The Real God.Only Jesus can save.
Both sides of my family moved to Hazleton/Freeland from ruthenia (western Ukraine) in the late 1800s and worked the local Anthracite mines up till their closing In the 40s/50s. I've been down in some of the old abandoned working including the slope which lead to where my great grandfather was killed in a collapse, which is now since long been flooded at the bottom. I can't imagine how rough it had to be having to be down there day in and day out underground especially in the earlier days. Im claustrophobic no way I would have made it having to crawl around in those tight spots. My great great grandfather on my father's side was a fire boss and would check the mines for gas leaks.
It's funny, you could almost hear some Newfie in some of these guys here eh? threw me right off... I'm guessing it's the remnants of the Irish/Scottish accents from back in the day, here and out east both
David A will always be missed along with a cold Premium from the cooler on the porch after coming up out of the hole. I grew up in Sago WV at the Badger Coal Mine where my dad worked until we moved to the Skook. I grew up and ended up working with or becoming friends with most of these guy's. I'll always miss the 1,000ft ride on a steel cable....
Small, 2-4 man mines are no danger to huge corporate mines. That’s like saying church bake sales are going to put Entemanns bake goods out of business.
@@Del-Canada exactly the little guys can own it and live off it for the next 200 years the corporate world needs it now because they need it as the next place to strip 10 years from now
@@foreverlove8919 I know for my area growing up here in southern WV, coal mining was _the_ best job one could get for the money. No joke - boys would get out of high school and make the choice: go into a trade (carpentry, electricity, welding, etc.) or do mining. 9/10 times, it was mining. From the 70s to the 90s, it was a big boom for miners in terms of money before they came in and shut everything down come the 2000s. I think a lot of people outside of mining towns/states have a very negative view on how it was like and automatically assume everyone was just dirt poor in these places (especially Appalachia - heard it all my life how we were to be pitied because we were just “dumb and poor”). It wasn’t like that until governments stuck their hands in everything and then left the people high and dry, making it harder on families to live comfortably. Then those same people who perceive areas like this as dumb and poor turn and shame areas like this and have the nerve to say things like “gee let the government help and do it’s thing so you can make money” forgetting the government is why it got so bad to begin with. I knew guys who were bosses over their own crews that had nice homes and drove brand new vehicles, with their workers/miners making enough to sustain them and their families comfortably, as well. My father worked down in the mines for 20 years then drove a coal truck for the same companies. We weren’t mega rich, but we weren’t scraping by, either. We were comfortable for the WV area and time. It was really nice. But once things closed down, I saw towns die. My hometown just dried up. Stores left, people moved, and eventually the elementary school ended up consolidating with another school….and it was left behind. People were struggling. Some had to downsize and move into smaller homes or rent out something less, a lot had to sell their vehicles just to get by. Government made all the rules and shut it all down, administration at the time claimed they’d help areas like ours move into the future, but no. We had nothing in its place. Once they did what they did, they left many areas to pick up the pieces alone … people lost everything. It’s like we were stuck in time, not given any other way out because all we knew was mining. Now 2-3 decades into the future (present day) people continue this view on coal mining towns as being uneducated and poor not understanding it wasn’t always like that. They were purposely forgotten.
@@TwoBs thank you for explaining this. It reminds me of dirt poor countries who should be rich, like Africa for diamonds, Guatemala for bananas. They are dirt poor bc of the government is so corrupt. 😥 😔 😟
I'm so glad I stumbled across this. Brings me back to my younger days growing up in Shamokin. its sad when our government does this to such good folks! I've never met a more hard-working bunch of people as coal miners. I was glad to have known a lot of the Shingara family growing up.
What I see is a close knit community that is their for eachother its deep rooted family each of the coal miners was and is very special its very sad that the old ways have gone
That's because in Appalachia they ARE ALL FAMILY...just ask sister cousin...😆. I really shouldn't joke because the reality is that coal mining was the one industry that fed families and sent children to school and payed the taxes for infrastructure here, and when the mines shut down, what it did to families with sole breadwinners...proud...hard working husband's and fathers...was a true travesty and shamed them to the point generational poverty and hopelessness became a way of life. It's not a joking matter. They worked themselves to death but were happy to do it to support their family. There was NOTHING LEFT. No way to feed their families. It happened overnight almost. A lot of families never recovered.😪
@@vincec.202 You mentioned it very briefly but one of the worst things was the health they were left with. They had no support and couldn't work because they were too sick. Lungs full of coal, soot and dirt. The breadwinners ended up needing their families help medical wise. They couldn't sell their property either being in a ghost town no one would buy it. I got to go see a few old mines first hand ....wow. They worked hard and long scary hours. I couldn't imagine working in a crack of earth where the light on your head could make a spark and clap that crack shut with a boom. Very fascinating work though.
I am from Schuylkill County and I have been in coal mine with my Mom (many years ago) you don’t realize what they go thru on a daily basis! Thank you for this documentary
This is a coal miner from Marion county, WV. We work for American Consolidated Natural Resources ... Last of a dying breed... Just lost one of our young bosses Trenten Dille aged 26 to a rib roll two weeks ago. He left behind a wife and two young daughters 5 and 2... "This is a cold dark world n I'd rather spend mine in a cold dark hole with a smile on my face and my brothers by my side... "
The Coal Industry was the American Industrial Revolution!!! The backbone of Industry in the entire industrial world actually. Hello Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania ✊🏽
Surprised to see this, a community I know, in my notifications this morning. Good group of guys out there. There are still a few deep anthracite mines running coal. They’re still hanging on by a thread
Great video! These companies in the USA have the freedom to operate. The government has used its power and influence to take away the freedom for them to choose how to make a living. Obviously safety is of the utmost importance, they are family and friends. MSHA focus on education of miners. That is where to make a difference in the industry. The demand in the market will determine if these companies remain in business; not be put out of business by high fines and increased oversight.
had family that worked in coal mines in both WVA and Ohio. My paternal grandfather had to go to work in he mines at the age of 9 when his father died. He went to 4th grade in school.
It’s truly a shame that coal miners were treated so unfairly , esp the “ low level “ owners that were just trying to provide food and shelter for their families , and friends . I live in coal country here in eastern Ky and there’s very little work going on , my forefathers were all coal miners and I shortly worked in the coal business . MSHA and UMWA hurt our neighborhoods and has caused a lot of poverty , most men have never had a job outside a coal mines and now they are left without any training to make a living doing anything else . MSHA can write themselves into the history books to come for destroying all the coal operations and thank themselves for the importation of oils from other countries , therefore making even less jobs for “ us “ Americans 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
My grandpa, great grandpa, and great great grandfather were all miners in Pennsylvania in Portage County. My grandfather was one of the toughest men I’ve ever met.❤
Seen that Centralia sign that town still has a mine burning under it since 1962 where they got the idea for the town on Silent Hill I work in a mine In Southern Illinois the mine next to us caught fire they still haven't went back in been almost a year
I'd love to know how much the first guys make. It can't be much more than overhead. A big machine problem and they might not eat. Hats off to these guys
Boy this boils my blood! I'd never wish harm on a fellow human but I sure hope that greasy union lawer is now residing somewhere round the flooded 1500 lvl
There's a difference between a fellow human being and a worthless waste of flesh...... Edit- a waste of flesh who is none the less usurping oxygen that could otherwise be used to sustain our fellow human beings.
If they've been working since the age of 15, they should own the mine or be able to make an offer to buy. Sometimes the ego has to be put aside to get an education, better occupation to feed the family. It's not the government not wanting to help. It's about creating your own business so others don't control how money you make, if you'll put food on your table, if the family will go homeless etc. Own your own.
I have watched this documentary before but it is always a great watch. I have to wonder if in this day and age if any of these companies are still in business.
My fathers side of my family were Welsh & from the mining towns of the valleys in Wales. Hard workers, but so many of those once bustling towns & villages are a grim sight.
@@foreverlove8919 because when the coal mines closed. There were no jobs to replace them. The government won't give you any benefits if you have any savings. Those that could afford to leave did
There is no such thing as “zero emissions technology.” Somewhere along the line, there will be the result of transfer or transmission of energy. Learn basic physics. Think! A zero emissions car runs on a lithium ion battery, right? What is involved in the making of that battery? In the transportation of materials? In the electric needed to recharge the battery?
The other thing, is how much coal is needed to run a nuclear power plant. And the amount of destruction to the land to dig up the metals to make an electric car, causes more pollution than a car running on fuel. They want to take the US down, just look at the world. God bless.
@Steve B what you say is common sense which is what the save the planet types lack. Just like the keystone pipeline...it's more destructive to the environment once it's been cancelled. More ships, trains, trucks, etc.
Much RESPECT for these coal miners. Americans wouldn't be who they are without them. Stand strong 💪🏽 you coalminers that are left. God always wins in the end.
Sad to watch these communities and families losing a way of life and income. The power of government will destroy other industries and nothing will be done to stop it because we're all to busy living comfortable lives while our neighbors are losing lawsuits and their jobs.
And I guarantee at least half of these hard working miners were affected by the opioid epidemic, because Appalachia was the first and most hardcore hit.
Wow! I thought my family was poor! Daddy was a carpenter who worked a second job at the YMCA as a cashier on Sundays and holidays. Mom became a nurse when I was 3 years old.
Coal miners, past and present, are hero's. There are 3 facts that made this country great. 1. Our military 2. Our distribution system 3. Coal miners who contributed everything and many who gave their lives...
This broke my heart. My late husband was a miner. My son is as well. I'm one of us who worries about our warming earth. Sucks being on a fence...miners are hardworking brotherhood.
jesus christ that first small mine omfg idk my life is different forever and i was confined space rescue certified for 20+ as a city FD unreal just unreal-had an aunt and uncle in bucks county it was a beautifull ride to visit i must say -om on east coast aswell
Love how they were bashing resources like we were out 50 yrs ago and here we are still screaming it. It's ummm almost like as soon as they realize people are onto it, we switch to different resources to make profits on and screw over consumers
You can tell that representative from MSHA has never gotten his hands dirty in his life. Career pencil pusher trying to look after a union not the workers.
My son was a coal miner he got killed in a car wreck 2 years ago coming home from work double shift at the coal mine he fell sleep he was 29 he worked in Grundy Virginia, Buchanan county. The coal mines got my grandpa and my daddy and my son I hate the coal mine.
I’m so sorry for your losses :( Coal mines take way too many people and there’s a reason why a lot of the regulations everyone is complaining about have been placed on them.
I'm so sorry, Rosetta....for all your losses, honey. Your Dad, your Granddad -- those are tragedies in their own right. But your son?? I have 3 boys (all grown) and I cannot imagine making it through the loss of one of them, much less on top of your other losses. Sometimes "hate" is what keeps us going, until we can find the peace to put down our pain. I will keep you in my heart, honey. Sending love and light.💜🦋🌻
@@maburg713 The last part of your comments touched my heart. I can relate to it very deeply. I know it's not right but sometimes determination comes from strange places. I was a coal miner for 22 1/2 years and I still have some PTSD from it. I'm now 71 years old.
My grandfather was a coal miner inWilkes Barre Pa way back when. He wouldn’t eat all day until he came home 13 hours later he said it was unhealthy to eat in the mines
Buddy said I don't think that there's anyone safer just because of the way we conduct things, his mouth said it but his eyes and body language said "but" he definitely thinks something is off
Look at that land!!! Man! The areas they are showing us was once as beautiful as an imagined paradise. This isn’t a government issue. This is how all lands look once settled.
Just want to say a big hello, and a even bigger respect from a EX British coal miner (Harworth colliery). Gone now, like every other coal mine in the UK. But once a miner always a miner.
You better believe it 🙏🇺🇲❤️ AMEN Mount Carmel Pennsylvania
My grandpa was a miner in WV and western Pennsylvania from 1918 to 1979. He told me countless stories of cave ins and deaths from noxious gasses. He was a modern medical miracle with black lung, smoking a pipe until he died in 2002 at the age of 97. He was born in 1905 and started at the age of 14. I will never forget the stories of death.
They ain't making like him no more
I wonder what grandpa would think of today's generation 😁
@@emoraytorres6842 imagine people back in 1920 reacting to our generation
@@monxcyrl2604 they probably would have a heart attack
See now that’s a real man
I've been in the anthracite region all my life. These guys are tuff as nails.... got nothing but respect for them. RIP David A
Anthracite?
Lucky lucky.
I'm in a sub Bituminous place.
But you are correct they are tough as nails.
You know, Bill and guys like him are heros to me. A hard working guy dealt some tough cards to play through his life. God bless him.
Avoca, PA (Luzerne county) here. Coal mining is in my blood too, that's why I feel obligated to study Environment Science, so I can make an improvement to our mine scarred region. IMO we are always going to need coal, at least a small amount, so we should be supporting the most environmentally friendly method of coal removal. These small, privately owned mines seem to be as "clean and green" as you can get when dealing with mining.
They really are. The nature of underground mining on a tight budget means that you only remove what you need and not what you don't. The strip mines in PA need to remove all of the shale that the underground mines of our past chose to leave. They don't even get any coal until the whole mountain is gone.
I was a miner. My dad,grandfather,and great grandfather was miners. My dad and I both worked surface mines. I went underground for about 6 months. Rather run equipment. I got hurt a few years ago. Now I can't pass there physical now. I miss it so bad I can't stand it. Being a miner was such a honor. I feel like something big is missing from me
I truly hope you can find something else that you enjoy as much or even more. It’s safer that you are now away from it, but I still send love. I bet your loved ones are relieved for your health and safety.
Aussie coal miner in the same boat mate😔
my dad was a coal miners at Snowshoe West Virginia it was in the 1980s
Y'all rock! Indiana County here. Mary jane mine was the last mine a uncle of mine worked and retired from. Ill never forget my grandfathers coming home covered in coal dust. Cleaning dust off them as they were head'en out to the fields and taking care of their crops, farms. Hard to the core they were. Im one of the oldest grandkids and remember it well. God Bless Y'all
Awesome! I live in lucernemines
That lady in the red shirt hit it right on the nose its the big company's paying these inspectors to shut them down with fines so they can swoop in and buy their land for pennys
The real crime is what these companies do to the the people and the land
Damn strait...and here in WV and Pennsylvania, the EPA shuts them down if they don't. It's absolutely decimated a lot of families. It was the one job a man could do and support his family and leave the wife to raise the kids and not have to worry about the bank taking the house😔
The courage and bravery of these Men and the families that support them is something special..thanks
My family has been is West Virginia forever. My grandfather left in the 50s and took his family to California. He left because he didnt want his kids working in the mines. Im thankful that my grandfather made that decision. Alot of the family still in West Virginia are living a ruff life. Alot of unemployment and drug addiction. I wish large companies like ATT would open up call centers there instead of sending thoses jobs overseas
Call centers don’t pay diddly squat. No man can support a family working at one of them.
I'm in Morgantown and most jobs are still $10 an hour. I'm leaving and never coming back. Came back for love...left broke and heartbroken both times. NEVER AGAIN. ITS SAD HERE...and it's a shame because I grew up here. It's beautiful, but it's not worth living in poverty
or you could remember how to community. ya'll know how to be willing slaves but can't stand up and work for your own benefit.
@@keetahbrough Many talk about keeping the land,but,you know,they are killing you all off,and God allows it,because most people are secret society members and serve false gods.Drug addiction is desecrating many families.People will still not repent and turn to the real God,and except Jesus as their Lord and savior.
Att uses Mexican prisoners in the south rn
I'm from Schuylkill county all my life actually. It was AMAZING watching this documentary done by such a reputable doc story
I'm from Schuylkill County too. Coaldale.
I'm a millwright apprentice and I work in the coal mines of Canada, respect to those still just trying to make a living ❤ stay strong 💪
Sad thing some of these men in this film are now passed on. My Husband work with a few of them and he passed away this winter from Black lung. My one son remains in the mines today and the future looks not as good now as it could.
My condolences
Coal is trying to make a comeback. I have returned power to a prep plant that hasn't run since '12. I hear the trains now that I stopped hearing go by. There will always be a place for coal. My condolences to you and your family.
My I ask to which mines he works and what it is mining. I have a blacksmith shop and it uses anthracite coal as the fuel of choice and there may be a small chance the coal I use comes from the mine your son works in.
I hope your son can find safer work!💕
Please help your son find a safer occupation to ensure his longevity
* The Independent Miners;
Remember that the Lord loves a Hard-workin man! God, please Bless these families.
* The Filmmakers;
Very well done. Thank you for reminding people how to make an unbiased documentary
- Semper Fi
lord loves miners and he has shown that thru high death rates.slavery like conditions etc.jesus truly loves the hard working man and in bible he says you should not work,leave your family to die of neglect,live your life like a bird in the sky.what the f k are you talking about moran!!men of god rape children and talk you out of your hard earned money to pay for their whores.how many miners god saved?how many black lungs did jesus heal?how many broken families has god blessed.why are coal regions among the poorest in nation??
I’ve been in love with the coal region and coal mines ever since I was first introduced to the pioneer tunnel in Ashland when I was around 4-5. My love for the region will never die.
Pittston PA here as someone who grew up in coal country these men needed these jobs to survive and the towns never truly recovered. This is why so many of us leave the area to find jobs things haven't changed as much as we'd like to think.
Hard men and hard living... It builds character and and moral! These are the men who would pick up arms and defend your freedoms... These are the men who built this great nation and now the government has turned against them ... I learned a long time ago the American dream is no longer reachable.. It is just that now a dream... I take my hat off to every one of these gentlemen!!!! God bless you brothers!
OMG and I thought I had a tough life. I dropped out of High School and joined the US Army and went Airborne, jumping out of airplanes for $76.00 a month plus $55.00 for hazard pay. Ten years later I attended OCS and became an officer, and off to fight in a stupid war for two tours and was wounded during both tours. After the Army I went into being a mechanic, but that paid poorly, so I went to work at the County jail and State prison, then finally got a job as a police officer here in the town I retired from the Army in. Then until injuries retired me out. I salute these brave hard working folks that risk their lives to feed their families. My God, look at that coal dust they are inhaling. Most have bad teeth and either work or someone else will take that job. So what is going to change for the better, you are looking at it. I am 84 years old, and today I have an appointment with the VA.
My family is from the Shamokin Pennsylvania region. I remember my Grandfather working the mines. There are no harder working family then a coal family!
52:48
This is the reason for MSHA/ATF/UMWA being called in & all the fines. Nothing more, nothing less. Big Business pushing out smaller Companies.
*DAMNED SHAME* 😡
100% agreed!
It happened in the UK, back in the 1980s, it devestated many Welsh families and their communities 😥😢
These men are as tough as it gets, literally!!! The upmost respect from me & I hope everyone else too!!!
So sad. I am from Harrisburg, PA. I have been to several places mentioned here. You can tell that these places mentioned were once alive. Now they are rundown, poor, and look like an empty shell of what once was a hustling, bustling place. It is extremely sad 😥
Next time one passis me on double yellow it will be on video and reported promise that!!
I live in Southern West Virginia, not to far from Mingo County, which used to be a booming coal mining town before so many of our coal companies shut down. Those coal miners were some mighty brave, hardworking, good men.. I honestly admire anyone who can tolerate working underground for long hard hours where a lot of the time they can't even stand up straight underground. I can't imagine how spooky & scary that would be. May God bless & protect every single coal miner! 🙏 ❤️
My great-grandmother was born in Mingo County in 1902 and my great-grandfather died in a coal mine collapse a Taplin mine in Logan County in 1932. I come from many who mined the areas of West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky and Ohio. I think of them every time I flip on a light or do laundry.
I worked for 20 years in Ky Wv Va and i can tell people if you have never worked in a mines you have no ideal, I loved the mines and My Brothers coal miners, How i wish i was still a miner at 61 years old
Over here around Pittsburgh it's steel in the blood. And its west Virginians and Kentucky we count as brothers. Sometimes we forget our brothers on the other side of the mountains. Thank you for the reminder.
I'm a retired boilermaker the shutting down of the coal fired power plants hurt us very bad lets hope they can turn it into diesel fuel i know a few people that heat with hard coal this is terrible in every way
It almost seems that if you were born and raised in the USA, the Government does not want you to succeed in anything that you can do on your own!!! It has been forgotten that this country is the greatest in the world because of the labor and ingenuity of hard working Americans.
I know it ALL TO WELL. Lived it my whole life. They like you if you're a HUGE company though.
This is what a real American looks like. "GOD BLESS ALL OF THEM"
They haven't had an accident in 40 years and they are getting citations. I work in a supermarket and we don't even make a year without someone hurting themselves
Haven't "reported" an accident.
very poignant and insightful documentary being in England where are coal mines were shut in the 70s and the damage it's caused to families, I know how much those guys must be hurting..
i mean , it was inevitable same is gonna happen to Oil
I have so much respect for coal miners and their families.
God bless them 💙
@ 1:04, you ain't going out no handcuffs you're going out in a casket thank you for this video I hope it stays up on RUclips for a hot minute I'm sharing it
Knowing the coal to fuel oil is why they want these folks out. Corporate greed.
Exactly
Same in my family in nyc,my grandfather, father,brothers,cousin,uncles,and our sons all in cement and concrete workers local 6a queens,ny but we work in all 5 Boro it’s a family tradition I knew I was gonna do this when I was a young kid
how much if someone wants to throw something/someonw in the pad while you look the other way?
I'd love an update on this! I feel for these folks. Underground mining is so much better than mountain top. Greed ruins society.
Brilliant. My ancestors were Irish and Scottish. The Irish side of the family came in 1800 to dig the Erie canal.then worked on the train tracks of the transcontinental railroad. But some went into the coal seams under the green hills of Pennsylvania. All of them members of the ORDER OF HIBERNIANS. And yes, They were Molly Maguires until Pinkerton infiltrated the brotherhood, and 11 men were hung in 1877.anyone else out there got the blood of the Mollies in their veins? Anyone who has ever heard of them???
What are Mollie McGuires ?
@@WMsandKFCisBackMOFOs Many do not want to hear this,but the real reason,the Mountain people are poor,and live like they do,is many are secret society memebers and pretend to be christians.Many Mountain witches,either cursing the people,or God is.Witcchraft and the occult is Forbidden.Many young people are drug addicts and dying of opioid addiction.Still,the people will not repent of their sins,and turn to The Real God.Only Jesus can save.
I'm DEFINITELY going to look into them!! Thank you for this -- I LOVE History!!
I've heard of them, but none in blood.
Both sides of my family moved to Hazleton/Freeland from ruthenia (western Ukraine) in the late 1800s and worked the local Anthracite mines up till their closing In the 40s/50s. I've been down in some of the old abandoned working including the slope which lead to where my great grandfather was killed in a collapse, which is now since long been flooded at the bottom. I can't imagine how rough it had to be having to be down there day in and day out underground especially in the earlier days. Im claustrophobic no way I would have made it having to crawl around in those tight spots. My great great grandfather on my father's side was a fire boss and would check the mines for gas leaks.
My papaw was a coal miner for peabody mines in Terre Haute, Indiana. He died of black lung in his 70's.
My father died there also he was a mechanic ? I applied for job there me an my brother ? They hired my father an not me or my brother
My friend is an anthracite coal miner and knows these guys. Interesting to see in my recommendation list.
Incredibly sad. From the granddaughter of two coal miners.
🙏
My grandfather and two of my uncles worked the mines in Sydney, Nova Scotia, back in the 50 and 60's.
It's funny, you could almost hear some Newfie in some of these guys here eh? threw me right off... I'm guessing it's the remnants of the Irish/Scottish accents from back in the day, here and out east both
@@ScumfuckMcDoucheface If you close your eyes and listen they do sound like Newfies.
David A will always be missed along with a cold Premium from the cooler on the porch after coming up out of the hole. I grew up in Sago WV at the Badger Coal Mine where my dad worked until we moved to the Skook. I grew up and ended up working with or becoming friends with most of these guy's. I'll always miss the 1,000ft ride on a steel cable....
Small, 2-4 man mines are no danger to huge corporate mines. That’s like saying church bake sales are going to put Entemanns bake goods out of business.
No, but the large corporate mines want that land and the coal deep in that land. That is the issue.
@@Del-Canada exactly the little guys can own it and live off it for the next 200 years the corporate world needs it now because they need it as the next place to strip 10 years from now
It’s all about the property
Called to much government!! They want it all, the land, the money, the power!! Corrupt and useless!!
My grandfather was a coal miner in WV he said it was tuff but loved it and died of black lung right after retirement
🙏 I'm so sorry. Why do these in the video live so poor if coal brings in so much money?
@@foreverlove8919 o I don't know it's how they lived he had money just didn't look like it
Real comment
@@foreverlove8919 I know for my area growing up here in southern WV, coal mining was _the_ best job one could get for the money. No joke - boys would get out of high school and make the choice: go into a trade (carpentry, electricity, welding, etc.) or do mining. 9/10 times, it was mining.
From the 70s to the 90s, it was a big boom for miners in terms of money before they came in and shut everything down come the 2000s.
I think a lot of people outside of mining towns/states have a very negative view on how it was like and automatically assume everyone was just dirt poor in these places (especially Appalachia - heard it all my life how we were to be pitied because we were just “dumb and poor”).
It wasn’t like that until governments stuck their hands in everything and then left the people high and dry,
making it harder on families to live comfortably.
Then those same people who perceive areas like this as dumb and poor turn and shame areas like this and have the nerve to say things like “gee let the government help and do it’s thing so you can make money” forgetting the government is why it got so bad to begin with.
I knew guys who were bosses over their own crews that had nice homes and drove brand new vehicles, with their workers/miners making enough to sustain them and their families comfortably, as well. My father worked down in the mines for 20 years then drove a coal truck for the same companies. We weren’t mega rich, but we weren’t scraping by, either. We were comfortable for the WV area and time. It was really nice.
But once things closed down, I saw towns die. My hometown just dried up. Stores left, people moved, and eventually the elementary school ended up consolidating with another school….and it was left behind. People were struggling. Some had to downsize and move into smaller homes or rent out something less, a lot had to sell their vehicles just to get by. Government made all the rules and shut it all down, administration at the time claimed they’d help areas like ours move into the future, but no. We had nothing in its place.
Once they did what they did, they left many areas to pick up the pieces alone … people lost everything. It’s like we were stuck in time, not given any other way out because all we knew was mining. Now 2-3 decades into the future (present day) people continue this view on coal mining towns as being uneducated and poor not understanding it wasn’t always like that. They were purposely forgotten.
@@TwoBs thank you for explaining this. It reminds me of dirt poor countries who should be rich, like Africa for diamonds, Guatemala for bananas. They are dirt poor bc of the government is so corrupt. 😥 😔 😟
I'm so glad I stumbled across this. Brings me back to my younger days growing up in Shamokin. its sad when our government does this to such good folks! I've never met a more hard-working bunch of people as coal miners. I was glad to have known a lot of the Shingara family growing up.
I take my hat off to you all. Long live the independent miners. Ste UK.
A way of life never dies easily .
What I see is a close knit community that is their for eachother its deep rooted family each of the coal miners was and is very special its very sad that the old ways have gone
i like how people who sit behind desks think they know how the world turns
I heard the word "family" more than a Fast and Furious movie
Lol
Chill 😂
The fast and furious movies dont even have "family" in it a lot. Nor does this really. You're an idiot 😂😂😂
That's because in Appalachia they ARE ALL FAMILY...just ask sister cousin...😆. I really shouldn't joke because the reality is that coal mining was the one industry that fed families and sent children to school and payed the taxes for infrastructure here, and when the mines shut down, what it did to families with sole breadwinners...proud...hard working husband's and fathers...was a true travesty and shamed them to the point generational poverty and hopelessness became a way of life. It's not a joking matter. They worked themselves to death but were happy to do it to support their family. There was NOTHING LEFT. No way to feed their families. It happened overnight almost. A lot of families never recovered.😪
@@vincec.202 You mentioned it very briefly but one of the worst things was the health they were left with. They had no support and couldn't work because they were too sick. Lungs full of coal, soot and dirt. The breadwinners ended up needing their families help medical wise. They couldn't sell their property either being in a ghost town no one would buy it. I got to go see a few old mines first hand ....wow. They worked hard and long scary hours. I couldn't imagine working in a crack of earth where the light on your head could make a spark and clap that crack shut with a boom. Very fascinating work though.
I am from Schuylkill County and I have been in coal mine with my Mom (many years ago) you don’t realize what they go thru on a daily basis! Thank you for this documentary
This is a coal miner from Marion county, WV. We work for American Consolidated Natural Resources ... Last of a dying breed... Just lost one of our young bosses Trenten Dille aged 26 to a rib roll two weeks ago. He left behind a wife and two young daughters 5 and 2... "This is a cold dark world n I'd rather spend mine in a cold dark hole with a smile on my face and my brothers by my side... "
WOW ! 🖤
Excuse me I'm learning what is a liberal I'm sorry for the loss of your friend
Excuse me what I meant to say what is a rib roll ?
Must be warm down there in the winter and cooling the summer eh?
@@Wendy-op3bu It's 51 degrees year round. I think a rib roll means he may have got covered up or a rock fall
West Virginia salutes all those Men who lost their livelihood and health. When you breath it, you live it. RIP coal..
The Coal Industry was the American Industrial Revolution!!!
The backbone of Industry in the entire industrial world actually. Hello Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania ✊🏽
great sadness and great rage" a fire that will never die out, a fire in which those whose greed caused it will undoubtably eventually BURN",.
Ha ah ha ah ah
@@Wendy-op3bu what is funny you weirdo?
Surprised to see this, a community I know, in my notifications this morning. Good group of guys out there. There are still a few deep anthracite mines running coal. They’re still hanging on by a thread
Why do they live so poor?
Great video!
These companies in the USA have the freedom to operate. The government has used its power and influence to take away the freedom for them to choose how to make a living.
Obviously safety is of the utmost importance, they are family and friends. MSHA focus on education of miners. That is where to make a difference in the industry. The demand in the market will determine if these companies remain in business; not be put out of business by high fines and increased oversight.
had family that worked in coal mines in both WVA and Ohio. My paternal grandfather had to go to work in he mines at the age of 9 when his father died. He went to 4th grade in school.
I sit here watching this, wondering to myself, Wondering where are all these men today.
Out of work. They shut down the mines and doomed their families to a life of poverty.
It’s truly a shame that coal miners were treated so unfairly , esp the “ low level “ owners that were just trying to provide food and shelter for their families , and friends . I live in coal country here in eastern Ky and there’s very little work going on , my forefathers were all coal miners and I shortly worked in the coal business . MSHA and UMWA hurt our neighborhoods and has caused a lot of poverty , most men have never had a job outside a coal mines and now they are left without any training to make a living doing anything else . MSHA can write themselves into the history books to come for destroying all the coal operations and thank themselves for the importation of oils from other countries , therefore making even less jobs for “ us “ Americans 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Well put !! Thank you
Some of the toughest people on earth💪🏼
Proud and Godly too❤
I ride coal region alot and have been in a few mines. I Love the history.
They have alllllll my respect. Damn hard way to make a living
My grandpa, great grandpa, and great great grandfather were all miners in Pennsylvania in Portage County. My grandfather was one of the toughest men I’ve ever met.❤
Seen that Centralia sign that town still has a mine burning under it since 1962 where they got the idea for the town on Silent Hill I work in a mine In Southern Illinois the mine next to us caught fire they still haven't went back in been almost a year
I'd love to know how much the first guys make. It can't be much more than overhead. A big machine problem and they might not eat. Hats off to these guys
Boy this boils my blood! I'd never wish harm on a fellow human but I sure hope that greasy union lawer is now residing somewhere round the flooded 1500 lvl
There's a difference between a fellow human being and a worthless waste of flesh......
Edit- a waste of flesh who is none the less usurping oxygen that could otherwise be used to sustain our fellow human beings.
If they've been working since the age of 15, they should own the mine or be able to make an offer to buy. Sometimes the ego has to be put aside to get an education, better occupation to feed the family. It's not the government not wanting to help. It's about creating your own business so others don't control how money you make, if you'll put food on your table, if the family will go homeless etc. Own your own.
Education is the key, it's simple.
I have watched this documentary before but it is always a great watch. I have to wonder if in this day and age if any of these companies are still in business.
It gives you an update at the end of the documentary which ones are still in business which ones are not
Such an interesting story. Real life…real people. Clearly big company money squashing the little guy. So very sad.
My fathers side of my family were Welsh & from the mining towns of the valleys in Wales. Hard workers, but so many of those once bustling towns & villages are a grim sight.
Can u please answer my question. Why do they live so poor if coal brings so much money?
@B00 050 yup! Thanks! 👍 👌 🆗️ 🙆♀️
@@foreverlove8919 because when the coal mines closed. There were no jobs to replace them. The government won't give you any benefits if you have any savings. Those that could afford to leave did
There is no such thing as “zero emissions technology.” Somewhere along the line, there will be the result of transfer or transmission of energy. Learn basic physics. Think! A zero emissions car runs on a lithium ion battery, right? What is involved in the making of that battery? In the transportation of materials? In the electric needed to recharge the battery?
Amen brother
The other thing, is how much coal is needed to run a nuclear power plant. And the amount of destruction to the land to dig up the metals to make an electric car, causes more pollution than a car running on fuel. They want to take the US down, just look at the world. God bless.
Amen a second time!
@Steve B what you say is common sense which is what the save the planet types lack. Just like the keystone pipeline...it's more destructive to the environment once it's been cancelled. More ships, trains, trucks, etc.
@@ramenlover1727 coal gives you all metal, coal is used for water filtration, coal is and will always be mined.
The Irish accent in America still comes through. Be proud of where you started in America.🇺🇸
Grew up around coal my who early life. Always wanted to try a career in mining but I left with the military. Mining does still fascinate me
Much RESPECT for these coal miners. Americans wouldn't be who they are without them. Stand strong 💪🏽 you coalminers that are left. God always wins in the end.
Sad to watch these communities and families losing a way of life and income. The power of government will destroy other industries and nothing will be done to stop it because we're all to busy living comfortable lives while our neighbors are losing lawsuits and their jobs.
And I guarantee at least half of these hard working miners were affected by the opioid epidemic, because Appalachia was the first and most hardcore hit.
Wow! I thought my family was poor! Daddy was a carpenter who worked a second job at the YMCA as a cashier on Sundays and holidays. Mom became a nurse when I was 3 years old.
P.A. Dutch and proud of it,living in Havre de Grace MD USA 🙏 🇺🇸 ♥ now
God bless the hard worker!
"God Bless the Working Man ....... and Never Trust Whitey". - Family to Steve Martin in "The Jerk" as he was leaving home for the first time.
Amen! Oh...and F*** the government for what they did to these families.
Thumbs up from the Dooley's of Michigan
Coal miners, past and present, are hero's. There are 3 facts that made this country great. 1. Our military 2. Our distribution system 3. Coal miners who contributed everything and many who gave their lives...
This broke my heart. My late husband was a miner. My son is as well.
I'm one of us who worries about our warming earth.
Sucks being on a fence...miners are hardworking brotherhood.
jesus christ that first small mine omfg idk my life is different forever and i was confined space rescue certified for 20+ as a city FD
unreal just unreal-had an aunt and uncle in bucks county it was a beautifull ride to visit i must say -om on east coast aswell
Love how they were bashing resources like we were out 50 yrs ago and here we are still screaming it. It's ummm almost like as soon as they realize people are onto it, we switch to different resources to make profits on and screw over consumers
You can tell that representative from MSHA has never gotten his hands dirty in his life. Career pencil pusher trying to look after a union not the workers.
If not for unions miners would have continued to die poor and hopeless.
My son was a coal miner he got killed in a car wreck 2 years ago coming home from work double shift at the coal mine he fell sleep he was 29 he worked in Grundy Virginia, Buchanan county. The coal mines got my grandpa and my daddy and my son I hate the coal mine.
Sad,way too young to die.
I’m so sorry for your losses :( Coal mines take way too many people and there’s a reason why a lot of the regulations everyone is complaining about have been placed on them.
I send love
I'm so sorry, Rosetta....for all your losses, honey. Your Dad, your Granddad -- those are tragedies in their own right. But your son?? I have 3 boys (all grown) and I cannot imagine making it through the loss of one of them, much less on top of your other losses.
Sometimes "hate" is what keeps us going, until we can find the peace to put down our pain. I will keep you in my heart, honey. Sending love and light.💜🦋🌻
@@maburg713 The last part of your comments touched my heart. I can relate to it very deeply. I know it's not right but sometimes determination comes from strange places. I was a coal miner for 22 1/2 years and I still have some PTSD from it. I'm now 71 years old.
You guys are not far from me! I pass by mines many times when I drive around! I'm near minersville and this is really interesting to me! 👍
My grandfather was a coal miner inWilkes Barre Pa way back when. He wouldn’t eat all day until he came home 13 hours later he said it was unhealthy to eat in the mines
The more government is involved the worse off we are these hard workers are proud and honest
Wow! Not one person on here knows about hard dangerous work and doing it to pay the bills. These guys built North America. Nice one fella's!!
What an excellent documentary! Tough people doing a tough job, all whilst having to fight off the government trying to close them down.
Buddy said I don't think that there's anyone safer just because of the way we conduct things, his mouth said it but his eyes and body language said "but" he definitely thinks something is off
Yeah, I’m sorry I just couldn’t take that statement seriously. Saying that while your face is covered in thick black coal dust is kinda silly.
Best Doc
Look at that land!!! Man! The areas they are showing us was once as beautiful as an imagined paradise. This isn’t a government issue. This is how all lands look once settled.
I wish someone would do a follow up on theses miners
I work in the coal mines and this is the wildest coal mining I’ve seen and I live in central Appalachia hahah this is crazy.
And idk how msha allows this.
My great grandfather came from Poland and went to Beckley wv was a miner both grandfathers and my dad plus uncle all worked in mines
Thanks for the Intel.