November 12, 2010 - TJ writes about coal mining

Coal Mining was a big deal in Kentucky. That was one of the main jobs you could work for. Here is a story about a coal miner named, "Sam Hawkins."

Sam Hawkins was an African American miner who dug coal out of the hills near Fleming, Kentucky, (in Letcher County). The year of 1932 wasn't a good year for Sam Hawkins. Hard times like this year meant less jobs and smaller pay checks. It was really hard for Sam because that was the year his wife, Sadie Hawkins, died. Sam was 48. The love remaining of his life was the only child he had, Margaret, who was 19 at the time. Margaret had gone to college at what is now KSU (Kentucky State University). Sam couldn't read anything, but he hoped Margaret would have a better future then he had.

But, one day, things got worse. A man read a letter to Sam that was from Margaret. In the letter, she told him about how school was going, and that she was doing well. Then she wrote, "I think I'm gonna have to quit school in a few days. I'm out of money. Unless you can send me $10, I will have to come back home." Back then, $10 is like $10,000 today. He couldn't borrow the money because I'm sure there wasn't a lot of people around that had $10 on them. Sam went to his boss. His boss said that there was a section of a mine that was too dangerous to mine. It could cave in at any time. But if Sam wanted to try it, his boss would let him. The pay was 31 cents every 2,000 pounds of coal. Sam dug coal for almost 5 hours, then he ate some food. Then he dug coal for the rest of the night. The walls groaned but held. He kept working. 20 hours later, he came outside, to rest for a little bit. The wall of the mine fell. Sam mined all his coal and was quick enough to survive. He got $11 for digging coal. That's about 70,000 pounds of coal! He sent the money to Margaret. She soon got her college degree, and she came back and taught.

AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER (except that Margaret died).

Harry Caudill wrote a book about this story. At the end he used these exact, same words, "Sam had put little white markers at the graves of his wife and his daughter but no one ever got around to making his own. Perhaps a coal shovel thrust into the earth like a bayoneted rifle over the bones of a fallen hero would be appropriate for such a man."

THE END!