"Nobody ever took responsibility for the Bearcreek disaster, and the families didn't get any compensation for their pain. All those people died, and even more grieved, but it was as if they didn't matter. That sense outraged me more than anything else. All people matter. I hope this story will be a reminder of how much."
- From the introduction to "Goodbye Wifes and Daughters"
On Saturday, Feb. 27, 1943, close to 80 men descended into the Smith coal mine in Bearcreek. Only three came out alive. "Goodbye wifes and daughters ... " wrote two of the miners as they died.
As I started reading Susan Kushner Resnick's book, I kept asking one question, "Why am I not familiar with this disaster?" and wondering one thought, "Why does this kind of disaster keep happening?"
Read Full Article »