The Wilder Davidson Story: The End of an Era; Part 2; Working in the Minds

The following program has been made possible in part by a grant from the Tennessee Humanities Council a not for profit corporation whose principal funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities by contributions from businesses and individuals in the upper Cumberland region of Tennessee and by W. S. t e TV. When I got the router I thought as a saving they would need to be a pretty place last place and while it was to Holland to down but it didn't all disappear the people just all go. I never dreamed about what. That it would be like that I always know badly of it out there all my life. I love to live there. I sure did back then. As a good place to live. There was a lot of people in there too. For six months it was just like a war going on and while he could hear shooting

than him. They are in the minority on my own. The only door they own. I am applying. Now and under this site. I don't know what got a bad name but never been no better people in the world. Hard to talk about. The wilder Davidson story at the end of an era as a community based oral history project that tries through the voices of those who lived there to preserve the history of the five upper Cumberland coal mining communities of Wilder Davidson twin Crawford and Highland Tennessee. At the turn of the 20th century the

railroad and coal mining came to the rugged isolated area where the Tennessee counties of Overton venturous and Putnam come together. The five communities sprang up to form a coal mining complex that thrived until the early 1930s. Part one of the wilder Davidson story the end of an era looked at life in the company towns through this boom era. To working in the mines will examine wages working conditions tools and procedures attitudes toward safety and mine accidents. Residents of the mountainous upper Cumberland region were a hardy independent people accustomed to the hard work of subsistence farming and logging. They quickly adapted to the back breaking labor of coal mining and welcomed the attractive wages. Along with good pay however came a loss of independence as miners lived in company housing shopped at companies stores and submitted to regulations supervision and time sheets.

Tom Lowery who started working in the mines as a teenager in Davidson remembers receiving his first wages. The richest man it ever come to games with me. The first play day I ever drawled in my lap with $11 from the quarter they paid money they put it in a little brandy in Vail named hamburgers and bought a bottle of beer about a game they've been following I don't remember stayed with the M&A pawky. I'll tell you how cheap it will dock and get a good clean bed in a brick but for a quarter and I hear talk to games or wall or whatever I don't remember them for long but I got the game that I went to a picture show and I made three big hamburger drop me out how many beer and then I went up by and I had plenty of my adult dollar and a quarter not that locked out of the riff man today we're being out there and I've played all out and I thought Id back home and I still had plenty of money.

They haven't gone by on their birthday to every girl. Money is the most money you can make in your life and the quickest money you can make them day after the shower and I have to earn it Scott was on pretty well everybody else began to get it right you know. And. Now the miners was pretty good to whatever they wanted they got. And all they'd pay it so much a month you know and get what they wanted. They bought cars just did a thing they wanted and. When you worked in the mine say I want to learn more. It was weighted to temple. And I would transfer that information and get 43 cents a ton which I did works on it for three cents taun. They would put that on the books and I had that credits and if I won the door. They were seldom let you draw on you. Monza going on

work all day and then. They don't they're there go the next day. But if you didn't go all this off the books they would hold a pay day only sixteenth in the first a month and if you had any money left they paid in case if you had 80. You know if they knew it they would know they would know money. Nobody donating money they took you. To hit took all it took at all what you'd work and the company had a what they called a paper money and they printed out didn't. You take it in the store and they would. You buy stuff and they would turn off the amount of that paper with numbers on that piece of paper from the old people when they were blue and while it had out a dollar what Hal but I have to save $2 have a court order up your piece of paper with numbers.

Dollar had a dime at the top of that nickel dressed the way down at 20 cents worth of goods out of the store. They would Tyrell for a nickel dime until necklace or something like that. Health amounted to spam on the air and you would keep the rest on. That's now without scruples. Negotiable with the bootleggers and. You could buy stuff from other people with it may go to the government store and spend it. You could already you didn't worry that you didn't account your store Pinney out of merchant took it they take a discount you you know they discount it but actually it was worth a dollar for dollar. You could if you could email don't do it. The company store. They sold their goods a little higher than. Neighboring. Owned stores would say was a bunch of them around outside town a while ago that three down umbrella was hollow for down the road.

And so it was selling down the river and some of the people didn't use a square plate or able to get through without a scrip and then they would grow out of these neighboring. Notes and some buy their goods from then on when it was over hard to get ahead of the company that you had to live from day to day. And the. Only way you do between the pay days is to to get anything to buy groceries and stuff will go a script all the office but it was Labor that was natural labor now has 14 year old want to come and when I want to play a role but I've been working in the mine before I get back to your back at them time didn't they didn't pay no heed to me and if their dad or other people you know they would they did on the lower day unlike you I didn't hear.

I'm 15 and 16 now. And I told him about 16 years old. And he found the paper and I want to work with that. Which go on. When I was about eighth grade. Probably in the ninth grade. I quit school and decided I want to make a fortune working in mines from a baby's name for the release and they knew it. Then. And I didn't like it but he didn't do anything about it then he told me for anything ever happened to me or if I go home tonight is left up to him to get me out I'd stay the most over. And he meant that. Up like you don't want to work but I don't like the old work at young aka you created hurt me any but you know you can. Well maybe you can work you can work a kid to heart up like be able to work but not not like I work. I wouldn't mind work that way. I didn't mind no way to think about a coal mine. There's a lot of condition down in Alaska we say we work we didn't have a war we were buying our we were

water. We work. Oh yes if it was good at it we're bad and. It would not interfere. I didn't think of it in the m term but. At that time a flame is you have to have options or when you've got enough indication Jane that damp climate go around a lot of additional air. Then detecting meth eyeing. Him and. Due to might or might know where you are although you locked us in. That's the law there are no interest. In there. And in line at midnight probably get away with it because it's been. Five or six years and just hadn't put put in. A new Coleman lantern on good fuel for them. Your detectives Lal caddish want to form and carry around with him for mail flying. When he had taken and and come up back at him a little

on that little small plane maybe after your current picture of your tree to tree to tree come a pony take it down he knew it he would know would be a were to present me if I were you wearing our hair that was used in the coal mines. Around the turn of the century. Own up to about 1920. And there they killed the old man killer. There what did you say man Gaylor man killers taken quite a manned OPERATOR And how did the typical day go out in the first anyone who entered or mind entered the room. Read your work. We had a. Call we shot down the evening before and the fourth thing is headed our way to load it. And load it. We used what is called a number two

and a number to Colleville and. Where you download to call out when I got the place cleaned up Nicole out. Then we made preparation for the. Next Stage goal. First thing we started grilling. We start out with a two foot bat. And I run that bit up. Change again put on a four foot bath. And Ron Ron must also admit up. The chain Mitch again and go out of their sex to admit. Another meaning and what was the name of the man who was helping it to all of us he was going to choke on us because of the height of the coal seams the miners remember doing most of their work in a stooped

position or on their knees. Yoga pants I'm on the old rail ready to load them in the cottage out of paper. Step Plan for. My wrapping around the round face toward. Me you your name on her shoulder. Say that really. Is important here and I'm working in coal on a solid. You noticed you are not tired man to this. And not to split down to the powder in the center then a quarter pounder and not for make sure when the far gets down to hair. Cut to three patients plates to spew out and make sure we get an ignition. And it can start and end this is clover here and you approach a hole in your entry at the

cottage into it put it on back to the end and then you start to tab and. Then you don't want to the few. Now if you want to hold a far far too short for you and your mates and as you go down there they will far and shake and to they way they should. And you put a white piece of paper on if to get up with the shot Farman can always see where you have a shot fine. Cars always shots to come by and enters the room to fire the shots and either all got a white tag on reading it I'm in a hurry to get out. We use. Double our fabulous rice and powder. True to fail over coverage usually that's where you are slow burn powder but.

To shoot go you need to do a. Slow burn an explosion if. You load a resigned. Picture done in mind. And Mona does want a plot hole itself I asked. Why they always use. Very coarse double. Headless bison powder. Well allow that. Back then we just had Karbala. Now you put your carbide in down in the s. And then you'd spit in it. Charlie did you know was spitting it and put this. Then back only serious. And then you put your rod or thing in they on in they it there. The whole tale sometimes our friends around the whole tale go there and be with some of the girls that you know that Lee of the then they always say they have helped there. In Rhode Island the boys would begin to come in from work there or saw him

dinner booklets they had there was oh it was a sad. And I always hated the wash the dinner but it had just failed whatever I had now and meet obviously have a pork chop or something you know rock that to go with this biscuit and fill it up and then he'd go by the pump. And pump is Roger. In here. And then just say this that down in there and put the lid on and and he is ready to go on and have a little dinner lay up take the nanny's crap for the same feed the riots he said on the ranch when they enter and he said he watched them you know and he said that they would run whenever they was 19. I never seen a comb out of motor kill Ray I think they fed the rats know more about when to go poly in a day and probably never they superstitious but I'll tell you what I did do.

I'd say Oh. I had it leant a knotted body is illegal here but it would lead up the locker to good I took I took a poor crop bone and hung it on a trolley line which are for 280 and I tried to figure there Fred about how big you'd be terraria partnership to have become they are smart too. And this protein dried up blood to get that moment of death knocked off far out of him and he thought this rat behind and now they fit the truth. They thought this rat behind it down trying to turn and they turn around and create their flock to big bulldog and I laughed aloud a crowd but they were smart enough at that hung out of the rest of the day and they never did come back to truth. I've known a man after a name I never did get her to bed. And never lose us work will get her. And I never said nobody hurt too bad when I come but you know he'll do for you don't. You scare me too bad though I don't know why. Janitor speaking in. A coal mine

is no safer then than me and that I work in and I'm talking about him with caution should they take him I don't know what to call him they can do it if I am not coming up in yours and I'll plan about it if not the kids not the company it's not the government of PIF and lowered it to my own it so managed to do in the work at the pace that we have toward the work of done that. So Manicamp they'd pay for all of that won't do. But if a man don't don't do it and see it done it's a waste of time. No we not only had white damp and like damp and methane to be worried about but we also had best explosions to be concerned about. It seems to me that day. And that. There was one that was caused entirely unnecessarily. By an individual. Making noise in the. Mind and one of mine is by quite a quite a number of years ago and there was a Dr. Cloyd in the wilder minds

that killed 17 miners and it was all called my teenage boy who was on a crapper in the mind. And I mean but trapper he he had to control the air and they had to put a door. To each entry to deflect another route. And. His job was to hold him close to. The door at all that a motor in and out the whole McColl down. And. When a motor would come by running for the fasting the coal was all over the crack and ignore rounded up into dust just like flour more or less and when he comes through. With the load running for the science that take over there were just clog everything up and forward playing with the carbide and the good food with a

quite a bit take a carbide can but a couple three grains of carbide even a few drops of water. Then a whole bunch in the bottom of it but lead on tight. But if I go right holders along and she takes her life to a carbide light and then make quite a moan and when a dead dad of course I try to come out and I did this thing like £7 000 plus. The whole entry where one fellow scientists and that's the take that long ended up taking Yser champagne mind. It's Jim Tao Lusk and madge Alexander remember the night of February 13th 1928 when during a supper break a young substitute worker leaned

back against a can of blasting powder setting off an explosion with his carbide light that took the lives of four Me and madge is husband Charlie Alexander died along with his brother Sam nephew Lee peak and coworker venerable Woody. Jim Dow lost Robert Alexander and Arthur dial survived the accident. We filled up their lamps and ate about a supper and Woody was laying down. On the bottom. And had his head propped up his hand and his lamppost his cap. Back office they had. And that Blazer set against that full cake a part of never been opened. And it burned and had been hit hard enough. A place just about the size of a silver dollar I guess. And that's what called the powder to explode we didn't even know it was there and that was the cause of the explosion. They had. Gnawed me out. For nearly all McCall was all for

and. Two of the boys never did see Robert at the powder want all in fact I didn't know what happened I don't remember seeing the place and I imagine if it made a racket but I didn't I don't remember that I just remember seeing that one and it bothered me about fourteen feet from where I sat and it will be a costly entry into the whole cultural world where we kept our powder. When I come to the first thing already anybody Sam Alexander told us to get her clothes off we don't fire. You know what I could tire of what I couldn't take off or get off the widow. And when I come out I had a parachute in a leather belt on roll that I had on one. When they brought me to the bath English. And they the snow on the ground and it was cool. They had gone to sleep that you know they were and I was asleep so Kip Banks came in from work and he knocked on my door and he just said

Charlie and the EMS had an accident and he said tell you he'd be home directly. And I said whale with that light there and I waited that waited that way. And we got heard 59 great. I knew this something wrong I could hear the doctor's car. He had this February and he had chains on his car and I could hear his car raising up on the road up the road just to go in on you. So I said no there's something wrong. And so we got to Scott it I got a wrist and we were there. Whale they were all course still had that black coal dust on them and wrapped in them blankets. You could tell wrong from the other. And. When he saw me come in he said how his. He won the kind of person that always said darling dear and so well sweetheart he said Oh Roma don't you worry about me now be l ride.

But he was all right. They got us out if they were straight I was me and Robert Lee Peake. They got us out of musta been round Lemme cloak sometime around there and then they got the other three Sam and Carly and Venable they brought them out about. I guess about where I want to clock I don't remember just exactly. But. They had to send to. Grub. What do. You get no call in she was a doctor he was a cop a Doctor Crawford in the great stone was all covered up and they had to see him get called into his own cause he had more than he could handle. And colanders want to get me ready. Well we done with just. A WRAP bandage and go around the simple entry door all over. This happened on a Monday night and they. Took them from they had stay there at the boarding pass at Wilder irrelevant to

the closest boarding house not the Hopedale and put linseed oil on them and wrap them in like it. And kept in there and the train coming to Monterrey left the next morning around 10 o'clock and they carried them on the train to Monterey. Well they had to wait at Monterey till the three o'clock train going to Nashville and came through there and they got into Nashville about 7 o'clock Tuesday night wisdom morning Tali that the first. Time I do not stay don't for quite a while but I got hurt by that. Dunaway in my mind and I graduated at Nat.. What are you bad with. One of the boys that are thirsty. His nephew dad I think the next Thursday. Say I'm his brother Lee of the month.

And then he dad. It was horrible. I thought he did kill me I really did I thought it would kill me. I was just 23 years old and he was just 31. But you've got to make a laugh and go on. You can't just look around. When my host now really did you hear people say oh I thought I'd die. Now when I don't know what half hour would really add day and but. You get over that terrible harm. After a while. You don't ever get over it I don't mean that you don't ever get over it but you get over that powerful powerful feeling of. Loan from midnight own you go when the my

brother Rip to your knee you fill the whole lot to working in it but you don't do it if you please with a loan from midnight on. They will take you by the collar they almost you in the place put through in that broader hole which route up to your way to tone let alone from midnight on. You can buy the OP a type or a working hard all day your due date and Dr. Bill you fill it up to pay it all from the bone man go through it all if they go through the wall. They last for two daughters grave don't dream banking on it all out long from midnight on. You get your hand full of grip and go riding in the store. You find the folder where the bag must take a rod laid down with old phone on loan from made known. You asked for a bucket along

it and want meat worth. We'll set it you need a passcode with peers we clone a loan from it own US birth plan and then us to call it a Darren and I can pick the 30 yard recall that own home from Maiden own Iranian store one day America can I will run stay a hour on him give him cab Colligan the barely make a car loan loan from me had not known.