I grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania. My great grandfather started emigrating there from northern England in 1892. While a pit boss (you probably know it's the highest worker position that determines if it's safe to work the mine on a daily basis), he died of pneumonia after helping at a mine rescue in West Virginia in 1917. I need to call my great uncle Red who just turned 97. During the Great Depression, there were jobs in W. Va. so Red went but couldn't do it; he says it was 18 inch coal and miners went in lying on their backs. He stopped mining altogether when his older brother was crushed to death in Isabella mine in the 1940's. When they stripminded around home, it was bad enough but nothing like this destruction. Thank you and I hope to see this film in Boston or buy it.
roweser@gmail.com