Midnight
Inside the mines:
Early morning fire bosses make their rounds in both mines and, despite noting a few small traces of gas, they find nothing out of the ordinary.
At #6
Lester Trader finishes writing a letter to his father on his lunch break.
“Trader’s letter to his father was filled with unintentional portent. On Tuesday, December 3rd, he had written,
‘It used to make the shivers run through me to read the news accounts of mine horror, but since I have been in the mines and see into all the little details…it has lost a great part of the horror for me, and the small, everyday accidents are more to be feared in my estimation than an extended explosion.‘
“On Friday morning, December 6th, he continued in a prophetic passage in the dim light of the underground shanty:
‘The greater danger in a mine is not done so much by flame of the explosion, except when a dust explosion happens immediately after the gas explosion, but by the concussion…where a dust explosion takes place; there is a quick flash throughout the mine or a series of flashes…’
‘We have been reading with much interest the news paper accounts of the Naomi mine explosion. Our own mine being a mine laid out and worked on the same principal as it and having the same principal dangers to contend with namely gas, dust, and the poor class of foreign labor any one of which would be sufficient to cause a great deal of apprehension for the safety of the mine but coming as they do together it keeps us on the look out for the same fate of the Naomi Mine.’” (McAteer)
1:00 am
At the mines:
The next shift of fire bosses arrive at work. Fire bosses alternated shifts in their mines; “…each week one would enter the mine at 5:00 or 6:00 pm and come out at 5:00 or 6:00 am, and the second man would begin around 1:00 am and work until 1:00 pm. The next week they would trade start times.” (McAteer)
At #6
Andy H. Morris arrives for his 1 am fire boss shift.
2:00 am
At #8:
Pat Kerns starts his fire boss shift at 2 am.
~3:30 – 4:00 am
Little houses for miles around the Monongah area begin to light up as people arise to prepare for the day.
For many those celebrating St. Nicholas today, their day begins with rousing the children so the whole family can quickly enjoy a few festivities and a breakfast before their grandfathers, fathers, uncles, nephews, cousins, brothers, and sons must leave for their morning shift in the mines.
4:3o am
In Monongah:
Anestis Stamboulis and a few other Greek miners are violently ill from eating mushrooms they picked yesterday. They do not go to work. (McAteer)
In the outskirts of Monongah:
Miners from surrounding areas are leaving their homes for work. They mostly walk or ride interurban trolley directly to Monongah.
5:00 – 5:30 am
In Monongah:
Miners who live closer to the mines are leaving for their shifts.
Luca Di Mario is particularly insistent on telling his wife, Izzi Agnese, “Goodbye Agnese, goodbye…”. (Nurses)
Sarah Ann Martin refuses to make her son, Charlie Martin, a lunch. Charlie has been sick in bed all week but this morning he tries to get up and go to work. Sarah believes it is “bad luck to start back to work on a Friday” and implores him to stay home. He does. (McAteer)
Luca Meffe (a Torellese miner) invites Clement Di Placido to not go down to the mine and to celebrate St. Nick’s Day with a group of friends. “I have no wife, I have no father, I have no children, I have no affections, what is this life of mine for which I should celebrate?” (Nurses)
Victor Davia (one of the few Northern Italian miners in town) has been at home with a hurt back for several days. But today he decides to go to work. (NCH 12.10.07 pg. 1)
Ellis V. Herndon leaves his home, “the top house…going up the left hand side” on Walnut Avenue for his shift at #8. (Loss)
His son, Ira Herndon, worked in the mines the day before “in water clear up to his knees.” When he wakes to get ready for work, he finds that his only pair of work boots are still soaking wet. This prevents him from going into work today. (Loss)
At the mines:
At some point, Homer Palmer sees fire boss Pat Kerns come out of #8 and talk to William Bice. (Inquiry)
Pat Kerns makes the report of his fire boss shift and opens the gates to #8 just before 5:30 am. (McAteer)
5:30 – 6:00 am
In Monongah:
Day laborers are awake and preparing for the work day.
At #8:
Tony Pasquaele leaves his shift as water cart driver. (Inquiry)
Brothers Orazio (“Crazic”) and Angelo DePetris arrive for work in #8 around 5:30 am and find the portal gate already open. Angelo’s son, Felix, is also among those coming in for the morning shift. (McAteer, Inquiry)
Dan Dominico and his son Leo Dominico are also at the entrance of #8 around 5:30 am and find the gate already open. (McAteer, Inquiry)
Pat Kerns goes back in to #8 to finish his shift, now as a “day man”. He will watch the miners come in and make plans and assignments for workers. (McAteer, Inquiry)
H. Yost leaves his night shift of running the fan for #8 and William Bice takes over running the fan along with Joe Newton. (McAteer, Inquiry)
Homer Palmer leaves work. He does not see Pat Kerns reenter #8 before he leaves, but assumes he has already gone back in. (McAteer, Inquiry)
Peter and Stan Urban enter #8 mine for work a little before 6 am. (McAteer, Inquiry)
6:00 – 6:30 am
Inside #8:
Fire Boss P.J. McGraw is wrapping up his shift by making his report and is getting ready to leave. (McAteer, Inquiry)
The DePetris brothers begin working 2nd right south, room #15. (McAteer, Inquiry)
Leo Dominico sees no bosses of any sort on his way in or through the mine and begins working, alone, in “South 2nd right, 1st South”. (McAteer, Inquiry)
Peter and Stan Urban arrive at 1st right, 1st heading, and find they have no cars for loading coal. Though they detect a bit of “foul air” in that section, they proceed to start their pick work. (Inquiry)
Inside # 6
Fire Boss L.E. Trader makes his report and places his fire boss record book in the fire boss shanty for Fire Boss Morris to collect and turn in once Tom Donlin arrives in the office for dayshift. On his way out of the mine, Trader passes dayshift Fire Bosses Lyden and Morris on their way in to work. (McAteer, Inquiry)
Outside #6
Will Jenkins arrives for his job at the blacksmith shop. (Inquiry)
Fire Boss Lester Trader records the findings from his nightshift onto the chalkboard posted just outside of the mine entrance, as all fire bosses are to do at the end of their shift. (McAteer, Inquiry)
Trader crosses the river and records his nightshift findings at the foreman’s office, cleans himself up a bit. (McAteer, Inquiry)
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