A farewell letter written by a miner trapped in one of the worst mining disasters in US history in 1902 went viral on the internet recently. The letter is signed by a man named Jacob Vowell, who wrote his final words to his wife, Ellen in the face of imminent death.
On May 19, 1902, a coal dust explosion in Fraterville in the state of Tennessee killed 190 miners instantly. The remaining 26 tried to seek shelter in a deeper passage but they died of asphyxiation later. Mr Vowell was one of the trapped miners who wrote a final message to their loved ones before his death, either in letters or on the passage walls.
The letter begins with him bidding a poignant goodbye to his wife and children. He urges her to take care of their children in the best way possible and to remember him till the very end.
"I have to leave you in bad condition. Now, dear wife, put your trust in the Lord to help you raise my little children. Ellen, take care of my darling little Lillie. Ellen, little Elbert said that he trusts in the Lord. Charlie Wilkes said that he is safe in Heaven if he should never see the outside again," the letter reads. "If we should never get out we are not hurt, only perished. There are but a few of us here and I don't know where the other men are. Elbert said for you to meet him in Heaven. Tell all the children to meet with us both there."
Letter from a trapped coal miner says goodbye to his wife, 1902.
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Describing the scenario inside the passage he says that they are collectively praying for air to help them somehow survive. "Oh, how I wish to be with you. There are a few of us alive yet. Oh, God, for one more breath," he adds.
The Fraterville tragedy, which killed 216 men, raised significant concerns about mining safety practices, prompting calls for regulatory reforms to protect miners.
In commemoration of the miners who lost their lives, the Coal Creek Community has established an exhibit at the Lenoir Museum in Norris Dam State Park. The letter, such as this recently viral one by Jacob Powell, serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of the mining disaster.
