WTI Magazine #2    2013 Oct,25

Author : Davide Arminio      Translation by: ---

Nowadays the valley of Vermejo River, north-east New Mexico, is silent and wild. But a hundred years ago that place was known as Dawson, one of the biggest coal mines in the US, and a community of about 9,000 people lived there.

On October 22, 1913, an explosion killed 263 miners; among them, 146 were Italian. It was the second worst mining accident in the history of the United States after the disasters in Monongah, West Virginia, in 1907, and one of the worst in the annuals of Italian migration. Less than ten years later, in February 1923, another accident killed 123 people, some of whom were the sons of the miners perished in 1913.

On Sunday, October 20, a public ceremony was officiated by Italian and New Mexican authorities at The Raton Museum in Raton, NM, to commemorate the accidents and the many lives died there. Most of them came from Italy and Greece, but people from Croatia, China, Poland and many other countries settled here looking for a better future. Representing the Italian Consul General in LA, Giuseppe Perrone, Honorary Vice Consuls from New Mexico, Rosalba Maniaci and Lino Pertusini, joined the event, along with the Consul General's representative, Irene Buongiorno, who came from California. New Mexico government was represented by Richard Sims, director of the New Mexico Historic Sites, who read a declaration from Gov. Susana Martinez, stating that from now on October 22 will be Dawson Remembrance Day. Italian representatives also brought a plaque, which is going to be put soon in Dawson cemetery.

Along with member of the Italian community in New Mexico and other citizens, Dawson Association President, Joe Bacca, also attended the event. The Association has been working since 1952 to keep the memory of the miners, the victims and the history of Dawson and more generally of the coal mining in the US.

On October 22 of one century ago a terrible explosion shocked Mine n.2 and the entire city. The cause of the explosion was the same of many other accidents: some methane gas hidden through the rocks at big depth was ignited by the miners' lamps. The emergency crews worked for two days, saving 23 colleagues, but two of the crew died from gas inhalation during the operations.

Founded in 1901, the city of Dawson was named after John B. Dawson, the owner who sold that part of land to the mining company. In 1906 Phelps Dodge Corporation purchased the mines and promoted the construction of houses, shops, a hospital, some facilities for the residents and railway connections with the transcontinental line in Tucumcari. Most of the miners were recent immigrants and Italians were the majority. They worked in conditions barely safe and accidents were not unusual, here as anywhere else at that time.
The first serious documented accidents happened in 1903, when some fires followed by explosions killed three people in Mine No.1. On October 20, 1913, that is two days before the disaster, an inspection by safety authorities stated that the mines were "safe".

During the 40s the coal demand gradually declined and one by one the mines were closed. In 1950, finally, Dodge Corporation shut down what was left and demolished the town. At present days in Dawson there is a few buildings left from the past. The cemetery, with all the iron white crosses provided by Phelps Dodge Corp. for the victims, become in 1992 New Mexico Historic Place. The first official act of commemoration from the part of Italian authorities took place in September 2003, when on Labor Day the Consul General in LA, Diego Brasioli, put a plaque in the cemetery.

References
Dawson Association: http://chuckspeed.com/Dawson_Association/ 
Info on Dawson accident: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson,_New_Mexico