(posted 10/3/02)
A year after a deadly coal mine explosion shook Tuscaloosa County,
the 13 men who died during a rescue attempt are memorialized.

take a picture tour of the Brookwood Miners Memorial

In late summer of 2001, Alabama and the rest of the nation was trying to regain a sense of safety following the September 11th attacks.

Then on September 23rd, another tragedy occured at the Jim Walter Resources' Blue Creek Number 5 Coal Mine near Brookwood. One man became trapped in the 2000-foot mine shaft. 12 of his fellow miners rushed to his rescue. During the attempt, an undetected pocket of methane gas is thought to have ignited, setting off explosions that killed all 13 men. It was the deadliest mining accident in the United States in nearly 20 years.

Those 13 miners left behind hundreds of people who cared about them. Their families and friends gathered on the one year anniversary of the accident to unveil a large polished marble memorial. Dignitaries from state and federal goverment, mining industry groups and the Brookwood community led a solemn ceremony next to Mine Number 5 at West Brookwood Baptist Church. Congressman Spencer Bachus said the men's bravery made them heroes.

"They were truely our loved ones. We loved them, and they loved us. And you know, that hasn't changed. They were 13 men. 12 of them went into that mine knowing what all coal miners know when there's been an explosion. This might be their last trip down in the mine. But they didn't hestitate." he said.

The sense of loss was heavy among those several hundred people that attended the memorial service. Some bore their pain with a smile and an upbeat attitude. On other faces, the weight of the day was more evident. Donna Smith's husband, Charles, was one of the 13 men who died in the rescue effort.

"You have to have those times when you just want to be by yourself. But then, being amongst the other widows has been the best support group anyone could have." she said.

Smith says it took hours of contemplation before she decided to come to today's memorial. But in the end, she's glad she came. Her next plan was to get away ... perhaps go sit by the lake for awhile. She hopes the memorial, which will be passed every day by workers in the Number 5 mine, will help people remember.

"It will remind each and every one of us that this is one of the most dangerous mines in the entire United States. The methane gas can build up at any minute. There guys are risking their lives every time they go down, and they know it." said Smith.

Janice Nail also lost here husband Charles in the explosion. She smiled a lot, though it appeared many of those smiles were for others ... not for herself. She says the year since she lost her husband has been difficult.

"Charles was always the kind of person who worked around the house and did everything there was the needed doing. I didn't realize how much he did do, but he worked seven days a week. He managed to get everything done at home, and I don't have anybody to do that know. I have a disabled son, and another son who is married with childred, so he has his hands full. So everything I need done, I have to hire someone to do it. It's been really bad." said Nail.

A final report on what happened in the accident is still pending, and could be released next month. Meanwhile, at the request of local coal miners, Jim Walter Resources has reopened the Blue Creek Number Five Mine. The mine provides much needed jobs to Alabama's dwindling mining community. The state's coal mining jobs have fallen by a third since 1999. This, while the state's largest coal purchaser, Alabama Power, has increased its purchases in Wyoming and South America. Due to cheaper labor and easier mining conditions, those mines can produce coal more inexpensively.

In memory of those coal miners who died on September 23, 2001 ...

Gaston Adams Jr., Raymond Ashworth, Nelson Banks, David Blevins, Clarence "Bit" Boyd, Wendell Johnson, John Knox, Dennis Mobley, Charles Nail, Joe Riggs, Charles Smith, Joe Sorah, and Terry Stewart

take a picture tour of the Brookwood Miners Memorial

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