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| Items of the deep mining era: (top) Hard-boiled hat, original padded cloth hat with carbide lamp, coal car, (second row) squib box and carbide canisters, pullhook for tugging timber, sharp pick and scoop shovel; (third row) copper water bottle and lunch bucket, Davey safety lamp, carbide lamp, magneto for blasting; (bottom) brace and bit used to drill holes in coal for inserting dynamite. |
He attended a one room school on Balliet Street where the Methodist Church is now located. This was once a small Episcopal Church which was converted to a one room schoolhouse.
At the age of fourteen he went to work for the mines and was paid $9.60 a week for six 10-hour days!
In 1915 he worked for the Schuylkill Traction Company, installing lines and laying track for the trolley in town. He was paid $1.65 for a ten-hour day at this job.
When war broke out in 1917, he joined the Army and remembers a tragic accident 15 miles off the American shore. "We were embarking at night for our trip to France when our ship, The Big Saratoga, was rammed by another vessel from Panama. Several nurses were killed and the only way I was saved was when I, with many other soldiers, jumped overbaord. This was my first brush with death." He was discharged September 19, 1919, and went back to work for Mr. Williams at East Bear Ridge Colliery for $3.57 for an eight-hour day. This was considered "outside wages" because he worked outside the mines. He later became a contract miner and enjoyed his work. He knew it was dangerous but it was his livelihood and he worked at it for 37 years. He was closed in twice and was in two explosions. He was taught the mining business by George Akalitis, whom he considered one of the best miners of his time. He proudly mentioned that he was 14 years old when he joined the United Mine Workers and is still a member at 77.
He says there are still big veins of coal under Centralia, Shenandoah, and under the court house at Pottsville.
He joined the Luthern Church on Lehigh Avenue where the A&P is now located and remembers Ella Kaup who resides at 2 South Balliet Street as his Sunday School Teacher.
Several major political candidates stopped at Frackville while campaigning for office. He remembers Gov. Pinchot shaking hands with residents. Gov. Earle spoke at Lehigh and Oak Street where the Hess Gas Station is presently located. The high school band welcomed him with several selections. Mr. Hornberger and his family went to Pottsville to see Harry Truman and daughter, Margaret. His brother, Lester, shook hands with Teddy Roosevelt when he campaigned at the Mahanoy Plane Shops.
A tragedy occurred in his family in 1929 when his father worked for Contractor George White.
They were digging out the foundation for the H.D. Bob factory on Broad Mountain Avenue when 50 tons of dirt covered his father. Harry Rubright was the shovel operator. He and the men worked feverishly to uncover his father who was still alive when rescued but died two weeks later. This was his first day of work on this job, and he had worked only one and one-half hours.
My visit with Mr. Hornberger was pleasant. He has a remarkable memory and his love of people and our town is evident in his enthusiasm to relate stories about its residents.
I'm sure I will have many more conversations with him.
ELLIS SAYS: If you hope to leave your footprints on the sands of time, wear work shoes.