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Despite danger, coal miners drawn to the underground

BERRY, Ala. - Bill East is a God-fearing man, and he talks about being a coal miner in religious terms.

East's older brother died in a mining accident last month, and 12 men were killed in the West Virginia tragedy this week. Yet right after his shift 700 feet underground, the 33-year-old East couldn't think of a single bad thing about his job.

"I gave my life to the Lord six years ago," a weary East said Thursday after another long day at the Alabama mine where he works. "He'll let me know if he wants me to do something else."

Coal miners are a defiant, resilient clan, bound by the goal of cutting black rock out of the ground.

Many people wonder why anyone would want to do such work; miners say they can't imagine doing anything else.

Despite near-constant peril and ever-present grime, many miners do their job for the same few reasons: good pay, family tradition, the military-like brotherhood and the thrill of making it out alive at the end of the day.

As of November, about 74,000 Americans were laboring as coal miners. Bailey and East are among about 380 people who work at the North River No. 1 Mine, operated by the Pittsburg & Midway Coal Mining Co. about 40 miles west of Birmingham. North River had one of Alabama's best underground mining safety records for years until a miner died in an accident in 2005.

The mine opened in 1974, and many of its workers have been there since the start. Most of the turnover occurs when miners retire or new hires quickly realize they can't handle being deep inside the Earth.

This is modern coal mining. The mine uses electric and diesel vehicles, not the mule-drawn cars of old. A constant breeze created by ventilation fans blows through, and miners use remote systems resembling video-game controllers to operate machines with teeth that cut coal from the walls. The whole operation is controlled by computers.

People come to work in the mine from throughout northwest Alabama, often earning $50,000 a year or more - a lot of money in a region where many work in low-paying mobile home factories or the poultry industry.

Jimmy Starns, 52, was among the first people hired at North River. Starns said he came to the mines for the money and the benefits, and stayed as he fell in love with the constant action.

"There's something different every day. The mine always changes," said Starns, wearing a black hardhat and bib overalls.

Being a miner has given Starns a taste of the good life: He has a ski boat and frequently goes to NASCAR races, pleasures that a lot of people in the rural South cannot afford.

"Could I do that working in a trailer plant for $10 an hour? Working in a McDonald's?" he said.

It is common for generation after generation of families to work in the mines. Tim German came to North River as an electrician four years ago mainly because his father worked at the mine.

"It's a noble profession, and the money is decent," said German, 38, who previously worked in a feed mill.

Jim Patilla came to work at North River 31 years ago with dreams of eventually becoming an airplane mechanic. He never left, and often tells his wife, "I'm going to play coal miner" as he leaves for work.

"After I started doing it, it was fun," Patilla said. East, who lost his 35-year-old brother Denny when a mine roof collapsed on Dec. 15, said it was hard to go back underground after the accident, which happened near Panther, W.Va. He did, though.

"It's a job I'm proud of, and it's a job he was proud of," East said. "You either love it or you hate it."

[Last modified January 7, 2006, 01:25:29]