The Price of Coal in Black Diamond
A community mourns a miner killed on the job, sparking a massive turnout at his funeral.
The funeral services of Mr. John T. Williams, who was killed in the Black Diamond mines on Tuesday, November 12, were held at Black Diamond on Thursday, under the auspices of Wsidsey lodge, No. 34. The lodge assembled in its hall by the order of Noble Grand Matthew Oehm, together with a large delegation from Franklin lodge, No. 99, and with visiting brethren from other lodges. They marched in regalia to the house of the deceased and accompanied the remains to the church. Superintendent Morgan Morgan closed the mines for the afternoon in respect to the dead and to allow the miners to attend the services. It was perhaps the largest funeral which the town has known. Mr. Williams was a very industrious and greatly respected citizen and his loss is keenly felt by the community and the church to which he gave generous financial support.
“Superintendent Morgan Morgan closed the mines for the afternoon in respect to the dead and to allow the miners to attend the services.”
The reliance on coal mining defined early regional towns like Black Diamond, often at a high human cost. Today, while coal is no longer the economic engine, the legacy of industrial hazard and community-led memorialization remains a central part of the story of Washington's extractive history.
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