Interview with Howard Worley, January 28, 1992

Partial Transcript: This is January 28th, 1992 part of the Barthell documentation project. This is an interview with Howard Worley by Kim McBride.

Segment Synopsis: Howard Worley was born in 1915 in McCreary County. Both him and his father worked in the mines. He began working at Co-Operative mining company when he was 16 years old. He then moved to Barthell because it was closer to home.

Keywords: 1939; Barthell; Barthell Coal Mining, Stearns; Co-Op; Co-Operative (Ky.); Marshes Siding (Ky.); Mines; Worley (Ky.); Yamacraw (Ky.); bridges; cars; coal; creeks; dinner buckets; family; father; hills; homes; motors; train; walking; winter

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; Families.; McCreary County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: What time did you have to be--did you have to be there early because you were running the motors?

Segment Synopsis: Worley talks more about his job including how he arrived 15 minutes early, and was paid $18.84 for a shift. He would usually work 8 hours with his motor, not paid by the ton like other coal workers.

Keywords: 1940; cars; coal; hours; motors; pay; time management

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; McCreary County (Ky.); Wages.

Partial Transcript: And I didn't stay there long, little sister. About four months long as we lived there.

Segment Synopsis: Worley's wife did not like Barthell and so they moved back to Marshes Siding and bought a house there. He picks his house out of a photo, the furthest up on the right.

Keywords: Photographs; Rev Stevens; Store; animals; cliff; cook stoves; dogs; hills; moving furniture; neighbors; rocks; spring water; wife

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); McCreary County (Ky.); Relocation (Housing)

Partial Transcript: While we lived Barthell, Johnny Jones on top of the hill had a very nice home.

Segment Synopsis: When coal was cheap, they would close Barthell and work in their highest quality mines.Quite often work fluctuated with the demand for coal.

Keywords: $2 parking; Barthell; boarding houses; bulletin board; changes in market prices; coal; commuted; driving; foremen; garages; store; sulfur

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Coal miners; Coal mines and mining; Communities.; Company towns; McCreary County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: So, so now, you were telling me you have a letter from the draft board.

Segment Synopsis: Worley was told that he was of more worth working in the coal mines than in the army. Also, he had the dangerous job of dismantling at Stearns Company for two years.

Keywords: Barthell; Co-Op; Co-Operative (Ky.); Howard Sumner; Leroy Coffee; Othel Coffee; Red Rose; Stearns Company; World War II; bath house; danger; flat car; houses; motor man; rail car; skilled job; superintendent; tear down

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; McCreary County (Ky.); Work.

Partial Transcript: So what was, what was the last year that you worked at Barthell, then?

Segment Synopsis: Barthell was closed in 1951 or 1952, but they worked there about two years after that. He then worked on dismantling the camp for the superintendent.

Keywords: Leroy Coffee; Sidney (Ohio); camp; family; mines closed; superintendent; work

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Coal mines and mining.; Company towns; McCreary County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Did you ever have any, um, accidents with your job being so dangerous?

Segment Synopsis: Worley once got his leg injured when he had coal cover him up while on the phone and another man pulled him out. He worked days and nights, but was always a motor man.

Keywords: Barthell; Cawood Whalen; breakthrough (big hole); coal; dependable; dispatcher; double shift; injuries; leg injury; motor man; overtime; shifts; telephone; time-and-a-half; work

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; McCreary County (Ky.); Mine safety.

Partial Transcript: Is he the one that brought you into working in the mines?

Segment Synopsis: Worley quit school after his brother-in-law brought him into the mines. Although his father originally didn't want to sign the papers to allow him to leave school, Stearns had a reputation of having the safest mines, and so he eventually did. Interview is concluded.

Keywords: Caewood Whalen; Danville (Ky.); Stearns; brother-in-law; burnt; coal trains; death; dropout; explosion; fathers; passenger trains; stone mills; tickets; trapdoors

Subjects: Barthell (Ky.); Coal miners; Coal mines and mining.; Dropouts; McCreary County (Ky.); Mine safety.