No.9

Bonnie E. Stewart is Assistant Professor of Journalism at West Virginia University, USA. She is a former investigative reporter whose work earned The George Polk Award and the national Sigma Delta Chi Award for Public Service.

"Riveting. Chilling. Revealing. The story of Farmington Mine No. 9 belongs on everybody's book shelf. Seventy-eight miners died during a disaster that rocked West Virginia's coal fields 43 years ago--propelling front page headlines across the USA and a trail of safety concerns across the globe. Bonnie E. Stewart, a brilliant investigative reporter and university professor, refused to let the headlines fade away. Hail her tenacity." Bob Dubill, Former Executive Editor, USA TODAY "Bonnie Stewart has written a remarkable book which deserves wide circulation. She has exhaustively researched all the documentary evidence, bolstered with scores of personal interviews. Her evidence proves without a shadow of doubt that the 78 coal miners who lost their lives in the November 20, 1968 Farmington Mine Disaster were killed because management ignored repeated personal testimony by the Farmington miners that the mine would blow up unless dangerous methane and huge collections of explosive coal dust were curbed. Those miners who repeatedly pointed out these dangers were humiliated for their efforts, and management in its greed for the almighty dollar put on intense pressure for increased production, even disabling alarm and warning systems. This book also provides fuel for those protesting mountain-top removal, by proving that the pressure for more coal must not over-ride the health and safety of human beings. " Ken Hechler, Former Secretary of State, West Virginia "With 78 dead and 19 never recovered, the sheer magnitude of the Farmington mine disaster focused national attention on mine safety deficiencies and led to the enactment of the first major corrective legislation in several generations. In the wake of 2010's Upper Big Branch disaster, Bonnie Stewart's comprehensive account is a timely reminder that all mine explosions are preventable." Cecil E. Roberts, International President, United Mine Workers of America