The Morning Union Grass Valley, California December 18, 1934
Joseph Holman was overcome by gas during an explosion at the Empire Mine
Newspaper clipping shared by JoanK.
My Great Aunt Frances Charlotte Hayes married Joseph J. Holman on July 22, 1933. Uncle Joe worked in the Empire Mine, one of the oldest, deepest and richest gold mines in California. He held a steady job that paid well during the depression years; he also experienced first hand how dangerous that job could be.
By 1933 the Great Depression was making an enormous impact on the lives of United States citizens. Bank failures, soup kitchens, Hooverville shanty towns and the Dust Bowl migrations come to mind. What was happening in Grass Valley, California at that time? How were people earning a living? It turns out that the California Gold Country was experiencing a boom in gold production and northern California was actually a "bright spot in a dark country". During the 1930's more than 40 mines were operating in the area and mine employment rose considerably. Miners were able to earn a living wage that could support their families. This in turn spurred on the economy of the area. Grass Valley was the place to live and work during the Depression! (Gage McKinney in his book No Depression Here September 1, 2009).
Uncle Joe came to America from Camborne, Cornwall, England as an 11 year old. Joseph's father Alfred James was an out of work tin miner in Camborne; he knew it was time to look for work where he could find it, and provide more opportunities for his family in a new country. He had come to Canada earlier to work in the mines and eventually earned enough money to pay for passage for his sister and his two sons.
Passage Order for Joseph James Holman, his brother Alfred John and his Aunt Bertha Holman to Canada. Aunt Bertha watched the boys in Cornwall while Alfred was in Canada. Shared by JoanK.
Michigan, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1903-1965 for Joseph J Holman
Joseph Holman came into the United States through Michigan on November 1, 1923.
The 1930 US Census is quite interesting! By this time the Holman boys were living with their father Alfred on the Old Auburn Road in Grass Valley California and Alfred worked in a gold quartz mine (the Empire Mine?). His life reflected the stories of many Cornish miners who had lost work with the closing of the tin and copper mines in Cornwall and who had immigrated to America where mining was booming and jobs were available. The Cornish brought with them centuries of skills and know how that they applied to the hard rock mines here. The Holmans were a part of the Cornish diaspora that eventually settled in Grass Valley.
Also on the very same page of the census I found the George VanDuzer family with my great grandmother Emma King Hayes (who had remarried George VanDuzer) and her three daughters, Dorothy, Frances (later to become Joseph's wife) and my grandmother Margaret Hayes. They lived off the Auburn Highway just a few short miles away from the Holmans.
A young Joe Holman working as a professional boxer
Picture shared by JoanK
Uncle Joe began working at the Empire Mine when he was around 18 and married Auntie Fran when he was around 21. During this time he also worked as a professional boxer!
Newspaper article shared by JoanK. From an unknown newspaper, printed several days after the December 18th 1934 date. Continued below:
Mining was probably one of the most hazardous jobs to have in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Empire Mine was proud of its long standing safety record. The Empire Crew was the champion rescue crew of the state in 1934. All miners and workers were required to go through safety training.
Joseph Holman's First Aid Card issued April 1933
Shared by JoanK
On the afternoon of December 18, 1934, a terrific explosion rocked the mine as a powder magazine exploded at the 3,000 foot level. Two miners were killed and four others were overcome by gas, including Joseph Holman. His family saved several newspaper articles from that time that I have posted here. The cause was never found, although the men (including Uncle Joe) thought that Frank Harvey went in that afternoon to the powder magazine with a cigarette. He did not survive. Poor Clarence Dickerman, who was planning on getting married soon, also did not survive. Uncle Joe was unconscious as he was pulled to the surface by the rescue team. As a result of the accident he partially lost his hearing and had breathing difficulties for many years. It was a difficult time for his family.
From The Sacramento Bee December 1934. Shared by JoanK.
Newspaper clipping shared by JoanK. Unknown source.
The news had reached across the United States.
Fran and Joe Holman with their son Jim around 1935 after the accident. Picture in my collection.
Fran and Joe Holman with their son Jim around 1935 after the accident. Picture in my collection.
Uncle Joe continued working for the Empire Mine. The 1940 US Census records his occupation as 'working in a gold mine', as does the 1950 US Census.
The second page of his WWII Draft Card records his deafness.
Picture shared by Joank.
The Empire Mine was forced to close down in October of 1942 after being declared nonessential to the war effort (WW2). During that time Uncle Joe worked in the shipyards in Oakland as did my grandfather Harold Hansen. Joe Holman also worked on the trains between Colfax and Truckee to make ends meet. After the war there were shortages of skilled mine workers, workers' strikes and rising inflation costs resulting in the beginning of the end for the mines.
The Empire Mine 3,200 foot level
Pinterest
The Empire Mine closed in 1956 after extracting 5.8 million ounces of gold from underneath the town of Grass Valley. It was a sad time for the community. The booming economy based on mining that was seen during the Depression was over.
But, during that window of time Uncle Joe was able to earn a living and support his family when many were not so fortunate. The job was dangerous as the events of December 18, 1934 show us. Uncle Joe was very lucky to have survived. One newspaper clipping said, "...Announcement of the terrible underground blast, bulletined by the Morning Union at Grass Valley and Nevada City, turned holiday shoppers, gay outside visitors and veteran miners gray and pallid, as details of the city's worst mine disaster in several decades became known...". I can't even imagine how my great aunt felt at the time. Uncle Joe overcame the accident, although he was hard of hearing the rest of his life. He even served as Blasting Foreman for several road projects in the area later on.
I remember going to visit my Auntie Fran and Uncle Joe at their home on Sunset Avenue in the 70's when I visited my cousins during the summer. Uncle Joe had his rabbits and later on his birds in the shed in back of the house. He and Auntie Fran loved their garden. I remember our adventurous trips to the dump in the back of his truck. What I remember the most is how LOUD everyone in that family was. Auntie Fran was a tiny little thing but her voice could be heard for blocks. Especially if she needed to get Uncle Joe's attention. For a long time I did not know why everyone spoke so loudly to communicate with each other. I just thought that was the way this side of the family was!
Thank you Auntie Joan for sharing these newspaper clippings and pictures, and allowing me to tell a part of Uncle Joe's story.
The way I remember Auntie Fran and Uncle Joe! Photo taken sometime in the early 80's.
Relationship Reference:
Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Margaret Elizabeth Hayes Hansen (sisters Dorothy and Frances)->Emma King Hayes VanDuzer
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