Chatham Record Editorial Concerning Coal Mine Tragedy, June 4, 1925

The Record joins with a multitude in admiration of the firm but kindly control Sheriff Blair and his deputies exercises during those crucial days at Coal Glen. One can only admire the wholehearted and tireless manner in which the officials of the Carolina Mining Co. devoted themselves to the interests of their employees. The Carolina Company is officered by North Carolinians, and the capital employed is largely home capital, we believe. The blow is a serious one, but Messrs. McQueen and Butler and their colleagues are made of the stuff that enables them to surmount more than ordinary obstacles.

T.T. Read, representing the government bureau of mines, on returning to Washington, stated that it would not be a difficult matter to determine the cause of the explosions in the coal Glen mine. Representatives of the bureau are now making investigations. It is to be hoped that the cause may be determined and a method of prevention prescribed, that the work of mining the vast coal supply of the Deep River field may progress with assurance of comparative safety to lives and capital.

Pittsboro, though about the same distance from Coal Glen as is Sanford, was at a great disadvantage in approach, as the paving of the Pittsboro-Sanford road necessitated a tedious detour. But, honestly, with all things, even it is a task to compete with that hustling Sanford bunch. Pittsboro, under the circumstances, didn’t try to compete, but did what it did do more as individuals than as a group. But our admiration of the Sanford people, especially those fine ladies who so diligently served, is genuine, and we say that instead of any jealousy on the part of any town in the county or of Chatham county as a whole, the people of Chatham are not only appreciative but also proud of their good neighbor Sanford.

From the editorial page of the Chatham Record, Pittsboro, N.C., Thursday, June 4, 1925, O.J. Peterson, editor and owner.

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