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onjour!
When you arrive in France via Calais, the inevitable way for those crossing the English Channel,
driving through the north of France offers the stunning spectacle of 300 ft tall black and
cone-shaped hills that line the highways. These man-made slag heaps are constituted of the
coal extraction residue from the neighboring mines. Who are these men from the north who
often have blue eyes and, we are told, sun in their hearts for lack of much of it in their
climate? It is impossible to understand this French region without hearing the history of
its coal mines.
But before continuing, please remember that you can access and read all the newsletters already
published at http://www.francemonthly.com/
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The "Black Diamond"
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Although discovered in antiquity, it wasn’t until the 14th century that coal was first worked
in England, and not until the early 18th century that it aroused any real interest in France.
In April 1713, France and Great Britain settled the War of the Spanish Succession by signing
the Treaty of Utrecht.
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The "Black Diamond"
(Click photo to enlarge)
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France gave up the Mons region along with its rich coal-baring basin, but took back the cities
of Valenciennes, Douai and Lille from the Spanish Netherlands. Coal was then worked beyond the
freshly redrawn frontier along an axis running from the Belgian border to Valenciennes, in
France. For several years, the search for coal led nowhere. If in Belgium seams of coal do
graze the surface of fields, in France they sink down about a hundred feet. For twenty or
so years, this work fraught with pitfalls only produced inferior quality coal. While colossal
investments brought the ruin of some notables who were forced to throw in the towel, others
persisted. In 1735, a pit was dug in Anzin, near Valenciennes, and a seam of coal was uncovered.
This was a fat, rich and good for all uses seam that marked the beginning of a new era where
the working of mines would transform the landscape and the lives of the northern men. This
period would peak about a century later when the Industrial Revolution led to an even greater
demand for this precious energy source, leading to brazen wealth for some and increasing misery
for others.
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The Miners
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It wasn’t long before other drillings succeeded one another, and seams of coal, one richer
than the next, were discovered. The lords of the region embarked on this operation, with
great expectations of getting a substantial piece of the cake for themselves. Companies
multiplied and pits grew in numbers like mushrooms. The main challenge had been to find
the necessary labor, but the farmers of the surrounding countryside flocked to these mines,
drawn by the prospect of a better life. However, they weren’t expecting such rigorous work.
It was all the more difficult for them to adapt to this new industrial discipline because
they were so used to working outdoors, in daylight and in an independent manner. Up until
then, only nature had dictated the rhythm of their work week. In addition, the pay was
mediocre so they had to continue cultivating the earth to make ends meet. Consequently,
when they found themselves at the bottom of the mine, they tended to not strain themselves.
However, with the growth and profitability of this activity reaching exceptional levels,
the companies kept recruiting. The countryside that up until then had been practically
uninhabited filled up with these men and women who came from just about everywhere and
transformed the villages into cities they all had to share.
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Recipe for April 2008
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Gratin with Ham and Mushrooms
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The Mining Landscape
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The countryside of northern France was reshaped. The pit was built on a mound about ten feet tall
formed with materials mined from a man-made shaft. Around it stood a muddle of adjoining buildings:
The forge, the changing shed for the workers, the stable for the horses that powered the coal-lifting
mechanism, and finally the management offices. The miners’ terraced houses were added to this
landscape at the beginning of the 19th century.
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The "Terrils"
(Click photo to enlarge)
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They were formed into long lines of low brick houses all right next to each other.
Competition between mining companies became so fierce that the main difficulty for
them was to retain their workers. And so to secure the loyalty of their employees,
who up until then had lived in makeshift houses that were closer to shacks, the
companies built them solid accommodations. Even though these new dwellings were
small and provided only basic comfort, they nonetheless offered the miners a real
place to live and raise a family. The managers held a double interest in this: By
offering their workers low cost housing, they not only had them settle down near
their workplace, but also had them increase their dependence on the mine. Little
by little, the inhabitants gave up their rural habits of living off their own
produce and bought their consumer goods in the stores and cooperatives run by
the mining companies. As a result, most miners went into debt feeding themselves.
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The Mine Foremen
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Once the companies had secured the necessary manpower to work the mines and were assured
of their loyalty, they often set things up to enslave them. Their goal was to create a
real mining proletariat,
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A Forge tower
(Click photo to enlarge)
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the only way to contain these men whose miserable working and living conditions made them
quick to rebel. Strict discipline was imposed which was absolutely necessary given how
dangerous their work setting was and what a hostile environment it created. Some miners
were selected not only for their competence but also for their obedience to employers who
were becoming more and more demanding. They would get promoted and become foremen, referred
to as “porions”. They were in charge of controlling the work done in the mine, supervising
everyone’s productivity, diligence, and adherence to working hours. But their duties went
even beyond that. They lived in the same housing development as the workers, albeit in more
comfortable dwellings, and were in charge of keeping the peace in the area. Demotions and
fines were some of the repressive means at their disposal to enforce their mission. Needless
to say, their relations with the miners were strained, although it was very difficult for
the miners not to submit to the lifestyle rules imposed by the mining companies.
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"Giddy Up!"
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Miners went through the same motions every day. After arriving at the pit on foot or by bicycle,
they would change into work clothes and hang their town clothes onto long ropes in the "room of
the hanged".
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The room of the hanged
(Click photo to enlarge)
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As a prerequisite for work, they would go by the lamp store where an employee would hand
them a lamp. This precious work tool could either be a lifeline or a source of danger.
Without light, they could not move through the galleries or go about their work. But
more importantly, the lamp helped detect dangerous coal gas called "firedamp" that was
the cause of so many accidents. At the very beginning of mine working, men, women and
children would descend deeper and deeper using vertical ladders, and there were many
falls. At the beginning of the 19th century, cages were put in that functioned with
cables to lower the miners down or pull them back up, and this represented considerable
progress. Still, the dozens of miners who would crowd these tiny cages experienced deep
anxiety. Beyond the occasional accidents caused by a cable suddenly breaking loose, the
descent over hundreds of feet would occur so fast that some miners would feel like they’d
become deaf by the time they reached the bottom.
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The Ghosts of the Mine |
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The conditions were extreme and the risks omnipresent. There could be wall collapses,
falls, floods, and fires caused by the ignition of the firedamp. There were many accidents,
some more terrible than others, but all of them devastating since entire families were
affected by these tragedies. Grandfathers, fathers and sons often all worked together
in the same crew because salaries were paid on a global basis, not an individual one.
The explosion of the Courričres mine on March 10, 1906 occurred at a time when the
Courričres Mining Compagy employed about 3,000 workers. It was a dreadful disaster
that marked these miners forever. At about 6:30 am that day, 1,425 men from the day
crews had just been lowered down into the pit when a terrible explosion was heard in
Shaft # 3. The deflagration was such that the surface facilities were blasted, and a
worker was even killed above ground. Miraculously, several miners did manage to find
their way back out, but 1,100 of them were trapped at the bottom. Rescue teams did their
best to get organized in these particularly difficult conditions, with raging fire,
polluted air, and the threat of the galleries collapsing. The entire miners’ community
attended the funerals, where the anger was as intense as the pain. At Billy Montigny,
the procession was close to a mile long. Three weeks after the tragedy, on Friday,
March 30, a team in charge of monitoring the galleries discovered 13 men who had
somehow survived, but were in a state of extreme weakness. Five days later, a
fourteenth survivor emerged seemingly from nowhere. As is often the case, the
women were the first to embark on a massive rebellion movement to denounce the
awful working conditions. As always, the movement was quickly suppressed by the
forces of law and order, and one month later, fresh recruits started the work again.
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The Miners’ Leisure Activities
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The mining companies organized practically every aspect of their workers’ lives: Housing, the provision of
fresh supplies, work, and even entertainment.
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Carrier Pigeons
(Click photo to enlarge)
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To fight the dangers of alcoholism, but also to steer the miners away from discussions
which could lead to rebellions, the managers encouraged their workers to join brass bands
or singing groups. It was much more than an invitation to do so, as they demanded a real
commitment from the miners who had to sign 3 to 5-year contracts. Fines were handed out
left and right if they broke the contract before it expired, or if they didn’t attend
the rehearsals regularly, or even if they simply showed up late. For lack of an interesting
landscape or any luxuriant vegetation in this region, the inhabitants didn’t care much for
walks as a form of recreation. Instead, they extensively took up the raising and training
of carrier pigeons. Even as amateurs, they found in this activity a welcome escape from the
drudgery of their daily existence. The dove represented a pure, beautiful and free world to
them. Soon enough, the “coulonneux”, as they became known, formed associations that, unlike
the other ones, were not run by the mining companies. The “coulonneux” were happy to find in
the practice of this hobby an opportunity for initiative, observation and meditation, all of
which were impossible to experience in the bottom of the mine.
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An Invitation to Travel... |
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If you go through the north of France, we highly recommend you make a stop at the
Historical Mining Center of Lewarde, east of Douai, where you will find the largest
mining museum in France. You will hear the fascinating story of three centuries of
coal working, told by a genuine retired miner who will make you feel the pride of
these courageous men and women while he depicts the daily difficulties they had to
face. You will understand how deep-seated feelings of belonging to the close-knit
and united miners’ community kept it going despite so much adversity. Please do
visit their English website at: http://www.chm-lewarde.com/english/index2.htm.
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