Plans are underway for Reunion 99 scheduled for August 7^th in Jerome, Pa. Hopefully your calendars have been marked and you have included Jerome in your travel plans.

There will be some changes for this year's reunion and you are asked to look on the last page for further information. The major change is that the reunion is being catered and it is important that you return the form by July 1^st with the appropriate payment in order that the proper amount of food can be ordered.

Once again we encourage the use of Somerset Motels so we can try to have the Sunday morning breakfast. In the past two years it seems that this event is just as much fun as the Reunion. Last year the majority of the out of town guests stayed at the Ramada Inn in Somerset. Georgiann contacted the Ramada Inn and they have set aside a block of 10 rooms for August 6^th and 7th for the Orlandi Family Reunion. The rate is $58 for a single and $68 for a double. Call 814-443-4646 to make reservations.

If you feel you can help in some fashion at the Reunion please let us know. We are planning to have children games again and can always use help. Also, we are planning on having some 50/50 drawings this year throughout the reunion. If we get enough interest we will have some tee times at a local golf course.

See you August 7th

Call for Family Stories

It has been my intent to try to develop a Family Newsletter that would allow the exchange of family stories. They are the life blood of any family and while the reunion offers a little time for us to do that there really hasn't been any other medium until the newsletter. In this issue I have included an article published by the Conemaugh Township Historical Society. I found it quite amazing and hopefully it will inspire more of us to develop some family stories and submit them for the newsletter.

My wife Colette has suggested that one day I get my Aunt Rose and Uncle Jimmy together (and perhaps with a few glasses of wine) and have them just tell some of the things they remember, especially their younger years. They are the link to my grandfather and grandmother; they hold the keys to the family memories and once they have passed away we won't have them to ask questions. Colette also suggested that I document these stories so they won't be lost. One method for this preservation is to either use a tape recorder or a video recorder thus allowing one to go back to review what was said.

I strongly encourage everyone to get their families to get together and start recording some of the stories that are shared. We may have a tendency to think that we need to do this with our elders but our current family stories are just as important for our children and their children.

Life in the Coal Mining Years of Jerome

by James Orlandi as told to Lee Williamson

Recently, in the course of my insurance business, I had the opportunity to talk to a gentleman from Jerome named Jim Orlandi. Jim is truly an amazing man, and I spent about six hours with him while he talked about Jerome in the early years. His thoughts and recollections follow in this interview.

James Orlandi was born on August 3, 1911, in Westmoreland County. He celebrated his 87th birthday this year. Jim currently lives in Jerome in his own house at 225 Conemaugh Avenue and loves to talk and walk. I could never contact him in the mornings because that was his "exercise time" as he walked the streets of Jerome.

Jim was born and reared in Smithton, Pa. However, when the B & O train knocked over the mining tipple in 1925, his family had to leave Smithton so that his father could find work. At that time, the Jerome mines were expanding, and they were hiring miners; so his father packed up the family and moved to Jerome.

Jim was 14 when his father got a job in the Jerome mines. Jerome's mines were of the shaft mining type where the men would get into a cage and be transported straight down. In contrast, the Kelso mines were of the tunneling type where the men would walk in. (My grandfather was also a miner, and he worked at the mines in Jasahill in the Carpenters Park area, where the mine was also the tunneling type.)

Along with Jim's dad, his older brother Charley also worked in the mines. Jim was too young at age 14 to be employed in the mines, but got a job at Acitelli's farm working for 50 cents a day. Jim related to me that after working in the fields for two years in the sun and the heat, he asked his dad, "How is it in the mines?" Jim's father said, "Well, you don't have to worry about the sun and the heat because it is always cool." Jim promptly said to his dad, "Can you get me a job in the mines? I am pretty tired of this field stuff with the sun burning down on me all the time." Being a good father, Jim's dad got him a job in the mines, which made three from the Orlandi household working in the mines.

Jim immediately loved the mines. He liked the men. There was no sun. And it was simply amazing to Jim as a young man. Since the Jerome mines were of the shaft mining type, approximately 10 men would get into a "cage" that would transport them down into the mine. When Jim got into the mine, he was amazed that it was virtually a small town. There were signs, areas, and streets (or shafts). All of the sections were marked North, south, east, and west. Sometimes the miners were transported one to six miles from the shaft entrance. All of the mines had blueprints, and they would mine coal around certain items that were on the top of the ground, like farms.

For excitement outside of the mines in those days, Jim and his friends would ride the streetcar from the Jerome Company Store down through Davidsville and Tire Hill (then known as Kelso) to Johnstown. He remembers those trips as being loads of fun. When the streetcar reached the end (either Johnstown or Jerome), they would always flip the seats around - to go the other direction. Jim also recalls the many trips going down to Kelso when the boys would "rock" the streetcar, making the girls scream out of fear. But mostly, his hours and days were spent in the mines.

One day, when Jim and others were working in the north section, they heard a "swoosh" sound. Then they heard men talking. At first it was sort of scary, so Jim yelled, "Who is there?" A voice answered back, "This is Frank Smaila." Jim and his friends laughed because they knew him, but they couldn't understand what he was doing in front of them. What they found out was that the Jerome section crew had tunneled into the Hyasota mine area and its crew. The swooshing sound was the air being drawn from Jerome to Hyasota. The Jerome crew said goodbye, covered the hole with canvas and rock to make the hole airtight and retreated back to the supervisor's office to review the blueprints and to try and figure out where they had gone wrong.

Jim worked his way up from shoveling coal to greasing the wagons or mantrips. A mantrip was a motorized cart used to haul things in and out of the mine. His new job as a "grease-man" earned him $3.74 a day. However, when the brake-man didn't show up, Jim was elevated to that position as well. Eventually, he moved into the brake-man job (or "snapper," in miner's terms); then to motor-man, which paid $4 a day wages (not hourly).

Rules and enforcement were everywhere. One day when Jim was going back into the mine as a motor-man, the track was in a section that was approximately six miles long and all uphill. Jim stopped to pick up three miners that were walking along because he thought he would help them out and give them a ride. However, Jim knew he was not allowed to pick anyone up - this was one of the rules. Nevertheless, when Jim neared his destination, he told the miners to get off his mantrip and wait awhile as he didn't want everyone arriving there at the same time. Jim thought that this was a good idea and that no one would find out. The men did so and waited awhile until Jim completed his trip. The next day, his boss, Harry Stahl, approached him and asked, "How many men did you give a ride to yesterday? Jim, being very honest, said he had picked up these three miners because it was a six-mile journey out through the shaft. Mr. Stahl had told Jim that he had broken the rules, that this procedure was not allowed, and never to do it again; and furthermore, Mr. Stahl clearly stated that "no s.o.b.'s are allowed on the motorcar again." A few days later, as Jim was driving his mantrip into the mine again, he was approaching his boss who was walking into the mine. As he drove past his boss, Jim suddenly realized that Mr. Stahl had disappeared. So Jim stopped the car, assuming that his boss, Harry Stahl, had sneaked onto the car. Harry said, "What's the trouble?" Jim said nothing, except that "no s.o.b.'s were allowed on this car." Harry got off and not a word was ever said after that. To this day, Jim is unsure whether Harry was testing him or if he actually needed a ride.

At age 24, Jim got married, but couldn't find a house in Jerome because they were all filled up. Jim talked with his supervisor, Mr. Boyd, and inquired of his dad "I have worked every day, never missed a day, and have always worked hard. Can you get me a house?" Mr. Boyd said that the houses went to the workers that did the harder jobs like loading the conveyor belt, et cetera. Jim said, "Okay, then. Give me that job." And a few years later, Jim got his house after living with his wife in one room of another miner's house. He kept telling his boss that if he didn't get a house of his own, he was going to quit because there were lots of jobs at that time. Jim had moved out of Jerome for about one year to Boswell, where houses were more available. However, due to the long drive between Boswell and Jerome, Jim preferred to live in Jerome. So when one of the miners quit and went to the Portage mines, a double house became available for Jim and his new wife.

Jerome was a growing town at this time. The single-family cottages, which were one-story, four-room houses, were at the upper section of town (above the present elementary school). The double houses were at the lower end (from the present Catholic Church to the Polish Falcons) and in a section across the tracks section (behind the present fire hall). Company houses at that time were renting for $8 a month for a single house and $7.50 for a double house. Also, all miners were required to buy their food and supplies from the company store, which had a list of who bought and how much they bought. If you didn't buy from the store, the supervisor would give you "hell."

Jim even recalls his earlier days when the supervisor would confront him because he had no record of purchases at the store. Jim said he lived at home, was giving all of his pay to his father and mother (because he had nine brothers and sisters, plus himself and his dad and mother), and to please check the register because his dad was purchasing goods at the company store.

Gradually, more stores developed in town, and the business of service and competition gradually grew. One of Jim's friends had just gotten a job, but needed a new pick and shovel and auger, so they went to the company store. The store would not give him credit because he had no record of employment. Jim explained that his friend needed the equipment to work, to make the money to get the credit. The company store refused to give him credit. So Jim and his friend went to John Mayshock's Store, where he got credit.

More people started to buy from non-company stores based on credit and trust. Gradually, a rift developed between the company stores and the independent stores. The independent stores even took orders and delivered goods and food. Jerome at this period in time was not the laid-back community that it is today. Mining and miners were a tough business composed of tough people. They produced tough "kids" that helped support the winning football teams and traditions at Conemaugh Township High School.

How tough? Well, how about a murder? As Jim recalls, a miner named John Lease had a brother that was killed outside of the lamp-house (outside of the mine). He was killed by another miner because he felt he was being cheated or shortchanged on the coal cars that were being loaded. The miners were paid for the amount of coal and/or number of coal cars that were loaded. He got into an argument with John's brother, pulled out a gun and shot and killed him. The other miners saw what happened and chased the murderer up to the water tower (near the current Lehman Acres), where they caught him and turned him in to the police. He was serving a life sentence and eventually died in jail.

Jerome Hotel at this time was a booming business. It had a large bar and dining room and was the only place in town where you could rent a room. All of the mine inspectors and business people that came to Jerome from Pittsburgh and other towns stayed at this hotel. It also served three meals a day. The hotel even packed and delivered lunches for the mine inspectors lodging there that inspected the mines. The bar was a lively place, with various forms of entertainment and rowdiness. The local policeman lived directly next to the hotel so as to be close to solve any associated problems.

Most of the miners' homes did not have hot water or showers, but the Jerome Hotel did. Consequently, most of the miners at day's end would head for the hotel where a shower room occupied the basement, complete with hot water, showers and lockers. The cost per miner was $2 a week, and the charge was deducted directly from the miner's paycheck.

Jerome at this time was mostly Italian and Catholic. Broken English and Italian were the basic languages. In later years, Jim says that they "left in" a few Lutherans and Nazarenes.

In 1935, unionization hit Jerome, with union miners coming from Westmoreland and Washington counties. They formed picket lines, and nobody would cross. So everyone in the Jerome gang joined the union. From Jerome, unionization spread to Boswell, Windber, and Kelso. According to Jim "Unions were the best thing for the miners. Safety improved as did wages and working conditions."

When UMW President Tony Boyle visited Johnstown, the Jerome gang traveled there to hear him. As the gang was going down Tire Hill Road, a woman was stopped along the road with a flat tire. Jim said to the driver, "Tom, aren't you going to stop and help the woman?" Tom said, "Let her fix her own tire. Women want equal rights; and besides, we will be late for the union dinner."

DANGER - Miners lived it every hour of every day. Once, at the end of a shift, when the miners were coming up in the cage, a bar fell down caused by the vibration of the cage and pulleys. A miner was killed outright as he was waiting for the cage to come to the top so that he could go home.

More rules were put into effect after that death No tools, et cetera, were allowed above the shaft and cages. There were times when the cage operator would forget and wouldn't stop the cage at ground level, making the cage continue upward and tip, spilling the miners into the coal pile if they weren't holding on. Jim experienced this firsthand as a passenger; and when the cage tipped, all of the miners had cuts and scratches. Whistles were used to signify the direction the cage was traveling One whistle meant the cage was going up; two whistles, going down.

As mentioned earlier, the mine was an underground town, complete with a mule barn. One can only imagine the stench from mules living there. The miners often used the mules to haul coal up and down the steep hills inside the mine. Once Jim hitched up the mule, loaded the cart with coal, and the mule wouldn't go. So they got a 10-foot piece of "shot wire" (fine, insulated wire), put one end on the trolley wire and then touched the mule's ear. Needless to say, the mule didn't stop until he had run out of the tunnel.

Mine tunnels always had two headings; air went up one tunnel or shaft and down the other. The tunnels were like roads on top of the ground; they twisted and turned, went up and down. One tunnel went as far as the Somerset Pike under Casa Nova.

Each mine had baseball teams. Thus, Jerome played Kelso, Hollsopple, Meyersdale and Garrett. Of course, the players got preferential treatment and were allowed to quit early to rest before the game. Jim remembers Harry Reckner who was an excellent pitcher. He always quit at 2 o'clock on game day, but was paid for a full shift.

Men such as John Stankan, Willie Stankan, Albert Stankan, Frank Kelly, and Tom Patula were his fellow workmen. Ironically, many of their sons and daughters, including Jim's, were my fellow classmates and friends at Conemaugh Township Area High School.

In 1954, the mines closed. According to Jim "There were too many bosses and not enough coal being mined." Most of the miners worked two days a week, but the bosses were there every day, every shift, and just sat in the shanty. The company was paying out more in wages and benefits than the coal being produced; and hence, this was the downside of unionization. So the company houses were sold, with first option going to the occupant. If a person didn't want to buy his own house, but wanted one down the street, he could buy it if that person didn't want it.

For a few years, Jim worked with Frank Kelly for Latrobe Construction building local roads. However, he was always a miner. He didn't want to lose his pension, so he was trying to get back into the mines by age 62 in order to renew his pension. All of the big bosses formerly at Jerome had gone to the Bolivar mines, including the top boss at Jerome, Robert VanDivender.

One day, Jack Luteri told Jim to go down to St. David's Lutheran Church in Davidsville because they were building a new church. Jack was the stone mason. Jim reported for work, but was scared because they kept hauling the stone from the ground to the scaffolding, which made the scaffolding sway very erratically. Jim told Jack to tie off the scaffolding to the windows so it wouldn't sway. Jim was still safety conscious after mining work.

He worked at the church only one day because he was called to work at the Bolivar mines, where he worked until he received his pension under his former boss Robert VanDivender.

As Jim surpasses his 87th birthday, he has good feelings about mining in general and how good the union was and still is. His family has left the area, and they all want him to move to Maryland with them. However, according to Jim, Jerome is his home, and he has no intentions of leaving.

Jim still lives in his original "cottage" at 225 Conemaugh Avenue, Jerome, near his sister, who lives in one of the doubles a few houses down. Jim would love to talk to anyone about his early years in Jerome, and he can be contacted at the address above.

This article was printed in the "Heritage Newsletter" that is published by the Conemaugh Township Area Historical Society in Davidsville Pa. A sincere thank you to the Society for allowing us to reprint the article in our newsletter. If you're interested in joining the CTA Historical Society, dues are $15 a year for individuals, which includes (usually) 6 newsletters. That can be mailed to PO Box 307 (c/o Virgil Good), Davidsville, PA 15928.

Your Family Story could and should be here

....help us by sharing your story!

News and Notes

Correspondence was received identifying some of the pictures in the last newsletter. The four people in picture 1 are front: Carlo and Angelo, back: Maria Pia and Adolfo Orlandi, children of Vincenzo Orlandi and Teresa (Orlandi) Gionghi. In picture 2 Chiarina Orlandi and Rodolfo Gionghi are seated in front and Tullio, Inez, Teresa and Bruno are standing left to right in the back. Picture 8 has been identified as Patrizio Orlandi. Picture 9 is the location of the original home of the Orlandi Family in Senaso, San Lorenzo. Picture 11: Tullio Gionghi on the left.

Please continue to send me all updates to the family tree. I have been extremely busy this year and have not had time to update the web family tree as often as I would like. But, I still continue to update the database whenever I receive information. It may be so insignificant of a thing to you but it is important to the family...so send in your updates. Thanks.

A special thanks to Palma Orlandi, The Larrimer Family, The Livengood Family, The Panek Family and Vicky Orlandi for their financial contributions to produce and mail the newsletter.

EMAIL and Chat

Many members of the family have an email address and do communicate in cyberspace. The latest use of the Orlandi Family Email list was disseminating information about Jimmy Orlandi and his operations and recovery. If you have an email address/change an address please let me know so I can added it to the Orlandi Family list and send it out to everyone.

Also, American Online (AOL) has always had a means for AOL members to 'chat' with another AOL member when both were online at the same time. AOL has made that software available for free to non-AOL members as well and call it Instant Messenger. When you sign up you give yourself a "screen name" so that others know when you are online. The web address for this software is: http://www.aol.com/aim/home.html and the instructions are pretty easy to understand.

Sometimes e-mail just isn't fast enough. Communicate on the Internet in a whole new way! Try AOL Instant Messenger now and exchanging personal messages instantly and privately with other users --no matter what country you are in or how you are connected to the Internet. It's FREE and Easy!

Another 'chat' software is ICQ. This software is a bit more complex than AOL's instant messenger as it allows exchanging of files and voice email. You can find the instructions for this software at http://www.icq.com and if you have any problems with it please let me know.