Phillip Cash consoles his daughter, Hannah, as she holds a photo of her grandfather, Michael Ellswick, who was one of 29 miners killed in the Upper Big Branch mine explosion on April 5. The Cash family attended the memorial service at the State Capitol yesterday afternoon.
A tiny, blonde-haired girl, sat on the front row, holding a photo of a coal miner, as photographers snapped pictures of the youngster.
Her name is Hannah Cash and she was there to mourn the death of her grandfather, Michael Ellswick, who died last Monday in the explosion at Performance Coal's Upper Big Branch mine, along with 28 other miners.
Her father, Phillip Cash, said his father-in-law was a great person.
"I can't explain what kind of guy he was," Phillip Cash said. "He was the kind of guy who would give you a hard time every minute he could, but, if he didn't like you, he wouldn't give you a hard time.
"He would give you the shirt off his back, literally. He was a fire boss and a section boss and a lot of guys respected and liked working under him. As a son-in-law, I couldn't have asked for a better father-in-law."
Phillip Cash said he, his wife, Jamie, and his two children, Justin and Hannah, are holding up despite their terrible loss.
"My wife lost her father and my kids lost their grandpa," Phillip Cash said.
"We're holding up with a lot of praying. It's adversity and we'll have to get through it."
Hundreds attended the memorial service held at the Coal Miner Statue on the State Capitol Complex Monday afternoon. State and national officials all gathered at the base of the statue to place a wreath near 29 yellow hard hats and black ribbons, in memory of the miners killed in the blast. At 3:30 p.m., Gov. Manchin asked that everyone observe a moment of silence as the bells tolled 29 times.
More than a dozen of the fallen miners' family members were among those who gathered and prayed at a statue honoring the state’s coal miners.
Four black-ribboned wreaths were placed there along with 29 helmets also bearing black ribbons. The largest of the wreaths featured a white rose for each miner killed as well as two yellow roses for the pair injured.
A bell sounded for each of the dead. Gov. Joe Manchin and U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis were among the officials there who vowed to investigate the deadly blast and respond with measures to prevent another such disaster.
Post a Comment
