When Charles Skandalis and Felini Martini walked out of Mine No. 1 of the Dawson Mine Complex on February 9, 1923, they left behind the shattered bodies of 120 fellow miners. They were lone survivors of an explosion that ripped through the mine twenty hours before. The two had survived the deadly fumes from the blast by covering their faces with sweaters dipped in water. When they sensed fresh air being pumped into the mine, they worked their way out of the mine, stumbling over wreckage and feeling their way in the dark.

This was not the first, but the second mining disaster to occur at Dawson Mine Complex that collectively took the lives of a veritable United Nations list of victims, including Greeks, Italians, and Mexicans, who were chief among them. 

In 2013, The Ahepan magazine placed a feature “Remembering Dawson” to shine a light on the mining disaster 100 years after the first disaster, which took the lives of 35 Greeks, on October 22, 1913.

Now is a time for the community to participate in an AHEPA national project–a nationwide memorial to mark the 100-year anniversary of the second disaster to be held February 5, 2023. Email Project Chairman Robert Sexton, PSG, to express your interest to participate.