Our Blood Runs Black

In Episode 5 of Our Blood Runs Black, we talk with Norman Lewis, a miner and mine rescue team captain who responded on the night of the McClure explosion. Norman shares a detailed account of: How the mine was structured and how different sections functioned The brotherhood among miners and why that bond runs so deep This episode offers a deeper understanding of life underground — not just the work...

Tonight’s episode features Ronnie Mann, who was working at McClure No. 1 on the day of the explosion — a day that would change his life forever. Just days earlier, Ronnie had moved to a day-shift locomotive operator position. On June 21, 1983, he completed his shift, went home, ate supper with his family, and prepared for bed — only to receive a late-night phone call telling him the mine was being...

Inside the Rescue — A Rescuer Remembers In tonight’s episode of Our Blood Runs Black, we sit down with Wayne Fields, a mine rescuer who had been underground earlier that same day — noticing small details that would later weigh heavily on him. That night, the call came. The explosion. And the urgent return underground with the Dante Mine Rescue Team. Wayne shares what it was like entering the mine...

This is Our Blood Runs Black — a podcast honoring the people, the faith, and the coalfield legacy that shaped generations. In this episode, hosts Marsha and Becky sit down with Danny Mann, a mine rescue team member who responded to the call on one of the darkest nights in coalfield history. Danny shares what it was like to arrive after the explosion—what he witnessed underground, the urgency of th...

In this first episode, authors of Our Blood Runs Black and hosts Marsha and Becky are joined by Benny Yates, a Mine Engineer Assistant who worked in the slope of hard rock mining. Benny explains in detail how the mines are set up, offering firsthand insight into the underground world that shaped so many coalfield families and communities.