for extreme heat, deal with it when it occurs,
and what to do afterward.
Extreme heat can occur quickly and without
warning, and it often results in the highest
number of annual deaths nationwide among
weather-related hazards. In hot conditions,
evaporation is slowed, and the body must work
extra hard to maintain a normal temperature.
High humidity increases the risk of heat-related
health issues.
Allegheny County Emergency Services
reminds residents that they can prepare for
extreme heat in several ways, including learning
the signs of heat-related illness and the ways to
respond.
Heat cramps and heat exhaustion can result
in muscle pains or spasms, heavy sweating,
paleness, weakness, dizziness, headache, or
fainting. Anyone experiencing those symptoms
should go to a cooler location, loosen or remove
clothing, takes sips of cool sports drinks, and
get medical help if the symptoms last more than
an hour.
Signs of heat stroke include an extremely high
body temperature (above 103 degrees taken
orally); red, hot, and dry skin with no sweat;
rapid, strong pulse; dizziness; confusion; or
unconsciousness. If you see those symptoms,
call 9-1-1 or get the person to a hospital
immediately. Cool down with whatever means
necessary until help arrives.
Residents can also prepare for extreme heat
by stocking up on food, water, and medicines;
checking with their doctor to determine if
changes are needed to their medicines during
extreme heat; storing medicines safely at the
recommended temperature; and checking that
their fans and/or air conditioners work well.
Also, residents can utilize other ways to make
their homes cooler, including covering windows
with drapes/shades, weather-stripping doors
and windows, using window reflectors, adding
insulation, and using attic fans.
JOIN US FOR THE
AMERICAN LEGION POST
464 GOLF OUTING
This outing benefits the American
Legion roof fund & American Legion
Scholarship Fund. It will be held September 29,
at the Moon Golf Club, 505 McCormick Road
Moon Township, 15108. Check-in at 12 p.m.,
shotgun start at 1 p.m. Entry fee $75 per player.
Make checks out to: American Legion Post
464, 229 Herbst RD. Coraopolis, PA 15108.
The day includes: Golf, prizes, meal and
refreshment’s. For more information, contact
Butch at 412.496.1119, or [email protected].
Deadline to register is Aug. 30. A hole-in-one
wins a new car! n
ROBINSON TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY
MINUTE READ: THE COMPANY STORE
The imposing frame building in Moon Run known as the Pittsburgh Coal
Company Store was much more than a store. It was also the post office, a meeting
place where people not only picked up their mail but exchanged the latest gossip. On
Sunday, it housed two churches—one Protestant, one Catholic. The basement held
the town jail with its own stories to tell. The company store was all of these things and
more, but it also had a darker side. It was a bottomless money pit for miners and their
families.
The Moon Run Coal Mines existed from 1899 to approximately 1939. Trips to
the store were a daily necessity for most wives because with no refrigeration, food
spoiled quickly. Even so, what they could afford to buy was extremely limited. Many
decades ago, a woman who grew up in the patch remembered, “To me, the company
store was the biggest building I ever saw, filled with candy bars, Eskimo Pies, five-
cent chocolate cakes, and other goodies we couldn’t
afford.”
Besides food staples and other necessities like
shoes, clothing, and furniture, the store also sold
every type of mining equipment (picks, shovels,
headlamps, explosives), which the miners had
to purchase for their work because nothing was
supplied for them by their employer.
Before a miner could draw any pay, the company
store bill and rent for their company-owned house were automatically deducted. For
most miners and their families, those deductions not only took all of their pay, but
added to their ever-growing debt. Many of them never managed to climb out of the
hole. Said one wife in the 1930s, “We always owed the company store money. My
husband once went three years without getting a penny in his paycheck.” Eventually
the mine workers’ union and mechanization brought much-needed improvements,
but sadly not until after the Moon Run Mines had permanently shut down.
Those interested in the history of Robinson Township, or just history in general,
are encouraged to stop by the RTHS museum at 1000 Church Hill Road on Tuesday
or Thursday afternoons from 1 to 3:30 p.m., or call at 412.788.6795. You can also find
it on Facebook at @RTHS1989.
CARLYNTON-MONTOUR
❘
FALL 2019
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