Port Washington sand miners remembered

For Michael Pinna, walking through Sandminers Monument Park in Port Washington is like reliving his past.

"We came here to work in snow, rain and heat," said Pinna, 77, who was a sand miner for 39 years in the area where the monument now stands.

"This thing here makes me feel good," he said of the monument. "It's a beautiful feeling. It's something to remember all the years we put in."

Dozens gathered yesterday at the $350,000 monument park, opened to the public a year ago, to recognize the sponsors and community members who worked to make it a reality.

Many of those who were acknowledged, like Pinna of Port Washington, were former miners or their relatives. Government officials, including Jon Kaiman, North Hempstead supervisor, were also thanked.

The monument honors those who worked the mines from 1865 to 1989, unearthing, moving and hauling 140 million cubic yards of sand to barges for the trip to Manhattan for the construction of the skyscrapers and subways, roads and bridges.

Near the entrance to the Harbor Links Golf Course, the monument emerges from one of the last mining tunnels still visible.

Three life-size statues of men stand at the top -- one with a wrench, one with a mallet, the third wielding a shovel. A pair of hands is suspended in the air, pouring sand onto a platform.

A replica of Manhattan emerges from the sand at the monument's elevated base, detailing the city's bridges, buildings and parks.

Saby D'Amico, 92, of Port Washington, said he was among the many immigrants from Italy, Ireland, Germany and Scandinavia who labored in the mines.

"Some people gave their lives," said D'Amico, a mine worker for 35 years. "People would break arms, legs or fall into the sand. I'm proud to see this thing. They deserve it."

Maria Madeddu, came to the event holding a photo of her late husband, Antonio Madeddu, who worked the mines for 39 years.

"He never missed one day," Madeddu, of Port Washington, said. "They worked so hard."