Men in the Mines
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Posted by Sandra Williams Dec 2, 2007 |
I just watched a special on CBC about the Men of the Deeps who are famous former miners that formed a choir. They reminisced about the history of mining in Cape Breton and how horrible the conditions were. Even with all the risks many miss mining because of the camaraderie and bonds they made that will never be broken.
- Many of the men had enormous adjustments because they had to move to obtain work after the mines closed. Some of them also had to learn a new skill at a later age. One 42 year old man got hired on as a call center representative. He's amused at the younger ones who talk as though they're smarter than him because of their computer skills.
Others told stories of lost relatives and sudden fatal explosions that killed friends. Another huge health risk many faced from all the coal dust in the air was black lung.
Here's part of the chorus of one of their catchy songs
"Dust in the air all through the mine.
It's concrete on your lungs and you're old before your time."
I also found a video of Men of the Deeps on YouTube. "Mining's a living. It's rough and it's tough. And being coal miners we're used to that stuff."
Related: Mining, Environment and Poverty