Halifax Grammar School - Grammarian Yearbook (Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada)

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A RESCUE FROM A MINE The day of the disaster started like any other day. It was cold and gloomy as my brother and I made our way through the sleeping; ugly little mining town of Bradley., Our fellow miners passed us or walked by our sides, but we did little more than shake our heads, and say a gruff Goodmorning, Not until the morning wore on and we were fully awakened, would we become cheerful and friendly toward one another„ We collected our headlamps, drills, picks and shovels and made out way into the elevator shafto Down, down we went to the lowest level, and then climbed out of the shaft, and started our work. We worked steadily for most of the morning and we were all thinking how hungry we were, when suddenly a strange rumbling sound reached our earso My heart skipped in terror, for how often I had heard my father tell me of that dreadful rumbling sound which meant that part of the mine had shifted,, As we froze in fright, the rumbling became louder and the rocks started falling in at the end of the shaft o We were trapped! Sounds of shouting and fright from the miners in the other shafts reached our ears, and before I knew it, I had raised my voice to a shout » All the training my fa- ther had given to me came back, and I shouted, Be calm, men! The next hours were a nightmare of cold and dread. The water had started to seep In, and most frightening of all, we could smell the gas fumes. Suddenly I remembered the happy times we miners had had when we sang together, and before I knew it I had started to sing one of our favourite mining songs. The others Joined in, and for hours we huddled together, trying bravely to sing and refusing to stop, in case we should be overcome by fear. As in a dream, I heard a very faint Hello there, and seeing a dim light, I rushed to the corner of the shaft, and knew that we had been found. Our rescuers painfully crawled towards us through a narrow opening in the aiiaft. Those too weak to walk were carried up to safety, and the stronger of us reached the top, leaning on the arms of our rescuers, thanking God who gave us the strength to stay alive. Stephen Greening - Age lOA