Tomorrow night the bump will happen. Lives will be changed. Lives have changed. I hope that this blog post will help introduce you to mining in Nova Scotia and some of the culture that I associate with the industry. I've posted some links to external websites below if you want to delve deeper than this blog post does - and I encourage you to do so!
As a 'first-generation' Nova Scotian I've learned about mining and Nova Scotian culture from the classroom, the tourism industry and literature. Reading Pit Pony in the 4th grade was a formative moment in my 'Nova Scotia' education and I will always remember the story and the feature film that was produced that year. We also made our own film in our classroom but it didn't make it to the local film festival and there was a particularly exciting moment in the ceilidh scene where I took a tumble but that's beside the point.
I also want to include some comments from the newspaper coverage that really speaks to the culture of mining, and of the miners themselves as well as their ways of life in Springhill, Nova Scotia. Understanding this will help paint a picture of the lives of those who lived the Springhill Bump of 1958.
Ottawa Citizen
Friday October 24th: The "main street was deserted today" "most of the townsfolk were at the mine portal" "Schools were empty" "There was no thought of play"
Toronto Star
Saturday October 25th, following the bump, Archie White: "It's a terrible thing all right, but I'd go back to work in the mines tomorrow. It's the only job I know."
Miner Bill Totten was in the mine on Thursday night when the bump happened: "I was lucky to get out, rocks the size of my head were hurtling by me. But what I got really mad about was losing my teeth. I had saved and saved and just got the new set three months ago. The shock of the bump knocked them clear out of my mouth and I haven't seen them since."
Wednesday October 30th: "Asked if fresh air 'tasted like champagne,' Milley replied: 'What's champagne?'"
These quotes speak to the reliance of the people of Springhill on the mining industry for their livelihood. It also speaks to the relative simplicity of their lives. Melissa Fay Greenes' "Last Man Out" also does a good job of this.
This quote, taken in conjunction with that from the Ottawa Citizen speak to the seriousness of the bump and how it literally affected everyone in Springhill and beyond.
Although I could give you paragraphs of summary, analysis and interpretation - I think the above quotes can mostly speak for themselves. Letting the words of the miners speak for themselves is important, because so often through tourism and our contemporary world we speak for them. Even through this project I have taken the interpretations of others and then re-interpreted them for you through this story. I'll reflect further on this in my blog post on narration.
Looking forward to you joining in tomorrow evening for one of the more exciting series of tweets,
Rebecca
Toronto Star
Saturday October 25th, following the bump, Archie White: "It's a terrible thing all right, but I'd go back to work in the mines tomorrow. It's the only job I know."
Miner Bill Totten was in the mine on Thursday night when the bump happened: "I was lucky to get out, rocks the size of my head were hurtling by me. But what I got really mad about was losing my teeth. I had saved and saved and just got the new set three months ago. The shock of the bump knocked them clear out of my mouth and I haven't seen them since."
Wednesday October 30th: "Asked if fresh air 'tasted like champagne,' Milley replied: 'What's champagne?'"
These quotes speak to the reliance of the people of Springhill on the mining industry for their livelihood. It also speaks to the relative simplicity of their lives. Melissa Fay Greenes' "Last Man Out" also does a good job of this.
Halifax Chronicle Herald
Wednesday October 30th: It stopped raining, everyone was "soaked to the hide" but kept vigil at the mineyard
This quote, taken in conjunction with that from the Ottawa Citizen speak to the seriousness of the bump and how it literally affected everyone in Springhill and beyond.
Although I could give you paragraphs of summary, analysis and interpretation - I think the above quotes can mostly speak for themselves. Letting the words of the miners speak for themselves is important, because so often through tourism and our contemporary world we speak for them. Even through this project I have taken the interpretations of others and then re-interpreted them for you through this story. I'll reflect further on this in my blog post on narration.
Looking forward to you joining in tomorrow evening for one of the more exciting series of tweets,
Rebecca
Links for Further Reading:
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