Ines Anderson Gino Busato Dick and Dalia Guzzi Pasquale and Maria Perri

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Q: Were you in any of the mining accidents the bumps or?

P: Lots of those.

Q: You’ve been in bumps?

P: Oh yeah.

Q: What are they like what is that experience like?

P: If you’re talking about the bumps that’s the earth (inaudible) up above to the entry of the mine.

Q: Is that how it feels feels like there’s (inaudible) - like this?

P: Yeah especially where close to the bump.

Q: The floor and ceiling come together?

P: Almost. And then people they’re trapped like that. And cause a lot of dust just like a big bang you know dust all over the place. The first time I tried to run away when I heard that.

Q: Where do you run?

P: That’s right where do you run this guy he grab me from the (inaudible) come on - I say why? He said you don’t know where you’re going in this dust maybe you run into trouble. That’s my experience.

Q: So you sit in one place is that what you’re supposed to do?

P: Oh yes it doesn’t take long just a big bump that’s all. Sometime it cause a lot of damage.

Q: I’m sorry?

P: Lot’s of time it causes a lot of damage this big bump. Oh yeah people (inaudible) some place it causes caving.

Q: But you didn’t worry about that you went back every day?

P: Yeah.

Q: To work?

P: Yeah.

Q: It must have been scary for the women - the wives though aye to have a husband working underground? A detta c’era paurosa per tia aviva ello ca fatigava dentra a mina?

M: Oh yeah.

Q: Yes that’s for sure.

P: My kids are always wanting me to quit. It was too good of a job to quit. Other people couldn’t find no job and I had one I keep it.

This oral history transcript is extracted from the Elk Valley Italian Oral History Project undertaken for the Fernie and District Historical Society in 1998-99. The Heritage Community Foundation and the Year of the Coal Miner Consortium would like to thank Leslie Robertson and the interview team and the Fernie and District Historical Society, which is a member of the consortium, for permission to reprint this material.