How the fire shaped the future
Photo by CHANSE WATSON The helmets of the deceased miners displayed at the memorial ceremony on Wednesday.
Photo by CHANSE WATSON Members of the Kellogg High School JROTC present the colors during the singing of the national anthem by Nicole Delbridge.
Photo by CHANSE WATSON Rylie Gunderson extinguishes the headlamps on the helmets of the deceased miners as their names are read aloud.
By JOSH MCDONALD
Staff Reporter
BIG CREEK — It was 46 years ago this past Wednesday that the richest mine in the Coeur d’Alene Mining District suddenly became ground zero for the worst disaster of its kind.
In the late morning hours of May 2, 1972, around 11:40 a.m. two electricians on the 3700 level of the Sunshine Mine noticed the unwelcome smell of smoke wafting down the drift past their shop.
Immediate rescue efforts were slow, as the smoke was being circulated throughout the mine via their proximity to the fresh air intake system.
At 1:02 p.m. the No. 10 Hoist was no longer able to be operated safely.
That morning, 173 men went into the mine. Eighty were safely evacuated — and of the 93 miners who remained trapped, 91 of them perished.
Rescue crews arrived as early as 2 p.m. on that day, but initial rescue attempts were unsuccessful.
Days later, as rescue crews were both searching for survivors, as well as the deceased, they discovered the two men who survived the disaster.
Each year Shoshone County memorializes these men and this moment in history, because it altered many futures, including the future of Shoshone County as a whole.
This year’s ceremony offered a perspective on some of the good that came to the beloved mining industry following that tragic event.
Brock Morgan, a Silver Valley native and current mine safety supervisor for Redpath Mining, discussed how the fire changed his life, as well as the mining industry forever.
Morgan lost his grandfather, uncle and cousin (William Delbridge Sr., Richard Delbridge and Michael Johnston) in the fire, each of them working on the 5200 level.
“As you can imagine, the tragedy changed the outlook my family and many others had on the mining industry,” Morgan said. “After experiencing such a loss, we still have family members in the industry today. As the saying goes, ‘It’s in your blood.”
Morgan went on to discuss the various ways that the fire and other mining accidents have shaped the current landscape for mines and miners.
“Today mining has changed for the better and safety is at the forefront,” Morgan said. “Mine disasters had led to major industry-wide safety changes, including improvements in training, escape and ventilation systems. The legacy of the Sunshine Mine Disaster is reflected in the greatly enhanced miner training programs and fire protection measures in mines across the country.”
Morgan also spoke of changes in the Legislature that added protections to mines, including the creation of the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration under the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1973 and was later changed to the Mine Safety and Health Administration in 1978.
He closed with a poem, entitled Never Falter, Never Fail and was written by Joel Tankersley.
It’s a poem that Morgan heard in 2005 after he had joined Mine Rescue and has stuck with him ever since.
Never Falter, Never Fail
Hear the echo from the collar, from the portal comes the call.
The terror of a mining camp, this one grips us all.
There is fire in the mountain, the dragon comes from Hell.
Those who rise to meet him, Never Falter, Never Fail.
Team Captain, we ought to go home fishing, skip this nonsense, cast our line.
This makes no difference; we don't need the overtime.
Come on Cap' it's Saturday, let's not piss the day away.
Something made him quiver, he turned to me to say …
Kid, listen to this story, it's not new or old.
It's a small group of hands that stand out from the fold.
They have a common thread, eyes a different gleam.
From different lives and functions, they are members of a team.
Members of a team, Mine Rescue is its name.
Though it sounds romantic, it ain't no parlor game.
The work is hot and dirty, it is the Devils dreams.
In the smoke and darkness, nothing’s what it seems.
It can be confusing, under every stress.
Every step that's made, another brutal test.
It's work that flat repeats itself, thankless say some.
Training for a mission, they hope will never come.
A hope that is eternal, history bears that stripe.
They train for a single miner, that's banging on a pipe.
They train for his children , the tears that's in their eyes.
Mother, wife and father, they have to hear their cries.
Kid, this isn't about a trophy, it ain't coats or overtime;
it's our Honor and commitment, to those who work the mine.
So we're not going fishing, them lives are not for sale.
That miner is our brother. Never Falter, Never Fail.