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Miners Tragedy
“A miracle!” - was the communal joyous shout;
Oh! what relief,- they all survived the blast,
But hours later further news came out
That made the celebrators stop aghast
They perished in the mine, lo! all, but one,
The dizzying dreadful news who could believe?
They perished all of them, yes all, but one,
And families now groaned in boundless grief.
Who ever dared a miracle to mock?
First exaltation, thrill and jubilance,
Which turned within a wink in dread and shock,
Death was determined at reconnaissance.
What grief, what horror what great tragedy
To perish helpless in constricted space
At Christmas time, such great fatality
In pitch-dark tunnels running in a maze.
Ah! coal mines are so dark and treacherous,
Behind black tunnels lurks grim flat-faced death,
That overcomes the miners and will seize
The sickle hammer to cut short their breath.
Some note was written Oh what precious note!:
“I love you! - see you on the other side!”
“Take heart my dearest,- lo! we trust in God!-
And we will meet again dear in His light!”
Sing for the miners all that win their bread
By grueling toil and labor underground,
In heroism so their kids are fed,
Be they received in heaven glory-bound!
© Elizabeth Dandy
I remeber watching all the news on these mine disasters. How terrible a loss for the families,how much could have been prevented if safety was first and not the dam dollar for the company. What a sad loss of what could have been for all these people. It hurts my heart every time I see how a company gets greedy and does not take care of their workers. Such a terrible loss...