EXTRAS
POEM: "THE BRIGHTER SIDE"
The poem, "The Brighter Side," was written by "Miner 585," Aleston O'Brien, around the time the Wabana Mines were closing down on June 30, 1966. It spoke eloquently of the plight of the Wabana miners and was reprinted in several Newfoundland newspapers and publications.
In the first verse, O'Brien tells of the shock of receiving the news that the mines were shutting down. In the next 9 verses, he tells of the hard times of the Great Depression of the 1930s, and how the miners and DOSCO both bore the burden of the Depression and survived it by working together. Using all of these images of life during the Depression, O'Brien sets the stage for his vision of what life was going to be like on Bell Island with the mines closed. In the 11th verse, he says that the Company's attitude has changed since the 1930s, and now workers will have to leave Bell Island to search for work elsewhere.
For most of the life of the mines, it had been easy for young boys to get work with the Company, so many had quit school with only three or four years of education in order to work to help feed their large families. The 12th verse tells of O'Brien's lack of educational qualifications and his poor prospects of finding suitable employment.
Like all good poems, a world of images, meaning and feelings are neatly wrapped up and presented in the final verse. In the first two lines of that verse, O'Brien continues with the 1930s imagery and predicts that he will have to live as he did during the Depression. One of the things that was close at hand for his use was the heavy-rubber iron-ore conveyor belt that ran all the way across the Island. The installation of this belt had represented the culmination of the great achievements of the Expansion Programme into which DOSCO had invested millions of dollars during the 1950s, a programme that should have ensured the future of the mines. Now that future was coming to a sudden and final end, just as the ore conveyor belt ended suddenly at the Scotia Pier, and the only use for the belt would be to cut it up to repair worn out shoes.
In the first verse, O'Brien tells of the shock of receiving the news that the mines were shutting down. In the next 9 verses, he tells of the hard times of the Great Depression of the 1930s, and how the miners and DOSCO both bore the burden of the Depression and survived it by working together. Using all of these images of life during the Depression, O'Brien sets the stage for his vision of what life was going to be like on Bell Island with the mines closed. In the 11th verse, he says that the Company's attitude has changed since the 1930s, and now workers will have to leave Bell Island to search for work elsewhere.
For most of the life of the mines, it had been easy for young boys to get work with the Company, so many had quit school with only three or four years of education in order to work to help feed their large families. The 12th verse tells of O'Brien's lack of educational qualifications and his poor prospects of finding suitable employment.
Like all good poems, a world of images, meaning and feelings are neatly wrapped up and presented in the final verse. In the first two lines of that verse, O'Brien continues with the 1930s imagery and predicts that he will have to live as he did during the Depression. One of the things that was close at hand for his use was the heavy-rubber iron-ore conveyor belt that ran all the way across the Island. The installation of this belt had represented the culmination of the great achievements of the Expansion Programme into which DOSCO had invested millions of dollars during the 1950s, a programme that should have ensured the future of the mines. Now that future was coming to a sudden and final end, just as the ore conveyor belt ended suddenly at the Scotia Pier, and the only use for the belt would be to cut it up to repair worn out shoes.
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The Brighter Side
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Some terms used in the poem:
Dryhouse: The dryhouse was located on the surface near the mine opening. It was where the miners changed from their street clothes to their mine gear before entering the mine. The process was reversed when they finished their shift. Their dirty, damp work clothes were hung on hooks to dry before their next shift. As well, most men washed the iron ore from their face and hands in the dryhouse at the end of the shift.
DOSCO: Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation, the name of the Company that owned the Wabana Mines from 1930-1957.
Number Six: No. 6 Mine, located at the northwest end of The Green.
Drags: The drag was a piece of machinery operated by four men. It used a large open bucket or scoop that, by means of a series of cables and blocks, dragged the ore from the mine face to a loading ramp at the mouth of the room that was being worked.
Haig bottles: Haig Ale was a very popular drink amongst miners. They used to say it "cut the iron ore dust off their lungs."
"We tapped our boots with belting": applied pieces of conveyor belt to their boots with small nails to replace the worn-out soles.
Carbide lamps: The compound carbide gives off acetylene when it it comes into contact with water. Carbide lamps dripped water onto carbide. Burning the resulting acetylene produced light. The carbide lamp came to Bell Island in 1912 and replaced the seal-oil lamp, which was much more dangerous to use.
Submarines: Submarines are the mine slopes that extend out under the ocean.
"Wack Road" (also spelled "Whack"): This was a slang word for welfare payments, also called "the dole." The name became the local nickname for Middleton Avenue, which was built during the 1920s as a make-work project while the mines were on half-time. At this time, anyone receiving welfare payments was required to work for that money if they were able. The "Wack Road" was built with manual labour only, no machinery. The men received one dollar a day for this work, which continued through the frozen winter months.
"Blackblues" and "Irish Cobblers": Potatoes that grow well in harsh conditions.
Galt: The former name of Cambridge, Ontario, where many laid-off miners found work in the newly-opened factories.
"Dog's Hole Hill": This was a steep incline of about 45 degrees in No. 4 Mine.
"Scotia Pier": The conveyor belt ran five kilometres from the bottom of No. 3 Mine to the surface and then three kilometres across to the loading dock at Scotia Pier on the south side of Bell Island.
Dryhouse: The dryhouse was located on the surface near the mine opening. It was where the miners changed from their street clothes to their mine gear before entering the mine. The process was reversed when they finished their shift. Their dirty, damp work clothes were hung on hooks to dry before their next shift. As well, most men washed the iron ore from their face and hands in the dryhouse at the end of the shift.
DOSCO: Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation, the name of the Company that owned the Wabana Mines from 1930-1957.
Number Six: No. 6 Mine, located at the northwest end of The Green.
Drags: The drag was a piece of machinery operated by four men. It used a large open bucket or scoop that, by means of a series of cables and blocks, dragged the ore from the mine face to a loading ramp at the mouth of the room that was being worked.
Haig bottles: Haig Ale was a very popular drink amongst miners. They used to say it "cut the iron ore dust off their lungs."
"We tapped our boots with belting": applied pieces of conveyor belt to their boots with small nails to replace the worn-out soles.
Carbide lamps: The compound carbide gives off acetylene when it it comes into contact with water. Carbide lamps dripped water onto carbide. Burning the resulting acetylene produced light. The carbide lamp came to Bell Island in 1912 and replaced the seal-oil lamp, which was much more dangerous to use.
Submarines: Submarines are the mine slopes that extend out under the ocean.
"Wack Road" (also spelled "Whack"): This was a slang word for welfare payments, also called "the dole." The name became the local nickname for Middleton Avenue, which was built during the 1920s as a make-work project while the mines were on half-time. At this time, anyone receiving welfare payments was required to work for that money if they were able. The "Wack Road" was built with manual labour only, no machinery. The men received one dollar a day for this work, which continued through the frozen winter months.
"Blackblues" and "Irish Cobblers": Potatoes that grow well in harsh conditions.
Galt: The former name of Cambridge, Ontario, where many laid-off miners found work in the newly-opened factories.
"Dog's Hole Hill": This was a steep incline of about 45 degrees in No. 4 Mine.
"Scotia Pier": The conveyor belt ran five kilometres from the bottom of No. 3 Mine to the surface and then three kilometres across to the loading dock at Scotia Pier on the south side of Bell Island.