Springhill Mine in Springhill, Nova Scotia experienced what is known in the mining world as a "bump" on October 23, 1958. A bump is scientifically known as underground seismic activity, usually resulting from the collapse of support pillars inside of the mine. This particular event began as a small bump, which was largely ignored by miners who were working, as it was a fairly common event. An hour later, a massive bump occurred, sending shockwaves throughout the mine. 174 miners were working in this mine at the time of the bump, and many were immediately crushed when debris slammed them into stone. 75 miners working in the upper areas of the mine were injured, but managed to make it to the surface. 24 other miners were trapped below the surface with no food, water, injuries, and gas threats. This book tells the harrowing tale of those trapped underground and their experiences once brought back to the surface.

This book was wonderfully written. I leaned a considerable amount about mines, especially mining in Nova Scotia, from this book. The author told the stories of the miners in a way that made one feel like they knew them in some way. I would strongly recommend this book if you are interested in mining or in disasters. I also want to note, just because I think it is a neat fact, that this disaster was mentioned in 101 Dalmations on a newspaper in the movie. I also thought it was interesting that Prince Philip visited the site while he was in the area. I hate that it took me forever to finish this book, but it wasn't the book I was reading regularly.