内容简介
For nearly a century, Kellogg, Idaho, was home to America’srichest silver mine, Sunshine Mine. Mining there, as everywhere,was not an easy life, but regardless of the risk, there wassomething about being underground, the lure of hitting a deep veinof silver. The promise of good money and the intense bonds offriendship brought men back year after year. Mining is about beinga man and a fighter in a job where tomorrow always brings the hopeof a big score.
On May 2, 1972, 174 miners entered Sunshine Mine on their dailyquest for silver. Aboveground, safety engineer Bob Launhardt sat inhis office, filing his usual mountain of federal and statepaperwork. From his office window he could see the air shafts thatfed fresh air into the mine, more than a mile below the surface.The air shafts usually emitted only tiny coughs of exhaust; unlikedangerously combustible coal mines, Sunshine was a fireproofhardrock mine, nothing but cold, dripping wet stone. There weremany safety concerns at Sunshine, but fire wasn’t one of them. Themen and the company swore the mine was unburnable, so when thickblack smoke began pouring from one of the air shafts, Launhardt wasas amazed as he was alarmed.
On May 2, 1972, 174 miners entered Sunshine Mine on their dailyquest for silver. Aboveground, safety engineer Bob Launhardt sat inhis office, filing his usual mountain of federal and statepaperwork. From his office window he could see the air shafts thatfed fresh air into the mine, more than a mile below the surface.The air shafts usually emitted only tiny coughs of exhaust; unlikedangerously combustible coal mines, Sunshine was a fireproofhardrock mine, nothing but cold, dripping wet stone. There weremany safety concerns at Sunshine, but fire wasn’t one of them. Themen and the company swore the mine was unburnable, so when thickblack smoke began pouring from one of the air shafts, Launhardt wasas amazed as he was alarmed.