Last Man Out: The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster

by Melissa Fay Greene

The deepest coal mine in North America was notoriously unpredictable. One late October evening in 1958, it "bumped" - its rock floors heaving up and smashing into rock ceilings. A few miners staggered out, most of the 174 on shift did not.

Nineteen men were trapped, plunged into darkness, hunger, thirst, and hallucination. As days and nights passed, the survivors began to hope for death by gas rather than from thirst. Above ground, journalists and families stood in despairing vigil, as rescuers brought out scores of the dead. The hope of finding life undergound faded and families made funeral preparations.

Then, a Rescuers stumbled across a broken pipe leading to a cave of survivors, then a second group was discovered.

A media circus followed. Ed Sullivan, then the state of Georgia, invited survivors to visit. Publicity, politics, and segregation sorted the men differently than they had ordered themselves. Underground, the one black survivor nursed a dying man; in Atlanta, Governor Marvin Griffin "I will not shake hands with a Negro."

If every great writer has one tale of peril, heroism, and survival, Last Man Out is Melissa Fay Greene's. Using long-lost stories and interviews with survivors, Greene has reconstructed the drama of their struggle to stay alive

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Survival, Canada, Biography, Memoir, Audiobook

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Melissa Greene has been a contributor to NPR, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, LIFE, Good Housekeeping, Newsweek, The Atlantic, Readers Digest, Ms., The Wilson Quarterly, Redbook, and Salon.com. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Don Samuel, a criminal defense attorney. They have been married for 28 years and are the parents of nine children: Molly, Seth, Lee, Lily, Jesse (adopted from Bulgaria), Fisseha, Daniel, Yosef, and Helen (adopted from Ethiopia).

Reviews

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Enikő · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one of those books that you read and then can't stop thinking about. It was very well written. Everyone's personalities were so well described that the reader really got a sense of who everyone was. I had been surprised to see that the author was American, but when I read and saw the American connection, it made sense. I was just surprised because I had expected the author of such a book would be Canadian.

The true story begins in Book I by introducing the miners, their lifestyle and daily routines. As I wrote above, their personalities are very well portrayed and I did get attached to some and cringed at what I knew was coming. Melissa Fay Greene's description of the actual collapse of the mine (the "boom") and of where people were when it happened -both the miners and their families- was so well written, it was as if she had slowed time down and we were experiencing evrything in slow motion, from a dozen different perspectives at once.

Then, time slowed down to a crawl for everyone. The miners who were still alive (7 miners at 12 600 and 12 at 13 000 feet below the surface) were in for a long wait, as were their families above. The descriptions of the injuries broke the heart, especially Percy, whose arm was crushed, pinning him beneath a column under the weight of thousands of pounds timber, rock and coal. The descriptions of how the miners suffered from thirst were almost too much to bear. I kept thinking, "Get them out of there already!" Thankfully, the rescuers finally did manage to reach them, and both groups of men were thankfully restored to daylight after over a week underground.

Once the men are rescued, Book II follows their story as they and their families are invited to Georgia by its segragationalist governor Marvin Griffin. Little does this Southerner realize that one of the miners is a black man with 12 children. This man, Maurice Ruddick, and his wife and children, are put in a trailer at the other end of Jekyl Island from the whites-only hotel where his fellow miners are given accomodation. I already had a sweet spot for this "Singing Miner" who loved music because it was he who stayed by Percy, talking softly to him as he suffered and cried out from the torture his arm was being subjected to by the pressure on it. My respect for him grew as he accepted his circumstances, agreeing to obey the local law of segregation so that his fellow miners wouldn't have to refuse the vacation, as some of them had offered to do out of solidarity. Then, Maurice Ruddick was chosen to become the 1958 Citizen of the Year, which somehow went wrong for him as he realized there may be some resentment from the other miners. Once back in Springhill, he became increasingly a recluse, staying home to raise his 12 children and eventually grandchildren. He had always hoped to be famous, though he thought it would be his music that would bring him into the spotlight. Instead, reporters' fabricated stories about how he sang to the miners during the week underground earned him resentment and loneliness. (He hadn't sung to the men during their week of thirst and hunger, but he HAD always sung with them in the trolley going down and up at the beginning and end of their shifts.)

The end of the book is melancholy. Maurice Ruddick died of old age and was buried in Springfield. Despite the miraculous rescue of the two groups of miners, we are reminded of the many who lost their lives. Sadie Allen, the wife of a miner named Fidel, never believed that her husband had been found after the accident, even after his coffin was brought home to her. She had peeked in and said she had seen nothing but rocks and dirt. She believes his body still lies in the mine.

[Judd Street · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I would need to look up the "spoiler" formatting for a non-fiction book, but here we are.

"Last Man Out" by Melissa Greene is an intriguing and unpredictable exploration of the 1958 Springhill Mine Disaster in Nova Scotia. Like many typical disaster accounts, it follows a cast of characters (miners and families) through the lead-up, accident, rescue, and recovery phases of the catastrophe. The storytelling is relatively effective, though feels a little more disjointed than it needed to be. Part of this (understandably) is in hopping between the surface and families waiting and two separate groups of survivors below. The other part, however, is because of a combination of both slightly out of sync storytelling (e.g., we don't just progress linearly through time while hopping from group to group) and the introduction of some unexpected tangents (one of which gets a lot of play, see the spoiler tag).

I read this in the wake of Deep Dark Down (see my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), the account of the 33 miners trapped in Chile. Compared to this volume, I'd say Tobar does a better job at telling an easy to follow and engaging story (even if he has slightly easier material with them being trapped together as opposed to scattered throughout the mine). But, Greene throws some real curveballs into the book, paints a picture that involves a lot more conflict (as I mention in my review of Deep Dark Down, I worry that, at best, some of that account is a little uncritical, and at worst that it might have been a little sanitized), and manages to tackle some broader themes and analysis around race in the 1950s (one of the miners in Springhill being a person of colour).

Indeed, that is where the book really thrives. We get this wonderful tangent - seemingly confusing at first, but ultimately so clear - about the way that Maurice, the miner of colour, is treated during a visit to Georgia. In the wake of the disaster, a staffer of the Governor of Georgia invites the survivors for a vacation in the state to help boost tourism. Only problem? Said governor is a noted racist and keen defender of segregation in the state. I won't spoil some of these tumultuous journeys, only to say that perhaps the funniest and most engaging part of the book takes place outside of the mine itself!

In the wake of reading Last Man Out and Deep Dark Down back to back, lots appears in sharp relief. Greene portrays a scene of chaos, fighting, and angst within the mind; while Tobar paints one of relative hope, optimism, and team work. How much of this is explained by differences in the telling of the stories (e.g., Greene is writing decades after the event, while Tobar's account was written very quickly thereafter; Greene is an outsider looking in, while Tobar's account was officially sanctioned and chosen by the group of survivors as the one telling of the story) as opposed to by differences in the groups, contexts, or timing? The contrast between these two stories is remarkable and demands analysis.

In any event, though, this is a very interesting book. While it's a little jumpy at times compared to Deep Dark Down, it also has a richer degree of analysis in unpacking the racial dimensions (an interest of Greene, I surmise) and a couple of really interesting tangential stories. I'd recommend it to those interested in mining or in racial relations in the 1950s in Canada and the US.

[Kj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depths of 13500 and 14000 feet, digging for combustible coal, fighting off the firedamp and afterdamp gases. Buried alive for a week, has to be close to anyone's worst nightmare. The Springhill mine system No2 floors smashed upwards into each other with pockets of survival under ruin of rock and coal. I couldn't put it down in places. The description of the man caught in the timber pillar taking days to die--felt like a fulcrum of the story. Doesn't leave you.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this because I was interested in the survivor story and deep dark places.
But the subplot highlighting the difference between Canadian and US treatment of blacks was very enlightening.

[Laura Buechler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Technically I only made it about two-thirds of the way through this book, which is when the story of the rescue ended and the story of the aftermath, including a lot of stuff about a state-sponsored holiday to racially-segregated Georgia, which was supposed to be great tourism advertising of the state. See, even that handful of words was more time than I really cared to spend on that subject. I wanted to read about miners who feared for their lives, and how they were rescued, and what they did while they were waiting, and how they felt when they made it back. And I got to read all of that in the first 250 pages. The rest of the book was of no interest to me.

The first 250 pages is quite fascinating. Mining is terrifying. That's all.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often that I will sit and read all day. But I did. This is an amazing book. I gained interest in reading about mining disasters with a book titled "Trapped" about the Cherry Mine explosion. This book is just as good if not better. Great job at presenting the people involved and laying out the chain of events. Superbly written. I also found another book to read on another disaster(fire) in this SAME mine in 1891. Keep in mind, even though I love history, especially more ubscure history, I had no interest at all in the history of mining before Trapped. Now I plan to read more on the subject thanks to great books like this. So if you like history or non fiction, or just great books, I recommend you read Last Man Out.

[Jeff Sharlet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greene's first book, Praying for Sheetrock, was an instant classic of literary journalism. She's never regained that same tautness between subject and prose, but this modest book -- a narrative recreation of a legendary mining disaster, the literary equivalent of a made-for-TV-movie -- comes closer than anything else she's done. Her prose is never as fertile as in Sheetrock, but it's just right for the job and for the hardbitten Canadian miners who are the heroes of her story. And the story has more complexities to it -- around race, courage, and media -- than one might imagine. This would make an excellent teaching book for a course on literary journalism.

[Peg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm claustrophobic. So it took me a long time to pick up Greene's Last Man Out. But I loved her writing so much, I was willing to give it a fling. It was such a compelling read that I gave it to my husband and he gave to his dad and he gave it to... You get the idea. And the strange connection of this mining disaster to Georgia finally answered my question: How did Greene become interested in researching this event?

[Brandy Navetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting read. It's honest depiction of this event was informative, but written in such a way that I didn't feel like it was some gory glorification of a real life horror. The political side story is interesting too, particularly with the recent successes of Donald Trump. I couldn't help but compare him to Governor Griffin in Georgia. Will this country EVER learn? Definitely worth a read.

[Chris Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1958, the Springhill (Canada) coal mine "bumped," meaning the earth around the mine shifted and collapsed most of the mine. 174 miners were underground when the bump happened. Some were able to get out, some were rescued quickly, and many died.

This is the story of two groups of miners, buried far underground, alive but with no way to contact rescuers and no way to save themselves. Those attempting to rescue the trapped miners didn't even know where they were. After a week, hope on the surface for more survivors had faded. It's a harrowing but fascinating read. The author uses contemporary accounts as well as interviews with miners and family members still living.

There's a weird little side story. After the miners were rescued, the governor of Georgia invited them and their families to stay at a newly built Jekyll Island motel in hopes the publicity would attract tourism to the state. One unfortunate problem--in 1958, Georgia was still segregated, the motel was in the "white" part of the island...and one of the surviving miners was mixed race. The bureaucrats came up with a lousy, racist solution, and the "mulatto" miner and his wife were housed in a travel trailer on a different part of the island. The African-American population of Brunswick, GA entertained the family, and from the accounts, the miner and his family enjoyed a terrific vacation. He evidenced a great deal of grace dealing with the overt racism of the time.

My family comes from coal miners, and my great-grandfather died in a mine disaster. After reading this book, I can only hope he died quickly.

[Haley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really hoping for a gripping tale about the trails and tribulations these miner's went through. The incident ("bump") and the aftermath were described in great detail but somehow lacked the emotional depth I was looking for. It was sad reading this book; not because of the horrible event that occurred but the lack of sympathy I felt while reading the book. The writing was too matter of fact to me that I felt like a lot of the miner's emotional response to their situation was lost. To be fair at the time of these events it was probably frowned upon for the men to show too much emotion and that seemed to affect the narrative they provided the reporters. I was still disappointed to not feel like I was living the moment with them.

For me the mining accident was the least exciting part of this book. The little we got of how the men reacted while their lives were in danger was more interesting. For instance, a couple of men contemplated about whether they would be let into heaven because they were a bastard or because they no longer went too church. Or even the miner's reactions to one of their own possibly being disinvited from an all expenses paid trip because he was mixed-race. Overall, I think this book read very stale and left some key concepts unexplored for when your life is endangered.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the people who work in the mines. Hard to believe these men could work thousands of feet underground. Sounds like such dangerous work. The book focuses on the last survivors of the Springhill mine disaster who were trapped underground.

The media and political circus following their rescue was a problem. The book also highlights racism and when the survivors are invited to Georgia for a vacation. One family was segregated from the rest of the group because of the segregation laws in the state.

I recommend this book if you like non-fiction.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1958 a shift of miners were working underground in Springhill Nova Scotia when there was a “bump” in the mine, killing many and trapping some alive. In the dark, without food or water, they huddled together, hoping that they would be would be rescued. The last man to come out alive was Maurice Ruddick, the only black man. In the past, it didn’t matter much that Maurice was black. That changed when the survivors and their families were invited to racist Georgia for a highly publicized vacation.

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very compelling account of a historic event I was unaware of despite having lived in the Maritimes and Nova Scotia for much of my life. It starts strong, and I found the account of the actual disaster and immediate aftermath riveting - unfortunately, I found after that the book becomes steadily less and less compelling, making it a hard book to finish. Still, I'm glad I read it, and I'd recommend it to others.

[Amy]

Attempted to read October 2019


I recently finished Denali's Howl and thought it was the most boring piece of narrative nonfiction I'd ever read. Last Man Out at least gives that book a running for the dubious distinction I gave it. I got about a third of the way through this and gave up. It will be returned and I have no plans to recommend it to anyone.

[Timothy Herritt · Rating 3 out of 5]

No doubt an interesting read, though I did find my mind wondering a few times. I do like how the true characters were presented, and detailed enough that you got to know them personality. I must admit the events inside the trapped mine, did play on mind. Highly informative, a compelling read. The state of Georgia connection left a bit to be desired. Recommend read.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine and a half hours listening time. Interesting story about not only the “bump” that occurred in the Springhill Mine in Nova Scotia in 1958, but also among perceived leadership roles among the survivors and also (surprisingly a topic in this book) about racial relations in the Deep South at the time.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greene is a favorite narrative non-fiction writer, and this is a lively story, although the portion of the book that involves how the minors were lauded and then forgotten after their rescue naturally doesn’t have the same drama to it.

[Jenna Schellekens · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent telling of the Springhill mining disaster of Nova Scotia. With a glance from various angles surrounding the event, I was left thinking about this story after setting it down while reading and after finishing it.

[Huguette Larochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

a mine disaster in Canada,in 1958
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wQYd...

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and well told story that’s a piece of history.

[Crystal Hladilek · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellently written and properly researched account of a terrible event. Thank you for sharing this little known piece of history with me.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have ranked this higher, but the ending was kind of lackluster. I liked the first half more than I thought I would.

[jhayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed part 1 of this book where we get to know the miners and their families and hear the details of the disaster. There’s some racial commentary throughout which eventually connects to part 2, a trip to segregated Georgia and increased focus on a black miner. This part I wasn’t as interested in and didn’t finish.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well researched and written book, and a story worth reading by any Canadian born after 1950. While the Springhill mine disaster took place in 1958, this story of heartache and survival is a gritty read today when we also know the disaster that followed (Westray in 1992) and the health challenges that miners of coal still face today. Where I lost some enthusiasm was the investigation of the Georgia political connection. Perhaps that angle detracted from what would have otherwise been a five-star rating from me. The author paints a very clear, if difficult to read, picture of the time from disaster to rescue for those who lived to tell. Hard to put down.

[Kim Armstrong-Gaynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good inspirational story! Amazing story of survival. Some sadness of course but sadder when some Survivors don't believe what actually happened with the other Survivors they couldn't see.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review: In this highly industrialized and technology-saturated culture of ours it becomes all too easy to take seemingly tiny things for granted; effortlessly flicking on a light switch, filling up our gas-guzzlers at the nearest station, stopping by the grocery store where every food and unnecessary product imaginable is within reach. Rarely do we stop to think about the sacrifices, the generations of suffering, and the relentless physical turmoil endured by individuals working in the hells below us to make these luxuries possible.

I find it interesting (albeit appalling) that there is never any shortage of thanks to our soldiers for defending freedom, or to police personnel for putting their lives on the line in an effort to keep us safe. Politicians, businessmen, and philanthropists are constantly heralded for their night-and-day efforts to effectively guide the country and ensure prosperity. But what about miners? Do miners get their fair share of thanks and acknowledgement?

In Last Man Out, Greene describes- in the kind of rich detail only a master journalist can muster- the horrifying events that took place in a Nova Scotia coal mine in 1958. In October of that year, 174 men were trapped beneath miles of solid coal and earth after a particularly menacing “bump” sealed off the three enormous levels of the Springhill coal mine. Ninety-nine men were miraculously rescued- 19 of which endured an entire week of darkness, surrounded by the relentless death of their comrades and haunting remains of their lifelong work.

The story of the Springhill miners is not of natural terror alone, but also of man-made terror. Brilliantly, Greene weaves through this tale a poignant social critique. In 1958, the United States was in the midst of a heated national debate about race. In a poorly executed political scheme to increase tourism in Georgia, politicians invited the surviving Springhill miners (a multi-racial bunch) to vacation in the segregated state. Without straying from the story of the mining disaster, Greene expertly highlights the clashing values and international tensions of the time.

What shocks me most about this book is not the horrific collapse of a mine, the struggle for survival amid the rubble, or even the disturbing dialogue surrounding issues of race and equality. For me, the most shocking and difficult aspect of this story is the lengths to which we will go to sustain our unsustainable way of life. We have been sending our fellow human beings into coal, copper, and gold mines; into battle; into the hands of death itself for hundreds of years… for what? For cable TV? Big Macs and tricked out cars that get 10 miles to the gallon?

Maybe it’s time to reassess our priorities and stop the international murder-by-greed that we’ve grown so unnervingly accustomed to. If you’ve never thought about the life of a miner, Last Man Out is a great place to start.

[Laurel Wicke · Rating 4 out of 5]

19 men survive a catastrophic “bump” in a coal mine in Nova Scotia in 1958. This is their story. It’s well written and had me thinking about survival and transformation—how, at some level, we each are transformed by the events of our lives, whether for good or ill, and the responses that make the difference.

An interesting addition to the story was the political train wreck that ensued when the surviving miners were invited to enjoy an expense paid family vacation to Jeckyl Island, Georgia—an attempt to popularize Georgia as a vacation destination on the part of the politicians. Imagine their surprise when one of the miners turns out to be mulatto. Suddenly the invitation turns sour for segregated Georgia and a bigoted governor who finds a national controversy in his lap.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the true story of the tragical mine disaster that happened in Springhill, Nova Scotia, in 1958. One October evening the night shift of 174 miners felt a bump, followed by a much more violent one which heaved the ground under their feet, and in places crashed the floor of the mine into the rock above their heads. The men in the top level of the mine were able to get out, although injured. Many in the lower levels died horribly, but miraculously two small groups of men were discovered to be alive, but with nothing for survival. The author tells of those men so well that the reader sees their personalities come alive. The rescue teams did the best they could to get everyone out in time.
The second part of the story is that because this became a worldwide known disaster through news coverage, the miners and their families were invited to Georgia for a vacation after everyone was recovered enough. One minor was a black man, and this was during segregation in the US, so that became an issue that was dealt with, although not equally for the black family. This is such an interesting and well-told true story, pulling the reader in, so that it all seemed immediate.

I chose this book for the 2024 52bookclubchallenge, prompt, “Includes a personal phobia.”