They work in the heat and the coal black dust
Sticks to the skin like a burn'd pie crust
We curse each day that the miner must
Go down in the Brunner mine.
Down at the face of the the Brunner mine
Two hundred feet by the survey line
There's never a sign of sun and sky
Down in the Brunner mine.
The miner's breath comes short and hot
He's using all the breath he's got
Whether it's good for his lungs or not
Down in the Brunner mine.
A sound that'll creep through the miner's soul
Is the shake and rattle and down she'll roll
A hundred feet of rubble and coal
Down in the Brunner mine.
A cave-in'll give us a shut down day
But that'll never make a miner gay
For the trembling earth speaks Judgment Day
Down in the Brunner mine.
Sticks to the skin like a burn'd pie crust
We curse each day that the miner must
Go down in the Brunner mine.
Down at the face of the the Brunner mine
Two hundred feet by the survey line
There's never a sign of sun and sky
Down in the Brunner mine.
The miner's breath comes short and hot
He's using all the breath he's got
Whether it's good for his lungs or not
Down in the Brunner mine.
A sound that'll creep through the miner's soul
Is the shake and rattle and down she'll roll
A hundred feet of rubble and coal
Down in the Brunner mine.
A cave-in'll give us a shut down day
But that'll never make a miner gay
For the trembling earth speaks Judgment Day
Down in the Brunner mine.
Contributed by DonQuijote82 - 2011/5/13 - 10:37
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www.ildeposito.org
The Brunner Mine
One of New Zealand's earliest coal mines. The explorer Thomas Brunner discovered a seam of good quality coal on the banks of the Grey River in 1847 during his exploration of the area and the first commercial mine opened in 1864. Coal production reached a peak in 1901, and then after a steady decline, mining ceased in 1942.
Brunner was also the site of New Zealand's worst mining disaster in 1896 when 65 miners were killed by a an explosion of methane gas.
A monument to those miners now stands beside the road on the north bank of the site and their mass grave is located at Stillwater, a few kilometres up the valley. A suspension bridge, mine chimney, mine entrances and coke ovens can still be seen here.
There are more details and photos on this Christchurch Library web page, and a full account of the mine disaster at this Rootsweb web page.
http://folksong.org.nz/down_brunner_mine/