Remembering the past
Article now preserved in museums, church
Steve Drake says his father always reminded him to never forget his roots.
Drake, a third-generation coal miner from New Waterford, didn’t forget and he has made sure others don’t either.
Drake researched and wrote “The Long Whistle,” an account of the July 25, 1917 explosion which rocked the pit 2,000 feet below the surface, killing 65 men and boys. It was the worst coal mining disaster in Cape Breton’s history.
The piece was published in the Cape Breton Post on July 20, 2017 and now it is being passed on to museums and even a church in Newfoundland.
The event has personal connections for Drake.
“My father worked for 12 pit, my grandfather lost his legs in 12 pit and my first shower (as a young boy) was even in 12 pit,” Drake said.
“We didn’t have a shower in our house.”
With the 100th anniversary of the mining disaster last summer, Drake knew it was a big deal.
“Being a third-generation coal miner I wanted to do something. I wanted to tell the story.”
Drake said the account of the disaster has in some ways pointed the finger at John Vincent McKay, who also died in the explosion. But Drake soon learned that idea was wrong.
“The more I dug into it I discovered it wasn’t John’s fault. It was a coal company looking to get more coal as quickly as they could to make as much money as they could.
“I thought that it was very important to tell that story.”
The article ended up so long he didn’t think the Cape Breton Post would publish it but the newspaper did.
“Many thanks to the Post editors for allowing the miner’s story to be told in its entirety.”
Close friend woodcrafter George Head, also a coal miner’s son, mounted and plasticized the Post article on wood that was depicted as a slab of coal.
Drake presented one to the New Waterford Historical Society.
“New Waterford’s history comes from mining. It’s our background and has been our background all these years,” said society president Anne Porquet. “To have Steve do this, to have this as part of our achieves at the historical society is wonderful for New Waterford and its history.”
Porquet said Steve Drake has given them a wealth of information on mining, the unions and the struggle that the union has had through the years.
“We have a marvelous collection of scrapbooks that he has given us.”
A plaque has also been presented to the Cape Breton Miners’ Museum.
“This was the largest mining disaster in Cape Breton’s history so it’s really important that we commemorate this event,” said Mary Pat Mombourquette, executive director.
“Can you imagine what it would be like to wake up one morning and find out 65 of the fathers, brothers and husbands in that small community died? That must have been devastating to that community.”
The article is also being preserved in Newfoundland.
Last summer relatives of Drake were visiting from Newfoundland including Calvin Penney of Bristol’s Hope. He took a copy of “The Long Whistle” home with him.
Penney said on Sept. 16 he heard a radio announcement about a service of remembrance on the New Waterford mine disaster being held at the Riverside United Church in Salmon Cove. Organizers were looking for information or artifacts for display for the service.
“There wasn’t much time as the service was the next day.”
Penney took the Post article to the church and attended the service.
“A lot of people were stopping and reading it.”
As a result, Penney got the church a copy which they planned to frame and hang in the church. Penney said the disaster had a big effect on Salmon Cove and nearby Perry’s Cove.
“In that disaster eight people from here were killed, seven from Salmon’s Cove and one from Perry’s Cove. “
Penney said the article meant a lot to the people of those communities.
“When you think you ended up with seven people at one time who were killed, it was a big blow to that community. And they were all young people, most in their 20s.”
The plaque also made it under a Christmas tree. Drake said John Vincent McKay was a central figure in the historical account and John’s granddaughter Eunice McCarthy of New Waterford was a huge help with research so he gave her a keepsake plaque.
McCarthy is happy Drake’s story is out there so people can see what happened. McCarthy’s mother was only nine months old when her father was killed.
“It’s something you always think about. I wonder what my grandfather would have been like,” she said.
“I also wonder what my grandmother (Elizabeth MacKay) went through that day with all the other widows.”