Oral History Interview - Jack And Mary Bailey - Collections

Scope and Content: 1 VHS t-60. Length: 36 minutes.jack and mary bailey talk about coal mining.see attached for summary of the tape. - He started at the Shaughnessy mine in 1932 at the age of 16. He describes his first job coupling cars. At age 17 he went to work underground. Other jobs he had at the mine included p…

Scope and Content: 1 VHS t-60. Length: 36 minutes.jack and mary bailey talk about coal mining.see attached for summary of the tape. - He started at the Shaughnessy mine in 1932 at the age of 16. He describes his first job coupling cars. At age 17 he went to work underground. Other jobs he had at the mine included pony driver, gripper, driver boss. He describes the duties of each position. - Talks about testing for gas in the Shaughnessy mine even though there was little gas in that mine. Talks about working conditions in the mine and the temperatures underground. - Describes mining with the undercutter and shearing machines. - He left the mine in 1952 and went to work for the City of Lethbridge. - Talks about slicing cable inside the mine. - He got a job at the mine because he father was a miner. Talks about wages, the union, and strikes. - Talks about the miners' hockey and ball teams. - He and Mary were married 1 Jan 1940. He talks about buying a home and how tight money was. - Relates a story about a cave-in he was in, and mentions other accidents at the mine. During his employment at the mine there were 2 deaths. - He worked during the winter at the mine and in the summers went to work on a farm. - Mary talks about life as a miner's wife including activities and friends.