From Publishers Weekly
This volume details the fire in the main shaft of a Jackson, Calif., Argonaut gold mine, which trapped 47 miners 4,650 feet below ground in the summer of 1922. It took rescuers three weeks to get to where the miners were trapped by the fire as family members and friends, co-workers, the press and countless Americans awaited word of the foregone conclusion. Mace researched the mine fire for seven years; his dedication pays off in a well-rounded examination of the fire and the mining industry. Even without coming to a conclusion about which rescue plan would have given the miners the best chance of survival, he thoroughly explores the scientific and structural implications of each course of action complete with diagrams, technical data and testimony from those involved. Though Mace never really steps outside the facts long enough to capture the experience of the trapped miners, his intimate portraits of the miners' families, mine employees and, especially, journalist Ruth Finney, explore the countless ways the mining disaster changed those who were close to it. Mace also smoothly connects the fire and the mining town of Jackson with bigger American and world affairs like the war in Europe, immigration, Prohibition, advances in communication and the growth of women's rights. Mace may not have hit the "Mother Lode," but his tireless digging has certainly uncovered a forgotten nugget of Californian and American history. Photos.
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Review
This volume details the fire in the main shaft of a Jackson, Calif., Argonaut gold mine, which trapped 47 miners 4,650 feet below ground in the summer of 1922. It took rescuers three weeks to get to where the miners were trapped by the fire as family members and friends, co-workers, the press and countless Americans awaited word of the foregone conclusion. Mace researched the mine fire for seven years; his dedication pays off in a well-rounded examination of the fire and the mining industry. Even without coming to a conclusion about which rescue plan would have given the miners the best chance of survival, he thoroughly explores the scientific and structural implications of each course of action complete with diagrams, technical data and testimony from those involved. Though Mace never really steps outside the facts long enough to capture the experience of the trapped miners, his intimate portraits of the miners’ families, mine employees and, especially, journalist Ruth Finney, explore the countless ways the mining disaster changed those who were close to it. Mace also smoothly connects the fire and the mining town of Jackson with bigger Am erican and world affairs like the war in Europe, immigration, Prohibition, advances in communication and the growth of women’s rights. Mace may not have hit the “Mother Lode,” but his tireless digging has certainly uncovered a forgotten nugget of Californian and American history. Photos.
(May) (
Publishers Weekly, April 26, 2004)
"Mace researched the mine fire for seven years; his dedication pays off in a well-rounded examination of the fire and the mining industry…he thoroughly explores the scientific and structural implications of each course of action complete with diagrams, technical data and testimony from those involved…his intimate portraits of the miners' families, mine employees and, especially, journalist Ruth Finney, explore the countless ways the mining disaster changed those who were close to it. Mace also smoothly connects the fire and the mining town of Jackson with bigger American and world affairs like the war in Europe, immigration, Prohibition, advances in communication and the growth of women's rights…his tireless digging has certainly uncovered a forgotten nugget of Californian and American history." (Publishers Weekly)
"Mace's "47 Down" is the riveting account of this tragedy and it has the same emotional impact of the recent best-seller "The Perfect Storm." Mace writes with taut prose, grabbing his reader by the collar… Drawing on newspaper accounts, diaries, government reports and official documents, Mace captures all of the drama and heartbreak of this event. This book is exceptional historical reporting and highly recommended." (Tucson Citizen)
"O. Henry Mace’s recently released book, 47 Down: The 1922 Argonaut Gold Mine Disaster in my words is... a damn good read! Wading in a calm little pond, by the time you’re in up to your ankles you find yourself pulled in by the quicksand of the story." (Amador Ledger-Dispatch)
"Mace has researched the subject so well that you will think that a mining engineer has written the tragic story of "47 Down". Not only does he do a remarkable job of making the reader feel and understand this colossal tragedy that captured the attention of all America, but he also does a great job of capturing the culture of the "tramp" hard-rock miner of the day." (Richard L. Bullock, D. Eng., P.E, Mining Engineer)
