47 Down by O. Henry Mace Editorial Reviews 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. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Book News, Inc. Attempting to give the general reader the sense of the daily realities of working in a California gold mine during the 1920s, including the technical elements of the mining process and the political and economic conflicts between mine owners, mine workers, government, and community, this work presents a narrative of the 1922 mine fire that trapped and killed 47 miners and its aftermath. Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Book review by Richard L. Bullock, D. Eng., P.E. Professor Emeritus University of Missouri-Rolla The disastrous Argonaut Mine fire which occurred in 1922 is the subject of this historical volume written by O. Henry Mace. In this record of one of the United States' worse gold mine disasters, Mace has done a remarkable task of describing the tragic events as they unfolded. As a hard-rock miner myself, that worked with many western tramp miners and later as a mining engineer, I was skeptical that a 'lay' writer could adequately describe the events that took place with the correct hard-rock miner terminology. Yet Mace has researched the subject so well that you will think that a fellow 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. While most were of foreign decent, many were in the process of using their mining income to bring family members to America at the rate of one or two member per year. Mace also does an excellent job of describing the mining conditions of deep, heavily timbered mines as they were in the 1920's through the 1940's. Finally, Mace makes the tragic account sound as if the deceased miners themselves had been interviewed to recount the story. It is a griping tale that should be read by all younger mining engineers that now take for granted the present conditions of today's underground mines. The fact that mining has become the safest of all the heavy industries of the United States should not causes us to forget that as recently as 1970, mining was the most unsafe heavy industry of the United States. The events of 47 Down occurred in 1922, but the problems of the Argonaut Mine were more than the technical competence of the mine individuals or the equipment of the time as described by Mace. The book documents the classic "bullheaded" mine manger; long on authority and short on technical planning that is characterized by today's mining engineers. Every student of mine safety, mine ventilation, mine rescue and underground mine planning should read "47 Down", lest they should forget why we practice mining engineering as we do today. Tucson Citizen "Mace captures all of the drama and heartbreak... This book is exceptional historical reporting and highly recommended." From the Inside Flap It was the Roaring Twenties, in the heart of California’s historic Mother Lode. The Argonaut Mine was one of America’s deepest, richest gold mines. Forty-seven miners were working the night shift on August 27, 1922. Some of the men working that late shift hadn’t taken a day off in twenty-one days, and many of them expressed uneasiness about going to work that particular evening. That night, after their dinner break, the miners’ worst nightmare was realized: there was a fire in the shaft, trapping them 4,650 feet underground, with apparently no way out. Drawing on primary sources to re-create the event with nail-biting accuracy, 47 Down provides a chilling narrative of the miners’ terrifying ordeal, the friends and family who kept hopeful vigil at the mine’s entrance, and the experts and rescue specialists who came from across the nation to help free the trapped men. Author O. Henry Mace researched the Argonaut disaster for seven years, sifting through stockpiles of newspaper articles, diaries, government reports–including the complete minutes and correspondence of the Governor’s Committee on the Argonaut Mine Disaster–and other resources that were scattered throughout repositories across the United States to create this dramatic and riveting account of one of the worst gold mine disasters in U.S. history. Through these rich primary sources, Mace paints a vivid portrait of the personalities and machinations involved in the Argonaut mine fire and rescue mission, including: Virgilio Garbarini, the seasoned, no-nonsense superintendent of the mine who fought doggedly against reversing the fans that would have drawn fresh air to the trapped miners; quick-thinking jigger-boss Ernie Miller, who had survived the Granite Copper Mine fire of 1917 and used his experience to try and shield his crew from the poisonous carbon monoxide that was quickly pouring down the shaft; and sharp-tongued Sacramento Star city editor Ruth Finney, who scored the scoop of the century and launched her career with her heartfelt coverage of the tragedy. Documenting the dueling optimism and agony that stifled a city for twenty-two days, 47 Down tells a compelling tale of heroism, tragedy, and conflict as it explores the all-too-familiar theme of corporate greed versus worker. From the Back Cover Advance Praise for 47 Down "A gripping mystery story: Will the men trapped deep underground in a mine by fire be reached by rescuers in time? And why do these mining disasters occur, and reoccur, in our nation’s history?" --Gerald M. Stern, author of The Buffalo Creek Disaster "This is as much a story about journalism as it is about a mine disaster. Women reporters assigned to chronicle the human side were called ‘sob sisters’ for their ability to evoke emotion with words. O. Henry Mace pays tribute to the tenacious and creative Ruth Finney, whose storytelling skills framed the story for decades after her passing and established her as one of the early giants among women in journalism." --Eleanor Clift, contributing editor, Newsweek "Most disaster books are predictable and dry, but O. Henry Mace’s 47 Down, the story of the 1922 Argonaut mining tragedy, is, quite simply, one of the best disaster books to come along in years. Mace’s taut, lyrical, intelligent prose combined with his thorough research and his film director’s eye for detail and focus make 47 Down as compelling as The Perfect Storm and as memorable as Young Men and Fire. Mace takes the reader inside the Argonaut mine shaft and doesn’t let go. This is a necessary book." --Denise Gess, coauthor of Firestorm at Peshtigo About the Author O. Henry Mace has written on western history and has put together collector’s guides on both early photographs and Victoriana. Reporting on 1920s Disaster Propelled Career of Pioneering Female Reporter by Adam Kealoha Causey O. Henry Mace recounts a calamity in his new book that still is part of the life of a small California town, and a story that propelled Scripps Howard reporter Ruth Finney into the forefront of journalism. Washington, D.C. - Scripps Howard Foundation Wire - Mace tells of the fateful August day when 47 miners entered the Argonaut gold mine near Jackson, Calif., in "47 Down: The 1922 Argonaut Gold Mine Disaster." Fires broke out in the mine, about 40 miles southeast of Sacramento, releasing lethal gas that trapped the miners nearly a mile below ground. Rescue workers tried for three weeks to save them, but all 47 died. Finney, an editor at the Sacramento Star, tenaciously reported the 22-day ordeal, but for more than the thrill of reporting. Finney had a personal tie to the Argonaut disaster - her father was once a mineworker. In the end, Finney was first to break the news that the miners' bodies had been found, "scooping" the competition from bigger papers - including the Chicago Tribune - and her male counterparts. Though Mace listed every miner's name and wrote about the pain of victims' families, the book's dedication is to Finny, a woman Mace and other considers a trailblazer. "At a time when women were just getting a foothold, she barreled right on in," said Mace, who uncovered details of the deaths and Finney's personality by combing through government reports, newspaper clippings and Finney's diaries. The 20-year-old Finney arrived in Sacramento in 1918 with intentions of using her new teaching certificate to get a job in the Sacramento County school system. But when the Star's editor offered her a $15 weekly salary - $5 more per week than she would have made as a teacher - she became a reporter. By age 24, Finney had become an editor and was making $25 a week, which she called "an enormous sum." She was one of the highest paid female reporters in the Scripps McRea chain - which later became Scripps Howard. Larry Cenotto, an archivist for Amador County - of which Jackson is the county seat - shares Mace's enthusiasm for Finney. "It was epoch-making that a woman was so prominent in the role she played," Cenotto said. Cenotto said the Argonaut disaster is part of everyday life in Jackson, where victims' descendents still search the archives for details about their dead relatives. He hopes "47 Down" will bring more national attention to this town's history. "It's quite a story," he said. Mace's look into Finney's life is not ending with "47 Down." He is writing the biography of a woman who he said appreciated the "good luck" in her life. A year after the mine disaster, Finney became a Washington correspondent for Scripps Howard and one of only nine women with press credentials that allowed her to cover Congress. "She was in the right place at the right time," said Mace, who will use parts of Finney's unpublished autobiography for his next book. "She marveled at how lucky she'd been." John Wiley and Sons Inc., of Hoboken, N.J., published "47 Down." The Public Broadcasting Service is filming a documentary of the Argonaut disaster story.