47 Down: The 1922 Argonaut Gold Mine Disaster

by O. Henry Mace

Advance Praise for 47 Down "A gripping mystery 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

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 2004

Reviews

[Janna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting look into the life of miners and their families during a little known event in California history. Very moving.

[Ernie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend gave me this book to read. This is an account of the Argonaut mine fire in Jackson, California in 1922 that killed 47 miners. My friend's uncle was part of the crew attempting the rescue and he damaged his lungs in the process. The book does an excellent job describing the California Foothills of the early 1900s and the gold mines that continued to work 70+ years after the California Goldrush. The nitty gritty of miner's lives, mining operations, administration and oversight is well described. A major part of the book is about the newspaper coverage of the tragedy and the role of Ruth Finney of the Sacramento Star (taken over several years later by the Sacramento Bee). It's a tough story.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up hearing about this mine, where my great-grandfather worked. Glad to have read this book because it did a good job transporting me to the era and the harrowing dangers of working in the gold mine. It brought the town of Jackson to life with rich details. Clearly involved a lot of deep research. I’d guess that without a strong connection to the area or to mining, though, that it could be too much detail and too little human story. Was definitely written by someone who didn’t identify with the immigrant families that made up most of the miners, that was frustrating.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occurring between the two better known early 20th disasters in California (1906 SF earthquake and the 1928 St Francis Dam collapse) the Argonaut Mine disaster is almost forgotten about. I've spent the last decade working in the Sierra Nevada foothills, specifically Amador County for much of that and I'd knew very little about this. Pretty well written and I recommend it but I do wish the sources were better documented.

[Julie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on a true story in the community I live in, it is written from the perspective of a female journalist sent to cover the story. A compelling account of history and the people caught up in the disaster.

[Richard Musselman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a gold miner myself, I felt a lot of emotions reading this. Both my sons work at the mines also and the father son team on 47 Down really made me reflect.