A Coal Mine Explosion Reunites a Divorced Couple
After a bitter divorce and years of estrangement, a near-fatal mining accident brings an elderly couple back together.
Robert E. Ramsey, who was burned severely in the Blue Canyon coal mines a little over a week ago, worked in the old Sehome coal mines nearly thirty years ago. He accumulated a comfortable 'stake' and took up a ranch near Ferndale. Twenty-five years ago he decided to settle down, and he married a handsome young lady. They lived on the ranch like two turtle doves until, four or five months ago, a family quarrel terminated in a suit for divorce, and the couple dissolved partnership in their old age. Several children had been reared by them. Ramsey secured work in the Blue Canyon coal mine, and a week ago Tuesday the explosion of gas took place in the mine and he was taken to the hospital painfully burned. Mrs. Ramsey heard of the accident and, unable to endure the suspense, concluded to go out and nurse him. She attended him until he was able to come to town. Tuesday, the knot severed by the courts was retied and the happy old couple have returned to the quiet little home near Ferndale, as happy as any groom and bride of twenty.
“The knot severed by the courts was retied and the happy old couple have returned to the quiet little home.”
This human-interest story highlights the social vulnerability of aging workers during the era of early industrial coal mining in Washington. While the 'reunion' narrative feels like a Victorian moral fable, it underscores the precariousness of domestic life when disrupted by dangerous labor conditions.
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