I was Miraculously Saved

Not far from Cobalt there was a paesano, Peter Tagliamonti who could increase his gang, so we went to work for him.

After a few days I was miraculously saved!

(I must cut in because I am not sure if the above statement means in a spiritual way or if Pascal is talking about the accident while working with Peter Tagliamonti…so I left it in as written.)

One day, a month after I began working with Peter, in the course of digging a ditch I uncovered a big stone. It had to be removed so I dug on two sides but before I could finish the job the whistle blew calling for dinner. Returning after dinner I discovered that the big stone had become detached and its weight had broken my shovel. Had I still been there I would have become sandwiched by the big stone and the ditch.

On another afternoon the crew needed water; so Tony, one of the finest young men I knew took the bucket to the spring for some water. An hour passed. When Tony returned we made fun of him because he had taken such a long time to get the water. We said, “At this rate the company will go bankrupt.”

Tony, having finished his section of the ditch he was to go forward; but, I asked him to dig a portion of the ditch near me. Tony did so gladly. Shortly after he started, one of the men that was up on the bank called out, “Look out! Look out!”

I looked and saw the side of the ditch slide down. Both of us- Tony and I were buried alive. I could hear the men; they, rushed to rescue us. They dug with shovels and after about 20 minutes they uncovered my head. It took another half hour to pull me out.

Meanwhile others hurried to rescue Tony, when they reached him, he was dead. A stump with its weight had broken his spine.

The ambulance came and I was taken to the hospital in Colborn, Ontario. It was several days until I was relesed from the hospital. I went back to work until the job was finished.

I left that town and traveled to Montreal.