• The Deep Dark

  • Disaster and Redemption in America's Richest Silver Mine
  • By: Gregg Olsen
  • Narrated by: Gary Roelofs
  • Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (77 ratings)

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The Deep Dark  By  cover art

The Deep Dark

By: Gregg Olsen
Narrated by: Gary Roelofs
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Publisher's summary

For nearly a century, Kellogg, Idaho, was home to America's richest silver mine, Sunshine Mine. Mining there, as everywhere, was not an easy life, but regardless of the risk, there was something about being underground, the lure of hitting a deep vein of silver. The promise of good money and the intense bonds of friendship brought men back year after year. Mining is about being a man and a fighter in a job where tomorrow always brings the hope of a big score.

On May 2, 1972, 174 miners entered Sunshine Mine on their daily quest for silver. Aboveground, safety engineer Bob Launhardt sat in his office, filing his usual mountain of federal and state paperwork. From his office window he could see the air shafts that fed fresh air into the mine, more than a mile below the surface. The air shafts usually emitted only tiny coughs of exhaust; unlike dangerously combustible coal mines, Sunshine was a fireproof hardrock mine, nothing but cold, dripping wet stone. There were many safety concerns at Sunshine, but fire wasn't one of them. The men and the company swore the mine was unburnable, so when thick black smoke began pouring from one of the air shafts, Launhardt was as amazed as he was alarmed.

When the alarm sounded, less than half of the dayshift was able to return to the surface. The others were trapped underground, too deep in the mine to escape. Scores of miners died almost immediately, frozen in place as they drilled, ate lunch, napped, or chatted. No one knew what was burning or where the smoke had come from. But in one of the deepest corners of the mine, Ron Flory and Tom Wilkinson were left alone and in total darkness, surviving off a trickle of fresh air from a borehole.

The miners' families waited and prayed, while Launhardt, reeling from the shock of losing so many men on his watch, refused to close up the mine or give up the search until he could be sure that no one was left underground.

©2014 Gregg Olsen (P)2014 Gregg Olsen
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about The Deep Dark

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Started out not so great, but very glad I stayed w

The first part, hour or more, I was rather irritated at the narrator who seemed to be affecting this “grizzled old miner’s” manner of speaking, and I hate that fakery in narrations and I avoid books where it’s not just reading the book, it is “performing” it. Also, it did seem like a lot of the introductory info wasn’t going anywhere, and I hate that, too. But hey, it’s Gregg Olsen, I’ve got to keep on... Never encountered a GO book that wasn’t totally worth it.

I do want to comment, however, all throughout the book there are numerous flaws in the narration that definitely should have been cleaned up. It ticks me off that Audible doesn’t seem to take this care anymore, just push it out for sale and on to the next. Things like the narrator pausing briefly saying “two seconds” then continuing. This happened many times. Also quite a few mispronunciations that he corrected and continued on. Obviously those items should have been cut out but that would not be his job. For all this type thing, of which there were many in total, I do not blame the narrator at all.

So, all that said, this is an incredible work. Some might complain about the depth Gregg goes into about each of the personalities involved, the life of underground miners, their families, etc. But he tells it like no one else can. You are THERE and it is all completely absorbing and real. No dramatics, no cute fluff added or needed. This was a story of all real life.

The sum total of the story angered me, of course, but notably lacking from the telling was any attempt at manipulation of my emotions. Or at least, it may have been so skillfully done that I was unaware of it. The bare facts, looked at from various perspectives of those involved, and still around to talk about it, were enough to make me both angry but also to confirm my understanding of how the world we live in works. And doesn’t work. No surprises there, really. But Gregg has a clarity in understanding and relating this stuff like no one else.

I was a young single mother at the time of this tragedy and not the news hound that I am now, but I do remember hearing about remnants of it on TV. No internet then! So it was quite satisfying to me to get all the breadth and depth about it that Gregg was able to put into it, and for that I am grateful to him.

If you have even a mild interest in this event and wonder what “really” went on, you will not be disappointed in this work.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Book, Sad Story

This book is excellent and full of great detail. The true story of the 1972 silver mine fire in Idaho was a disaster that resulted in the people and their town to be changed forever. I recommend this book to anyone. Just be warned that there are graphic parts pertaining to the condition of those that were killed.

The narration is horrible.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Several production errors otherwise great

The same phrase was repeated, I assume due to editing shortcomings. Great listen otherwise.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I remember this!

This book brought back that tragedy. I’m an Idahoan and was 12 when this occurred. The stories of the men is well told here. Heartbreaking, informative and enthralling. My Audible had a few glitches in the recording, and the narrator needs to AT LEAST learn how to pronounce the place names. It’s Boy-see, not Boy-zee, and St. Marie’s not St Mary’s.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story, absolutely terrible narratiom

I found this to be a great story about a tragedy I was never aware of. Mr. Olsen obviously did a tremendous job in his research for this book. However, this is one of the three worst narrators I've ever heard (I have heard roughly 150 Audible books). He couldn't pronounce the name of a popular Indian tribe, he would start and stop repeatedly, and he doesn't know how to end a sentence. It's sad. I feel that having this narrator did the survivors and their families a great disservice. It's a well researched and written story. It should have been told MUCH better.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

narrator

Enjoyed the content of the book but hated the narration. The narrator doesn't know how to end a sentence. Theavk of tone ending makes all the sentences run together. I will never buy another Audible book with this narrator.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Miner's Life

I live about an hour away from the Sunshine mine. I was young when it happened and don't remember much about it. The story was very good but really sad. What those miners went through because of NO Regulations, greed, and extremely poor administration. I had learned so much about mining, miners, and their families. A great book for a book club to discuss!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such a sad event

The story is great. The reader not so much. Almost seems like he's doing a bad imitation of William Shatner. He also has problems with ending a sentence

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling Story Marred by Narration

I have read articles and watched documentaries about the Sunshine Mine disaster and hoped that this book would add depth and create a fuller picture - it succeeded! This is an excellently written and well-researched book. Unfortunately, as an audiobook, it is mostly ruined by the narrator’s strange, overwrought performance. It became so bad I was actually annoyed and couldn’t finish. The mispronunciations and odd cadence are tolerable, but the breathy, melodramatic manner in which the dialogue is read is way too distracting.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

devastating and beautiful

the deep dark illustrates how important your coworkers, community and family are in a crisis. anyone who's worked in an underground mine will find this true story a chilling cautionary tale.

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