RESULTS _
The process of visiting former miners in their environment and listening to them and their relatives provided a very plural collection of information. All the former miners of Winterslag that agreed to talk described the mine, and how it affected their lives, in different ways. In all cases the connection with the mine was very strong. They spoke in a very motivated way, describing every part of it in detail, even when they confessed to hating it. In one way or another, the mine was their and their relatives’ life. Usually a profession is passed down over generations connecting people in time.
The mine environment described by the former miners was a place with very strong acoustics, a network of interlaced tunnels creating a mesh of echoes and dust. The fact that the former miners had little relation to art and sound production meant that they provided sensitive information quite naturally. The former miners were used to telling their stories, explaining the mine environment while describing their work and their function. This was very important for the process since they felt comfortable describing how the mine was a part of their lives. In some cases they also compared their own situation and working environment to those of others, indicating that they were more or less lucky to be in a more or less noisy environment.
The presence of sound appeared in every talk. It did not have any specific connection with their function, but featured in their descriptions. When describing the lowering of a tunnel, for instance, they would mention the accompanying shift in sound.
The working environment was underground, full of dust, with no natural light, and the smell of gas, sweat and excretions, produced a filthy ambience. Working side by side on the coalface, vision was frequently at a minimum and sounds were often of high importance. They described when the sound was particularly intense or when it would be completely unusual [when drilling through different types of rocks, for instance]. Some of them explained that they had hearing problems because of the volume in the pit. They didn’t wear ear protection because this made it impossible to hear each other or the warning, crackling sound of the stone layer pressuring the supports leading to a possible collapse. Air sounds were constantly mentioned. Ventilators, elevators and ducts brought air inside. Some sounds they described by imitation or by comparing them to known sounds, for example comparing the sound of a vehicle on tracks used for transportation with the sound of an army tank riding on a concrete road.
Most of the time they mentioned more or less the same sounds, such as the bell of the elevator, the hitting of mine cars against each other, etc. Nevertheless all of them also become aware of more specific sounds related to their personal work or cultural background. Some former miners with Italian roots, for instance, mentioned that the crickets made a typical sound as if they were in the south of Europe. Others that worked as production managers mentioned that they liked the sound of a full coal car because it was a sign of productivity.
Some mentioned almost unexpected details, such as the difference in sound between loaded and empty coal cars, and made remarks about the subtle sonic differences between the different work or the changes in the general noise over the years. Some of these facts could maybe be found in books and some sounds could be heard on a dvd/video of the work underground; there are nevertheless a lot of sounds or changes in sound that were uncovered through these conversations with the former miners.
The massive immigration brought with it a mix of languages and communication problems to the mines. Not only Belgians but also different immigrant groups were confronted with the cultural and religious habits of other nationalities. The communication was improved by installing an intercom system, which was sometimes also used to have just a little bit of fun, when for example an Italian worker would sing “O Sole Mio” through the speakers of the intercom. They all mentioned the amount of shouting of orders and warnings. Mainly they spoke Flemish mixed with expressions from their own mother tongue. This resulted in the creation of a specific language for the mine, which integrates the French of the owners and engineers at the mine, the Flemish of the ‘native’ workers and the different languages of the immigrant workers.
The narrative of the mines is told not only by the former miners but also by their families. The mine life was so intense that the relatives were completely connected to it. The children would go to school at the mine camp, for instance. In every talk some relative would show up to say something, pointing out some feature or making a comment. The former miners came up with DVDs, books and photos, even some, which proved impossible to find in the public archives. All of this demonstrated how attached they remain to their professional past, and also how rich this part of history has been and how deeply the memories are rooted. At the same time, it makes clear how eager the former miners are to share their memories with others.