From John
Excerpt
"That's John, John O'Flaherty. Alot of people will tell you Flaherty, but no, that's not it. It's O - Flaherty. That would be O. apostrophe. F.L.A.H.E.R.T.Y. O'Flaherty. I've been a miner for over some 40 years. Started up in Boston, working on their harbor tunnel. My brother was killed standing almost right next to me. You've been asking me for a high point or a low point...I guess that would be one or the other...depending on how your speaking of it. That's when I came down to New York City, hooked up with Local 147. Been in this racket ever since. It's a good union. A good union. Well, it's been good to me. We do all the work in construction that's under 50'. Anything below 50' that's where we come in. Tunnelworkers. Miners. Sandhogs...that's the nickname for us. (pause) Oh - if it was ever derogatory, we've lost track of that a long time ago. The Brooklyn Bridge -- she's our job. The caissons I mean. All the tunnels - Holland, Brooklyn Battery. The subways, most of the sewers . That's all our work.
No it's not an easy job. If the "sili-" "sili-" -- oh what do you call the breathing thing? If that don't get you - all the miners have it -- your ears are shot from the noise. It's very noisy down there. Your joints are aching from the damp, it's very damp down there. If you make it to sixty, you're doing alright. No, no, she's not going to let you go easy."