When I was 17 old I started working at an asbestos mine in the Yukon. I had the
excitement of youth and looked on the thing as a big adventure.

The mine was located about 7 miles from the Alaska border on the banks of the
Forty Mile River, which emptied into the Yukon River some 5 miles or so north.

I first arrived in August and started working on the Surface Crew. This was the
group responsible for outside maintenance of all things on the surface. This was
fine when we had those few relatively warm days in summer, but later it was a
bit more difficult to be working outside in minus 55F.

One of my first duties was to keep clear the conveyor that took the unused
asbestos out to the tailings piles. Tailings piles are basically the dregs of
what's left over after milling the asbestos and is run out of the mill on
conveyor belts to large piles behind the mill. At that time they were about 100
feet high.

I was given a shovel, and a small mask (kind of like the little paper ones that
painters use) and told to go shovel off the conveyor belt on the tailings piles.
Dutifully I climbed up with my little shovel to clear any blockages of asbestos
from the conveyor. I remember clearly at one point standing literally knee deep
in asbestos on top of this 100 foot high pile and looking inside my very poor
quality mask and seeing the inside (where it's not supposed to be) all grey from
the asbestos dust. I then took out my hankerchief (yes, I carried one) and blew
my nose. Sorry for the rude, graphic description, but it was all grey. And that
was my introduction to work at an asbestos mine.

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