First time I was close to TNT was in Makkovik, Labrador. This old Powderman was settin caps with a smoke in his mouth. I was green and asked if that was safe. He immediately took a stick and threw it at me. I had my hands in my pockets and watched the stick hit me in the chest and fall to the ground. He said, "Ye can't set 'n it off with fire, b'y. Takes a shock. Better catch the next 'n."

A few days later, I decided to go for a walk on a Sunday. It started to rain heavy so I went back to the mobile home (part of Susie's Hotel) and took a nap. The 90 second to blast alarm went off and I didn't hear it. My boss and a crew member exited the mobile home but they didn't know I had returned and was napping in my room. The powderman signaled them to see if everyone was out of the mobile home and my boss nodded yes. They were blasting to put water and sewer into the mobile home. My room was next to the washroom.

Yup, I was out the door in 2 seconds and the powderman went apeshit! The toilet tank was destroyed and the windows were broken. He didn't seem to care much about me although he gave my boss shit.