Hello again,
It turns out that Maurice did write another verse to his song. His daughter, Katrina, got in touch with her sisters over the week-end, and came up with it. I've re-posted the entire tune here.

By the way Joe, I've listened to the midi, and it sounds great.

Enjoy,
Dan Calder ^^ "THE SPRINGHILL DISASTER OF 1958"
(Words and music by Maurice Ruddick)

The twenty-third of October, we'll remember that day;
Down the shaft underground in our usual way.
In the Cumberland Pit, how the rafters crashed down
And the black hell closed 'round us way down in the ground.

Now when the news reached our good neighbours nearby,
The rescue work started; our hopes were still high.
But the last bit of hope like our lamps soon burned dim;
In that three-foot high dungeon we joined in a hymn
In that dark, black hole in the ground.

Only God will ever know all that happened down there.
How we watched Percy Rector die gasping a prayer,
And young Clarke had his birthday, he thought, in his grave;
After days of cruel torture we'd no hopes to be saved.

We sang altogether, though racked through with pain.
When they broke through we knew that our prayers weren't in vain.
I crawled through the tunnel. They helped me along.
I said, "Give me some water, and I'll sing you a song."

I'll sing you a song of the bravest of men.
And of those who remain to go digging again.
And you boys up in heaven as you look on down,
Don't forget to remember Springhill mining town,
And that deep, dark hole in the ground.

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 28-May-02.