Lyrics copied from http://www.rootsweb.com/~nsmusquo/lower_musquodoboit/elderbank.txt

THE RESCUE FROM THE MOOSE RIVER GOLD MINE
(Carter/McLeod)

Way down in old Nova Scotia,
Moose River it seems is the name,
Three Canadians on an Easter Sunday
To the tumbled down gold mine they came.

They descended the mine for inspection
Never dreaming fate trailed them close by,
With a crash that gave them no warning
Entombed in that mine there to die.

Brave men from all over the country
Volunteered to give up their lives.
They slaved with unceasing efforts
It seemed that death they defied.

Long days and nights they had labored,
Turned back when great cave-ins fell,
While far below patiently waiting
Three men were in one living hell.

Many times turned back in the rescue,
Fate seemed always blocking their way.
With a prayer on their lips they worked onwards:
"We must win. We must win, pray we may."

On Sunday, they got the first message
From the men prisoned far, far below:
"Can you help us?" they heard the men calling.
"Our sufferings does God only know."

Next message filled all hearts with sorrow:
They heard them say, "One pal is gone.
We are trying our best to hold on, boys.
Do your best. Don't make it too long."

At last, the great strain it was broken.
A miner out of breath brought the news:
"We have won the great fight," he was calling.
"At last, we have dug our way through."

That great fight against the dark angel,
It is won fighting hard all the way,
Till tragedy came with the rescue
From the tomb of those terrible days.

Now, friends, this story is ending
With hardships of many a day,
But this rescue will go down in history
Of the gold mine down Moose River way.

[This song appears on disk 3 of the 8-disk Wilf Carter compilation "Cowboy Songs," Bear Family CD 15939, 1997. It was also recorded by Bob King on "Songs That Tell a Story," 1993; and by Norman Blake on "Chattanooga Sugar Babe," 1998.]