The Story of Per and Lilly (née Christensen) Falkenberg-Andersen
Up North
After spending the summer in Edmonton, Per headed north to Uranium City, Saskatchewan. He'd work at the uranium mine, building bunkhouses and mine shafts. Room and board was two dollars a day: the food was good, the lodging mediocre. But the job paid a whopping $40 per day.
Shafted
In the mine, a barrel was used to raise and lower men and material. To prevent wobbling, the barrel was lowered either slowly or very fast. Wobbling could make it hit the shaft walls. Men were lowered slowly but material was lowered quickly. A brakeman was stationed above to control the barrel speed and there were specific signals to let him know what was aboard.
One day, Per was in a mineshaft and needed to go 700 meters further down. He didn't know about the signal system. He got into the barrel. The brakeman, unaware a man was aboard, lowered the barrel very quickly. At the bottom of the shaft, a crew was waiting to be taken up. They had a shock when Per rolled out of the barrel: dazed, shaken up and lucky to be alive.
A Box of Chocolates
Just before Christmas, Per decided to spend three months in Denmark. He needed a United States visa to board the "Christmas Ship" from New York to Denmark. Danish friends advised him to send a box of chocolates with his visa application. So he did and received his visa without delay.
The voyage was rough. Nearly everyone was seasick. But not our Per. He was one of ten valiant souls who made it to the dining room every time.
Adapted from the 2007 Heritage Book,with permission from the Federation of Danish Associations in Canada
More Immigrant Stories:
• Will Per find romance––or has he waited too long?
