Especially the part about how the miners, since they only used one candle to save money, would put their thumb over the end of the spike because the thumbnail would reflect the candle's light, (unlike the spike).  The other miner would have to wind up with the sledgehammer, and then the miner holding the spike would move his thumb at the last minute, and hopefully the other miner would hit the spike, and not the first miner's thumb (or any other part of his body).  Everyone agreed that this was a good reason to go to college and get a nice, cushy office job.