though he returned to work on 13 march 1940, he remained ill for several weeks. however, his love of hunting and the bush allowed him to still provide meat for the family. the first phase is known as "mining on the advance," from the entrance toward the further reaches of the reserve. his father died when he was eleven years old, while his mother died when he was eighteen years old. the original drinker iron lung was powered by an electric motor attached to two vacuum cleaners, and worked by changing the pressure inside the machine. 