[BCMA] Nanaimo Museum 1887 Mine Explosion Commemoration - Press Release April 21

Sat Apr 21 13:24:04 PDT 2012

Hello everyone,

This is the Press Release for the Nanaimo Museum 1887 Mine Explosion
Commemoration May 3 - June 3, 2012. Text below is also attached as a
.doc file. 

Thank you,

Becka Macdonald, Administrative Assistant

NANAIMO MUSEUM

100 Museum Way

Nanaimo, BC V9R 5J8

Phone: 250.753.1821

Website: nanaimomuseum.ca <http://www.nanaimomuseum.ca/> 

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NanaimoMuseum

April 17, 2012 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Devastating Coal Mine Explosion Claimed 150 

Nanaimo, BC - People enjoying the spring evening of May 3, 1887 were
startled by a strong thump from deep under the city. While some wondered
about its source, miners and their families knew what it meant and that
the outcome would not be good. The evening calm was shattered by the
long wail of the No.1 Esplanade's steam whistle. At the mine, smoke,
wood, machinery and flames shot up the 600 foot shaft and into the
evening sky.

Survivor Jules Michael, who was underground at the time, later recalled
"I heard a sound like a heavy fall of rock ... and then I felt the wind
coming from it up the slope. I said My God! Boys! What is coming on us
now?"

What was coming was the effect of a massive coal dust explosion. Miners
setting a shot on the coal face 850 feet below the harbour accidentally
ignited coal dust suspended in the mine's atmosphere. "The explosive
properties of coal dust were not well known at the time," said curator
David Hill-Turner. One hundred and fifty miners would die as a result of
the explosion, only seven men survived. Most did not die directly from
the effects of the explosion; they were poisoned by gases that seeped
through the tunnels while they waited for rescue. Some trapped miners
kept track of the hours by writing in the dust on their shovels. John
Stevens, wrote in white chalk "13 hours after the explosion, in deepest
misery."  Some victims would not be found for 20 years. Seven miners are
still entombed under the city.

There was anguish outside the mine as families waited for news of their
loved one. Forty six women lost their husbands and 126 children were
without a father. An outpouring of support for the grieving families
came from across Canada and the United States. Widows received twelve
dollars a month for the rest of their lives and children under 14 also
received an allowance. Parents who relied on sons to provide for them,
also received an allowance. Over $100,000 was collected for the Nanaimo
Relief Fund from across Canada and the United States.

>From May 3 - June 1, visitors to the Nanaimo Museum can learn more about
this most devastating event in the province's history in a small feature
exhibit that runs from May 3 - June 1.

Media contact:

David Hill-Turner

Curator, Nanaimo Museum

Tel: 250-753-1821

david at nanaimomuseum.ca

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