1887 Nanaimo mine explosion

1887 mine explosion in Canada The Nanaimo mine explosion occurred on May 3, 1887, in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, killing 150 miners. Only seven miners survived and the mine burned for one full day. right|250px|thumb|No 1 Esplanade Explosion Monument (see gallery for text detail) The explosion started deep underground in the Number One Coal Mine after explosives were laid improperly. Although many miners died instantly, others were trapped by the explosion and the fires that followed.Beitler Stu Nanaimo, BC Mine Explosion Disaster, May 1887 http://www.gendisasters.com/british-columbia/8852/nanaimo-bc-mine-explosion-disaster-may-1887 GenDisasters 8 December 2019 5 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200505095936/http://www.gendisasters.com/british-columbia/8852/nanaimo-bc-mine-explosion-disaster-may-1887 dead Most miners did not die from the primary explosions or the fires, but many actually died from choking on poisonous gas hours after the initial explosions.Bellaart Darrell Worst mining disaster in B.C. history took place 125 years ago today in Nanaimo CoalWatch http://www.coalwatch.ca/worst-mining-disaster-bc-history-took-place-125-years-ago-today-nanaimo Coal Watch 8 December 2019 8 December 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191208020910/http://www.coalwatch.ca/worst-mining-disaster-bc-history-took-place-125-years-ago-today-nanaimo dead These men wrote farewell messages in the dust of their shovels. Nearly 150 children lost their fathers and 46 women became widows.http://www.mala.bc.ca/history/Content/widow.htm Vancouver Island University, Benton Family History 2005-01-02 2012-02-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20120206212320/http://www.mala.bc.ca/history/Content/widow.htm dead Most of the men were settlers from Cornwall, Wales and Yorkshire.Cornishmen Killed Among 176 Who Perished in the Nanaimo Mine, British Columbia The Cornishman 461 12 May 1887 8 A plaque at the foot of Milton Street commemorates the event. Although past documents put the death toll at 148, researchers have since revised the number to 150, including 53 Chinese workers. Chinese workers were listed in the government inquest and annual report of the Minister of Mines as "Chinamen, names unknown", followed by a payroll number. B.C. employers did not have to report the deaths of Chinese employees until 1897. Some accounts suggest that 48 of the 53 miners had the surname of Mah — records may have been destroyed when Nanaimo's Chinatown burned to the ground in 1960.http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/llt/48/11carnet.html History Cooperative 2005-01-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20021101150532/http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/llt/48/11carnet.html 2002-11-01 dead The monument on Milton Street lists the names of white miners, but only the payroll numbers for the Chinese miners. Operated by the Vancouver Coal Company, the Number One mine opened in 1884 at the foot of Milton Street in Nanaimo. Its shafts and tunnels extended under the Nanaimo Harbour to Protection Island, Newcastle Island, and the Nanaimo River. After the explosion, the mine re-opened and produced 18 million tons of coal before permanently closing in 1938. Gallery See also Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions Protection Island mining disaster References External links For a list of miners and causes of deaths search Nanaimo Colliery No. 1 for the year 1887 at Nanaimo Community Archives, Mine, Death, and Accident Database 1877-1952 Canada 49.157923 N 123.929004 W Nanaimo No. 1 Esplanade region:CA_type:landmark title Category:Coal mining disasters in Canada Category:Explosions in Canada Category:Disasters in British Columbia Category:Nanaimo Category:1887 in Canada Category:1887 mining disasters Category:History of Vancouver Island Category:1887 in British Columbia Category:Mid Vancouver Island Category:1887 explosions Category:1887 disasters in Canada