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58-509: Springhill mining disaster may refer to any of three deadly Canadian mining disasters that occurred in 1891, 1956, and 1958 in different mines within the Springhill coalfield, near the town of Springhill in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia . In the 1891 accident, 125 died; in 1956, 39 were killed; and in 1958, 75 miners were killed. The mines in the Springhill coalfield were established in

116-514: A distance, particularly from a high altitude, the flatness of this mountainous range is notably distinct. Broad, rounded summits, ranging in altitude from 850 to 1,000 feet, merge to form a somewhat rolling surface with an average altitude closer to 900 feet. The undulating terrain of Springhill itself is located at approximately 650 feet above sea level and occupies a total land area of only 4 square miles. The hillside terrain has divergent elevations from 400 to 650 feet with discrete panoramic views of

174-620: A federal medium-security penitentiary , the Springhill Institution , was built during the late 1960s in an effort to diversify the Springhill economy. Nova Scotia Community College, operates their Cumberland Campus in the community of Springhill and offers academic upgrading, post-secondary education courses and trades training in a number of disciplines. Other companies, such as lead–acid battery manufacturer Surrette Battery and Benjamin Heating Products continue to operate in

232-519: A half days (therefore around the morning of Wednesday, October 29, 1958), contact was established with a group of 12 survivors on the other side of a 160-foot (49 m) rockfall. A rescue tunnel was dug; it broke through to the trapped miners at 2:25 am on Thursday, October 30, 1958. On Friday, October 31, 1958, the rescue site was visited by various dignitaries, including the Premier of Nova Scotia , Robert Stanfield , and His Royal Highness Prince Philip,

290-430: A homeowner would step out of his door only to find a big gaping hole where his driveway had been. Another part of an old mine had caved in." Springhill mining disaster may refer to any of three Canadian mining disasters that occurred in 1891, 1956, and 1958 in different mines within the Springhill coalfield, near the town of Springhill in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia . The third and final disaster in 1958 accelerated

348-457: A lack of consultation by the town council. However, the decision was also supported by other residents as a good choice. Baseball and coal mining can be linked together in Nova Scotia history since the early 1900s. The development of both professional players and colliery leagues in many Nova Scotia communities came from a need for both recreation and a distraction from the hardships of life in

406-644: A living history project and the coaching of Jim “Pokey” Melanson. Following his death, a ball field was named in his honour. “The Great Trail” or Trans-Canada Trail System includes an arm of the Cumberland Trail stretching from “The Junction” at Fisher Road passing northwest of Springhill near Lisgar and Queen Street near Springhill Lion's Park and traveling southwest toward Lagoon Road. This leg of multi-use trail travels southwest toward Parrsboro passing Newville and Gilbert Lakes. Local trails are groomed and maintained for approximately 200 kilometres between

464-512: A mining town. Baseball reinforced a cohesiveness between young and old and often brought management and laborers together. During the heyday of Nova Scotia baseball, the Famed Springhill “Fencebusters” included many great sporting moments by pioneer players like "Buddy" Condy, Al Linkletter, Edgar “The Great” Cormier, Leo MacDonald and notable pitchers like Phillip Lloyd “Lefty” Legere. This baseball tradition has been carried forward through

522-399: A putting green, as well as a large clubhouse that was originally a farm house. The Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Community Centre in Springhill has an arena with an NHL sized ice surface and seating capacity of 800. There are five dressing rooms, a room for officials, lobby, storage facilities, canteen with kitchen, coatroom, meeting/boardroom, walking track, 3,100 square foot common room, and

580-424: A rectangular pattern resembling city streets (tunnels), leaving behind blocks (pillars) of coal. To a miner, a partially completed tunnel resembles a room dug into the coal seam. As mining proceeds, the weight of rock overburden previously supported by coal mined from rooms is redistributed to pillars. If that weight exceeds the strength of a pillar, the pillar can fail by crushing or exploding. An explosive failure

638-431: A small earthquake throughout the region, alerting residents on the surface over a wide area to the disaster. " Dräger " teams and teams of barefaced miners entered No. 2 colliery to begin the rescue effort. They encountered survivors at the 13,400-foot (4,100 m) level walking or limping toward the surface. Gas released by the bump was encountered in increasing concentrations at the 13,800-foot (4,200 m) level where

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696-619: A spokesman. Several miners and their rescuers were invited onto The Ed Sullivan Show . One miner, Maurice Ruddick , was chosen as Canada's "Citizen of the Year". Ruddick and the other "miracle miners" enjoyed public attention for a brief time after their rescue. For Ruddick, the only black man in the group, racism dimmed his moment in the spotlight. An aide to the Democratic Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia Marvin Griffin took advantage of

754-517: A teen centre. The Naz MacDonald Walking Trail is a 1.8 km outdoor walking trail in that circles the park adjacent to the community centre. This fitness trail provides an opportunity to experience the beauty of various species of shrubs and flowers of the park. Springhill is 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the Via Rail station in Springhill Junction . It is a stop on request station along

812-668: Is called a “bump.” In the eastern United States' coalfields, bumps are more likely when the overburden is at least 500 feet (150 m); where a strong, overlying stratum , such as sandstone, occurs near the coalbed; and with a strong, inflexible floor. In the United States, the number of deaths from bumps had dropped off dramatically since the early 1990s, but fatalities are more common in the West where mines often run deeper. Bumps are three times more likely in room-and-pillar mines, and are even more common in mines that do retreat mining , in which

870-419: Is heated to an average temperature of 18° C (65 °F) by the surrounding earth. Beginning in the late 1980s, this heat source has been exploited by companies located in Springhill's industrial park, situated on the land where the surface facilities of the coal mines were located, reducing winter heating bills substantially. The provincial and federal government offered economic development assistance and

928-489: The 1891 explosion, killed 125 miners, some of them child laborers between 10 and 13 years old. It occurred at approximately 12:30 pm on February 21, 1891, in the Number 1 and Number 2 collieries, which were joined by a connecting tunnel at the 1,300-foot (400 m) level (below the surface). A fire caused by accumulated coal dust swept through both shafts. Rescue efforts throughout that afternoon and evening were made easier by

986-411: The 1958 Springhill Mining Disaster, subsequently sung by popular folk revival group Peter, Paul and Mary . In 1987, Irish rock band U2 drew attention to the disaster when they included "The Ballad of Springhill" in the playlist for their Joshua Tree Tour . U2 performed the song at fifteen concerts, and were televised live in 1988. On July 30, 2011, U2 performed the first verse of the song during

1044-576: The 19th century, and by the early 1880s were being worked by the Cumberland Coal & Railway Company Ltd. and the Springhill & Parrsboro Coal & Railway Company Ltd. These entities merged in 1884 to form the Cumberland Railway & Coal Company Ltd. , which its investors sold in 1910 to the industrial conglomerate Dominion Coal Company Ltd. (DOMCO). Following the third disaster in 1958,

1102-708: The 40 year music career of Anne Murray. Springhill is located in the Cobequid Mountains sometimes referred to as the Cobequid Hills , which is a mountain range located in Nova Scotia in the mainland portion of the province . Geologically, the Cobequid Mountains are considered part of the Appalachians . The range stretches from Cape Chignecto in Cumberland County in the west through to Pictou County in

1160-534: The 6,100-foot-deep (1,900 m) No. 4 to aid their colleagues. International media coverage of the 1956 explosion was largely overshadowed by the Soviet invasion of Hungary and the Suez Crisis , which happened at about the same time. Nevertheless, Canadian and local media gave extensive coverage to the 1956 disaster. After the rescue effort, the connected No. 4 and No. 2 collieries were sealed for several months to deprive

1218-612: The Duke of Edinburgh who had been at meetings in Ottawa . On Saturday, November 1, 1958, another group of survivors was found. None were found thereafter. Instead, bodies of the dead were hauled out in airtight aluminum coffins, on account of the advanced stage of decomposition, accelerated by the Earth's heat in the depths of No. 2 mine at 13,000–14,000 feet (4,000–4,300 m) below the mine entrance. The 1958 bump had profound and long-lasting effects on

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1276-470: The No. 2 mine reaching 14,300 feet, are filled with water. They provide Springhill's industrial park with geothermal heating . Geothermal energy from the waters of the abandoned mines is capable of providing heating and cooling for large buildings through the use of heat pumps . Because the water in a mine circulates by convection, shallow wells produce water of a temperature significantly higher than groundwater of

1334-604: The Trans-Canada Highway and Southampton in Winter months and actively used by the Cumberland County Snowmobile Club. The Cobequid Off-Highway Vehicle Club also uses and maintains trails near Springhill, Nova Scotia. The Springhill Centennial Golf Club is located at 2770 Pleasant Valley Road. Facilities are in operation from May to October. The course offers 9-hole, par 36, 3000 yd., a large driving range,

1392-510: The area took place in the 1870s after a rail connection was built by the Springhill and Parrsboro Coal and Railway Company to the newly completed Intercolonial Railway at neighbouring Springhill Junction . Early growth of the coal industry in Nova Scotia was built on exports to the east coast of the United States. Coal was so prevalent in Springhill that "there was a time when men got coal out of their backyards; shallow pits were found everywhere. In recent years, there have been instances when

1450-406: The blast, a mine train was hauling a load of fine coal dust up to the surface of the Number 4 colliery for removal from the pithead, and encountered a heavy flow of ventilation air being forced down the shaft by surface fans. The flow of air disturbed the contents of the ascending train cars and spread fine (and highly flammable) dust throughout the air of the shafts of No. 4. Before the train reached

1508-492: The carboniferous area on the southern side of the Cumberland Coal Basin, Springhill's six main coal seams overlap. The seams, separated by strata of sandstone and shale from 11–110 metres in thickness, were once horizontal, but, because they were raised by internal earth movement, now slope sharply down into the earth. The seams dip to the northwest at an angle of thirty-five degrees. The first industrial coal mining in

1566-403: The ceiling had collapsed, and rescuers were forced to work down shafts that were in a partial state of collapse or were blocked completely by debris. Of the 174 miners in No. 2 colliery at the time of the bump, those who were not located either in side galleries, or some other shelter, were immediately crushed, the coal galleries and faces being completely destroyed. However, 75 survivors were on

1624-408: The closure of the largest mines when what was known as a " bump " occurred. The underground upheaval can be described as a bump due to a seismic jolt stemming from the collapse of one or more support pillars within a mine. A commemorative monument is prominently displayed on the main street of Springhill to honour the heroic lives of miners and their families. The statue is near to Miner's Hall, on

1682-458: The coal is hauled out from the mine in an angled shaft into a vertical building (the coal is then dropped into railway cars). Most of the devastation was sustained by the surface buildings, but many miners were trapped in the shaft along with the derailed train cars and fallen support timbers and other items damaged by the explosion. Heroically, Drägermen (rescue miners with breathing equipment) and barefaced miners (without such protection) entered

1740-509: The community. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have a detachment in Springhill and serve the surrounding communities. The All Saints Springhill Hospital operated under the Nova Scotia Health Authority provides health services to Springhill and surrounding areas including Oxford, Collingwood, Southampton and Springhill Junction. On March 4, 2014, the town's elected council, under the leadership of Mayor Max Snow, announced

1798-496: The corner of Main and Pioneer Street. A short drive from downtown is the Springhill Coal Mining National Historic Site of Canada. This site is located at the corner of Industrial Park Drive and Memorial Crescent, Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada. Visitor's have an opportunity to tour the depths of a Springhill coal mine, hear stories of the disaster of 1891, the 1916 subterranean fire which raged through

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1856-456: The decision to give up the municipal incorporation charter for the Town of Springhill effective April 1, 2015. The council stated that the decision was arrived at because the municipality, incorporated in 1889, was facing unprecedented future financial pressures in the form of rising costs for services, salaries and pension obligations, most notably for its municipal police department. At the same time,

1914-587: The east. As a hamlet protruding from the hillsides of Cumberland County, Springhill lies tucked away in the Nova Scotia interior uplands resting between the smooth summit of the Cobequid Mountains and the Bay of Fundy. This craggy and rugged range is a long, narrow remnant of the Atlantic upland, stretching 75 miles across Cumberland County , from the head of the Bay of Fundy to the Northumberland Strait. When seen from

1972-473: The explosion was never determined, despite investigators having pinpointed its general location. The song "La Mine" (allegedly traditional) by the French Canadian folk group Le Vent du Nord on their 2009 album La part du feu relates to the 1891 explosion. The 1956 explosion occurred on November 1, and killed 39 coal miners, but 88 others underground were rescued because of improved equipment. Prior to

2030-472: The final show on their 360° Tour in Moncton, New Brunswick . The abrupt end of large-scale industrial coal mining presented incredible economic challenges for the region as residents struggled with massive unemployment in the 1960s. An unexpected legacy and benefit from the abandoned coal mines is being realized in the form of geothermal energy . Since their closure, the mines have filled with ground water which

2088-529: The fires of oxygen. In January 1957, the bodies of the remaining casualties were recovered from the pit, and No. 4 colliery closed forever. One of the rescuers, physician Arnold Burden, was also involved in the 1958 disaster. The 1958 bump killed 75 miners on October 23, 1958, out of 174 working at the No. 2 colliery. The accident was the most severe " bump " (underground seismic event) in North American mining history, injured Springhill residents, and devastated

2146-400: The former technique. On October 23 a small bump occurred at 7:00 pm during the evening shift; it was ignored, as this was a somewhat common occurrence. However, just over an hour later, at 8:06 pm, an enormous bump "severely impacted the middle of the three walls that were being mined and the ends of the four levels nearest the walls". The bump spread as three distinct shock waves, resembling

2204-544: The galleries, the loss of 39 men in the 1956 explosion and the major “bump” in 1958 which killed 75 men. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation who owned CBHT pioneered outside broadcasting in Canada with its coverage of the Springhill Mine Disaster in 1958. The Miners’ Museum displays unique artifacts of the history of the town and its remarkable industrial heritage. There is a gift Shop and picnic area for tourists on

2262-442: The globe. Her musical accomplishments in pop , country , and adult contemporary music include albums selling over 55 million copies worldwide. Murray has received four Grammys , a record 24 Junos , three American Music Awards , and three Canadian Country Music Association Awards . The Anne Murray Centre in Springhill offers a mini-recording studio to record your own duet, a gift shop, memorabilia and other artifacts spanning

2320-475: The governor's terms so that the other miners' vacations would not be ruined; but he and his family stayed in a trailer apart from his colleagues. Ruddick died in 1988. In 2003, U.S. author Melissa Fay Greene retold this aspect of the aftermath in her book Last Man Out . The rescuers were awarded a Gold Medal by the Royal Canadian Humane Association for bravery in lifesaving, the first time

2378-593: The historic lowlands sheltered by towering pines and stands of birch. The night skies in rural upland Nova Scotia are pure, clear of smog, and brimming with stars. Some of the clearest views of Venus, Jupiter and Saturn can be viewed from high in the Cobequid Hills. Springhill is located on the northwestern edge of the Cobequid Hills midway between the Minas Basin and the Northumberland Strait . Located in

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2436-539: The industrial conglomerate Dominion Coal Company Ltd. (DOMCO). All coal mining had ceased in the area by the early 1970s. The community is famous for both the Springhill Mining Disaster and being the childhood home of international recording star Anne Murray , who is honoured by the Anne Murray Centre , a popular tourist attraction. As of 2015 the mine properties, among the deepest in the world with

2494-525: The intense media coverage to promote tourism to that state by offering a group of survivors free vacations to Jekyll Island . However to the segregationist governor's chagrin (he had been vacationing on a hunting trip in Manitoba at the time of the disaster), he learned of Ruddick's race – which resulted in a public relations nightmare. Upon learning that Ruddick was black, the governor said that Ruddick would have to be segregated. Ruddick agreed to

2552-528: The lack of fire in No. 1 and No. 2, but the scale of the disaster was unprecedented in Nova Scotian or Canadian mining history, and the subsequent relief funds saw contributions come in from across the country and the British Empire , including Queen Victoria . A subsequent inquiry determined that sufficient gas detectors in working order had been present in the two collieries; however, the ignition source of

2610-515: The medal had been awarded to a group. In 1958, the town of Springhill was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism recognizing the community involvement needed to save the surviving miners. As of 2015, Springhill is the only community to have received that award, usually reserved for individual acts of heroism. Springhill, Nova Scotia Springhill is a community located in central Cumberland County , Nova Scotia , Canada. The community

2668-586: The miners and to reporters. The disaster became famous for being the first major international event to appear in live television broadcasts (on the CBC ). As the world waited and those on the surface kept their vigil, rescuers continued to toil below ground trying to reach trapped survivors. Teams began to arrive from other coal mines in Cumberland County, on Cape Breton Island and in Pictou County . After five and

2726-508: The municipality was facing a future of decreased revenue due to declining property tax assessments while at the same time having the highest municipal property tax rate in Nova Scotia. Upon dissolution, Springhill became part of the Municipality of the County of Cumberland , comprising approximately 1/5 of the population of that municipality. The decision was criticized by some residents who alleged

2784-498: The operator Dominion Steel & Coal Corporation Ltd. (DOSCO), then a subsidiary of the A.V. Roe Canada Company Ltd. , shut its mining operations in Springhill, and they were never reopened. As of 2015 the mine properties, among the deepest works in the world, with the No. 2 mine reaching 14,300 feet (4,400 m) and now filled with water, are owned by the government of Nova Scotia, and provide Springhill's industrial park with geothermal heating . Springhill's first mining disaster,

2842-496: The pillars are removed as the miners retreat towards the mine entrance with the intent of allowing an orderly collapse of the mine. The Springhill Mining Disaster was a bump that occurred in Springhill, Nova Scotia , Canada on October 23, 1958. Debate over the cause of the August 6, 2007, Crandall Canyon Mine disaster, which took place 1,800 feet beneath the surface, raised public awareness about coal mine bumps. Seismologists at

2900-531: The route of the Ocean which runs between Montreal and Halifax . Springhill is 1 hour and 52 minutes driving distance from the Provincial Capital of Halifax, NS, and approximately 45 minutes from Moncton, New Brunswick. Nearby Amherst is a 20-minute drive and Parrsboro is approximately 35–40 minutes from Springhill along Route 2 . Coal mine bump In room and pillar mining , tunnels are advanced in

2958-421: The same depth. In 2015 the Town of Springhill amalgamated into the Municipality of the County of Cumberland . The Anne Murray Centre showcases the life and times of Springhill's internationally acclaimed songstress Anne Murray . Visitors can step into the story of this Canadian icon and take an intimate look at her humble beginnings, flight to fame, and enduring contributions to the world of music. Murray

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3016-465: The site. Springhill Mining Disasters are articulated in a number of songs, poems, books and published articles, including an Alistair MacLeod short story entitled, " The Vastness of the Dark ". Blue Grass musician Bill Clifton recorded a song in 1958 called the “Springhill Disaster”. The American folksinger Peggy Seeger and English folksinger Ewan MacColl composed the song "The Ballad of Springhill" about

3074-510: The surface by 4:00 am on October 24, 1958, and rescue teams continued working to find 24 others, but the number of rockfalls and the amount of debris slowed progress. Meanwhile, the Canadian and international news media had made their way to Springhill. Arnie Patterson was the public relations spokesman for the Company, and relayed news of the progress of rescue (and later recovery) to the families of

3132-400: The surface, several cars broke loose and ran back down the slope of No. 4, derailing along the way and hitting a power line, causing it to arc and igniting the coal dust at the 5,500-foot (1,700 m) level (below surface). The resulting explosion blew coal dust up the slope to the surface where the additional oxygen created a huge blast, which leveled the bankhead on the surface – where

3190-425: The town and on the public imagination. In the media crush at the pithead (the shaft entrance at the surface), reporters rushed to speak with survivors, particularly the two groups of miners who had been trapped until Thursday and Sunday respectively. When asked what he wanted most, survivor Douglas Jewkes replied, "A 7 Up ". Following this high-profile media event and unexpected " plug ", the 7 Up company hired him as

3248-446: The town's economy. Springhill's No. 2 colliery was one of the deepest coal mines in the world. Sloping shafts 14,200 feet (4,300 m) in length led to a vast labyrinth of galleries more than 4,000 feet (1,200 m) below the surface. Mining techniques there had been changed 20 years before the 1958 bump, from " room and pillar " to " long wall retreating" after reports had shown the increased danger of "bump" phenomena resulting from

3306-536: Was born and raised in Springhill, Nova Scotia. Her father, James Carson Murray, was the Springhill town doctor for many years. Her mother, Marion Margaret Murray, was a registered nurse who focused her life on raising her family and community charity work. The Dr. Carson & Marion Murray Community Centre is named after her parents and is a short distance from the Anne Murray Centre, which hosts an annual summer event and fundraiser that attracts tourists from around

3364-478: Was founded as "Springhill Mines". Coal mining led to economic growth, with its incorporation as a town in 1889. The mines in the Springhill coalfield were established in the 19th century, and by the early 1880s were being worked by the Cumberland Coal & Railway Company Ltd. and the Springhill & Parrsboro Coal & Railway Company Ltd. These entities merged in 1884 to form the Cumberland Railway & Coal Company Ltd. , which its investors sold in 1910 to

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