Monday, 18th February 2008 (1896 views)

Canada is marking the 80th anniversary of the Hollinger disaster, an event that brought about many of today's mining safety measures, reports say.

Karen Bachmann, director and curator of the Timmins Museum in Ontario, wrote in the Timmins Daily Press the events of February 10th 1928 fundamentally changed gold mining in Canada

It had previously been common practice to throw used timber, dynamite boxes and other refuse in unused shrinkage stopes. However, spontaneous combustion caused one of these dumps to catch fire, filling the mine with carbon monoxide gas.

As gold mining did not release gas and fire was considered unlikely because of damp mine conditions, no rescue teams or emergency equipment were on site. By the time they arrived from Pittsburgh 21 hours later, 39 miners had died.

After two inquiries, a Mine Rescue Station was established in Timmins and others followed across Ontario. Bachmann said that after Hollinger, mine rescue teams became the norm, not the exception.

Tanks of ethyl mercaptan were also installed in mines so that in the event of an emergency the "stink gas" could be released to signal an evacuation.

Gold discovery in Timmins dates back to 1909, when two prospectors found the Golden Staircase vein.

 

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