The Nanaimo mine explosion occurred on May 3, 1887, in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

killing 150

miners A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...

. Only seven miners survived and the mine burned for one full day. 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. 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. These men wrote farewell messages in the dust of their shovels. Nearly 150 children lost their fathers and 46 women became widows. Most of the men were settlers from

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and

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. 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 tag 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. The monument on Milton Street lists the names of white miners, but only the tally number for Chinese miners, who were blamed by many white Nanaimoites for the disaster, claiming they could not read signs or instructions. 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 Nanaimo Harbour, also known as the Port of Nanaimo, is a natural Harbor, harbour on the east coast of Vancouver Island in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. The city of Nanaimo runs along the west ...

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.

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File:Nanaimo explosion mem 2.jpg, Centre panel File:Nanaimo explosion mem 3.jpg, Left panel File:Nanaimo explosion mem 4.jpg, Right panel File:Nanaimo explosion mem 5.jpg, Lower panel

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* For a list of miners and causes of deaths search Nanaimo Colliery No. 1 for the year 1887 a
Nanaimo Community Archives, Mine, Death, and Accident Database 1877-1952
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanaimo Coal mining disasters in Canada Explosions in Canada Disasters in British Columbia Nanaimo 1887 in Canada 1887 mining disasters History of Vancouver Island 1887 in British Columbia Mid Vancouver Island Explosions in 1887 1887 disasters in Canada

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