On Thursday, October 23, 1958, the No. 2 coal mine in Springhill, Nova Scotia, experienced a tremendous “bump.” At 8:06 p.m., local families were huddled around their new television sets, watching I Love Lucy and Don Messer’s Jubilee. Suddenly, without warning, the ground shook — sending shock waves as far as Ottawa within moments. The mine had caved in, trapping 174 men far, far below the surface.
The great Springhill mining disaster — known by many as the Big One — was actually the site’s second major cave‑in and only the latest in a succession of disturbances stretching back to 1891. A serious explosion in 1956 should have served as a warning that conditions were unsafe, but operations continued at what was reputed to be the deepest coal mine in North America. Ultimately, seventy-five of the miners trapped underground that fall evening lost their lives. Others were rescued from their potential tomb under the glare of television cameras, in the CBC’s...
Paul W. Bennett is an author, education columnist, and regular guest commentator on talk radio. He lives in Halifax.
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