Bellevue Underground Mine Tour
Crowsnest Pass, Alberta
www.bellevuemine.ca
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1910 Bellevue Mine Explosion
by Bob Price, Vice-Chairman, Crowsnest Ecomuseum Trust Society
In the Crowsnest Pass region from Fernie to Bellevue, from 1902 to 1917, a total of 408 men were killed in various underground explosions. The demand for coal was high as new world technologies developed. With high production underground and more men in the pits, explosions claimed a huge toll in human life, until ventilation technology and attitudes towards towards safety improved. Common sense did not prevail before many were killed. Vigilance still sleeps at times as witnessed by the Balmar North and Westray explosions of recent times.
The Bellevue Mine was owned by West Canadian Collieries of Lille, France. It operated from 1903 - 1961 and produced over 13,000,000 tons of domestic coal. In most years it was a highly profitable venture. Production at the Bellevue Mine in 1910 was 336,334 tons, way up from 126,000 tons in 1908. A lot of the pillar removal was going on in #1 seam. This pillaring left huge mined out areas called gob. Due to the strength of the silica sandstone roof, a lot of caving, normal in other mines, did not occur. Ventilation in these areas was poor due to poor pillar design and inadequate fan power. In the upper reaches of the 70 to 80 chutes, methane gas was accumulating to dangerous levels.
The main fan at the entry was designed to produce 100,000 cubic feet of fresh air per minute but it was only producing 65,000 cubic feet per minute, not nearly enough to properly dilute and remove the methane gas that the seam was releasing. This, coupled with poor mine design and poor safety practise, produced a situation best described as an "accident waiting to happen".
In March 1910, James Burke, secretary to the UMWA local, complained to Mr. Stirling, the chief mine inspector, about the gas and the ventilation. Local Inspector Heathcoate confirmed the presence of methane and ordered the company to improve ventilation. However, months later, the problems persisted.
On October 10, 1910 the main fan broke down for two hours and the company forced the men to remain underground at their workplaces. The union complained and Stirling angrily ordered the company to keep the mine well ventilated.
On the following weekend, Thanksgiving, the fans were shut down for two days for repairs. On the holiday Monday, a large methane explosion rocked the mine. Fortunately, the mine was vacant. It took until the end of November to clean up the mess and resume mining. Apparently, falling roof rocks had sparked, producing a gas explosion. Nothing substantial was done to improve air supply and the mine continued with record production.
December 9, 1910, 4:00 p.m. signalled the end of the dayshift and over 200 workers exited the mine and went home to rest. Forty-seven men walked into the mine for the afternoon shift. At 7:00 pm, three hours into their shift, a powerful explosion rocked the mine starting in the areas of 74 to 76 chutes. The exploding methane quickly consumed oxygen and pushed good air out of the mine. The outside fan was knocked out. Deadly afterdamp or CO filled the mine. The inevitable had begun to happen.
Most of the men survived the blast, suffering concussions and abrasions. Now they began to die of carbon monoxide poisoning in the foul atmosphere. Outside, the shrill blast of the mine whistle signalled a disaster. People rushed from their homes and rescue work began.
Alberta mines did not have mine rescue teams and equipment in 1910. Mine Manager Powell called Hosmer B.C., where he knew a rescue station existed. The wise B.C. government had established a provincial mine rescue system., with stations at Hosmer, Cumberland, Nanaimo and Middlesboro. A special train was quickly commissioned at Fernie by Crowsnest Industries and the Canadian Pacific Railway. Soon, it raced along the track towards Alberta, picking up personnel at Hosmer and Michel along the way. Thirteen trained Draegermen had boarded the train.
Prior to the train's arrival, rescue work was dreadful. Six men had been found alive and 22 were found dead or dying. Dr. MacKenzie of Bellevue, Inspector Heathcoate and Manager Powell worked feverishly. All three were overcome by afterdamp and nearly died. Other rescuers were very ill as well. Inside the mine at 84 chute, 19 men, desperate and barely conscious, had huddled at the air locomotive charging station. They had broken off a piece of pipe and were surviving on the escaping compressed air. Outside, a mine official, worried about fires and damage to property, shut down the main air compressor. All nineteen men died at the station. They were found expired in a close huddle.
Deep inside the mine at 124 chute another group of men were barely surviving in somewhat better air. They had built a "stopping" that they were able to huddle behind.
At 2:00 am, the rescue train arrived. The Draegermen found a state of panic and disorganization. They quickly took control of the situation. They entered the mine wearing two-hour breathing apparatus. Some of these men were also overcome by CO. Fred Alderson of Hosmer and Inspector Strachan of Fernie reached the survivors at 124 chute and started to bring men, one at a time, back to 84 chute where good air now existed. The air in-between was deadly. Fred overexerted himself, demanding much more air than his apparatus could purify. He and his distressed miner collapsed in the entry. Some of the men reached 84 chute - dizzy and almost unconscious. Outside, word was received that members of the rescue team were lost inside. A "forlorn hope" team was sent in, led by Evans and Huby of Hosmer. They were able to rescue the barely conscious men from 124 chute, but found Alderson and the miner he tried to rescue were dead.
Outside, the miners were revived by artificial respiration. Inspector Strachan was revived in the nick of time. In all, 17 miners survived the explosion. Two of these men were Varley and Ford, who was barely injured. (Ford later became the town policeman in Coleman.)
Altogether, 30 miners died, along with 1 Draegerman. The victims were buried in Passburg, Blairmore and Hosmer several days later. The mine was shut down immediately. An inquest found the company negligent but also blamed the miners for short cutting the provisions of the Mines' Act. No one was charged or fined, but the company was ordered to correct the ventilation system before the mine could reopen. Before this could be done, another explosion occurred in January, 1911. It was by far the worst blast. Fortunately, no one was in the mine. It was also blamed on falling roof rock, creating sparks.
By April, 1911, the company had drilled several rock tunnels to the surface from the gob areas where the methane was accumulating. Ventilation was greatly improved. The methane was allowed to escape to the outside instead of being trapped. However, repairs to the mine and a miners' strike in April kept the mine closed for almost a year after the explosion.
Soon mine rescue stations sprouted up in each of Alberta's mining districts. Crowsnest Pass Rescue Station #1 operated out of a converted rail passenger car. It was centered in Blairmore and could be rapidly transported to any mine in the Pass.
The stations and the mine rescue programs were co-funded by the mining companies and the provincial government. It is a sad tragedy that 31 men had to die in the Bellevue Mine before the Province of Alberta saw the need for mine rescue services. In all, 67 men were killed in Bellevue Mine during its operation from 1903 - 1961.