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

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

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; cutting, blasting, ...

. 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

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. 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 harbour on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The City of Nanaimo runs along the west side of the harbour. Three islands, Newcastle, Protection, an ...

to Protection Island,

Newcastle Island Saysutshun (Newcastle Island Marine) Provincial Park, formally known as ''Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park'', is a provincial park located on a small island off the coast of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. History For thousands ...

, and the

Nanaimo River The Nanaimo River is a river on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, located near the city of Nanaimo on the island's east coast. Its headwaters are in the Vancouver Island Ranges of central Vancouver Island and its mouth, the Nanaimo ...

. 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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