Cool Underground Tunnel and Nanaimo's Old Mine Shafts

[GR74]

Yeah I wanted to find a way down there too...

[Foxglove]

A way that doesn't include falling to ones death, lol.

[GR74]

That spot blew my mind, its a long way down.

[Foxglove]

It looks very gorgeous. Just looking at the pictures is breathtaking. I can't imagine seeing that in person. That would be so nifty. A good place to meditate.

[GR74]

That was a fun hike today, thanks seaman. I don't know too many people willing to do a hike like that.

The mines were cool, the Extension Ridge cliffs were cool, and I liked the spot where the gravel road came to a dead end. There was a clearcut spot we ended up in today, all of the trees were about 12 feet high around us, young fir trees, light green in colour. It was very, very 'green' there, normally you see the tree trunks only, but not in this case. What a fun day!

[GR74]

Thanks again for the photos, seaman. I had no idea that you took that one right before we....

[seaman]

The details regarding the “ceurrences of fatal accidents in coal mines during 1943
al’e as follows:-
The fatal accident which occurred to John W. Ridyard, miner, in No. 1 East mine,
Coal Creek Colliery, hn January 27th was due to deceased being suffocated by B fall of
loose real which was thrown down from the roof by a bump at his working-face.
Although some 4 tons of fine coal covered deceased to a depth of 2 feet, his body was
recovered within twelve minutes and artificial respiral.ion \vas immediately applied but
without success.
The fatal accident which occurred to Sidney Weaver, motorman, So. 1 mine, Michel
Colliery, on February 20th was due to deceased being crushed under his iompressedair-
driven locomotive. JIc was alone at the t,ime and was dead when discovered. The
accident occurred at a ventilation-door on the haulage-road. The door had to be opened
to permit the passage of the locomotives and ears and apparently when deceased had
approached the door with his train he had reduced the speed and walked ahead of his
train to open the door and had been caught and crushed by the moving and unattended
train. Deceased had been previously censured for this practice and ordered t,o bring
all trains to a frill stop before reaching the door, but had apparently ignored this order.
The resistance offered by his body was sufficient to stop the train as the control-valve
was slightly “pen when deceased was discovered.
The double fatality which occurred to Matthew Lukns and Mike Jakubiec, miners.
Xo. 1 East mine, Coal Creek Colliery, on March 22nd was due to a severe bump in their
working-place. The bump threw down some fine coal and released a considerable
volume of gas which hampered the rescue operations which were started immediately.
Jakubiec was recovered within a few minutes and given first-aid treatment and
taken to the local hospital, where he died from his injuries the following day. Lukas
was recovered some five hours after the bump. He had been covered by fine coal and
suffocated by gas and the fine coal.
The fat,xl accident which occurred to George Anderson, driver, No. 1 East mine,
Coal Creek Colliery, on May 3rd was due to a bump which displaced some timbers
and caused a cave of coal which buried deceased. Death was due to asphyxiation.
The body was recovered two hours after the bump occurred.
The fatal accident which occurred to Alvar Kotilla, miner, No. 10 mine, South
Wellingt,on, on May 18th was due to a small fall of roof material which fell from
between the timbers and struck him while he was loading a car. The seam was 12
feet thick at this point and deceased was bent over his shovel when struck. He died
from his injuries the following day.

[seaman]

found these cool old reports on the bc mine site, kind of interesting to read, the cut and paste worked so voila, So GR74 I was measuring and calculating today I think we found everything on the north west side of the harewood mines I think those adits we found were at the far end of the workings, I wasn't sure if there would be more to see along the bottom of that ridge but I don't think there would be anything mine related, looking forward to the next day in the bush

[seaman]

The details regarding the occurrences of fatal accidents in coal mines during 1945
are as follows:-
The fatal accident to Walter J. Smith, railroad switcher, No. 10 mine, South Wellington,
on January 26th, 1945, resulted from deceased being crushed by the bumper
of a narrow-gauge locomotive from which he stepped or fell. The locomotive was
moving slowly and deceased was preparing to couple on to a trip of mine-cars at the
time of the accident. He died in Nanaimo hospital B few hours after being injured.
The fatal accident to Thomas Lewis, miner, Lewis No. 3 mine, on February K&h,
1945, resulted from deceased being struck on the head by a timber which was displaced
by some coal which slid from the working-face. Deceased knew that the coal was
moving and stepped back to a place of presumed safety, but apparently overlooked the
possibility of the coal displacing the prop.
The fatal accident which occurred to Joseph Gydosic, miner, Michel Colliery, on
May 22nd, 1945, resulted from a fall of roof-rock while he was engaged in timbering his
working-place. He died from his injuries on June 4th, 1945.
The fatal accident to Harold Travis, miner, Michel Colliery, on June 14th, 1945,
resulted from a fall of roof on a long-wall machine-cut face. He was instantly killed.
There was a distance of 25 feet untimbered along the face-line at the point where this
accident occurred, although there was an adequate supply of timber available to him
within 40 feet from where he was killed.
The fatal accident which occurred to John W. Ashmore, miner, No. 1 East mine,
Elk River Colliery, on June 26th, 1945, resulted from suffocation. Deceased was covered
by about 4 feet of fine coal which had been thrown down by a severe bump. The
body was recovered some four hours after the bump, which did considerable damage
to this part of the mine and slightly injured several other miners.

[GR74]

Some intersting reading, Seaman. I know if I died in a mine, I'd want it to be instantanious. I can't imagine getting my legs pinched or being crushed by a locomotive....