The 1887 Nanaimo Mine
Disaster
Mining Victims From
Many Nations
This article is not
written by Wendy Jones, it is reproduced in it's entirety from Volume 13,
Issue 4, Winter 1996 of AncesTree, and cross indexed over to Volume 11,
Issue 3, Fall 1994 for the level numbers, published by the Nanaimo Family
Historical Society.
Another excellent reference
resource about the lives of miners on Vancouver Island is the soft cover
book "Three Dollar Dream" by Lynne Bowen, (ISBN0889820651, Published in 1987
by Ooolichan Books, Lantzville, British Columbia, $19.95). Using photos,
maps, testimony from the inquest, and vivid descriptions from the families
of lost miners, Bowen paints a clear picture of the 1887 tragedy and documents
the underground working conditions at that time. This well-reserached book
also chronicles the tales of immigrants from many nations who came to dig
the coal, and the tragic accidents that befell them.
On May 3, 1887, a massive
explosion erupted deep underground in the Number One Coal Mine in Nanaimo,
British Columbia, taking the lives of 148 souls, many of whom had emigrated
to Vancouver Island from countries all over the world.
By the end of that
week, the Nanaimo Free Press had published the names of most of those confirmed
dead in the disaster. Because newspaper accounts on the tragic accident
were incomplete(and the surviving clippings have deteriorated to the point
where some names are almost illegible), the following transcription may
contain errors and omissions.
Victims of the 1887 Nanaimo
Mine Explosion
- Allen, Thomas(No.
5 Level)- Bristol, England, 24 yrs, single, runner
- Benton, Edward(No.
1 Level)- Rothwell, Yorkshire, England, 34 yrs, left a wife & 6 children
- Bertram, George
S.(No. 3 Level)- Yorkshire, England, 37 yrs, left awife & 3 children
- Bevilockway,
Herbert(No. 3 Level)- Nanaimo, 24 yrs, single
- Biggs, George(New
Slope)- Nanaimo, 27 yrs, single
- Bjurling, Arvid(No.
5 Level)- Sweden, 30 yrs, supposed to be single
- Blundell, Jonathan(New
Slope)- Maryport, Cumberland, England, 33 yrs, wife & 5 children
- Buffington,
Robert(No. 1 Level)-
- Bone, William(No.
1 Level)- Penzance, Cornwall, England, 42 yrs, left a wife & 3 children
- Bowden, George(No.
1 Level)- Cornwall, England, 71 yrs, widower
- Bramley, Jonathon,
Jr.(No. 1 Level)- Rothwell, Yorkshire, England, 36, wife & 3 children
- Brun, H - runner
No. 5 Level - Old Slope
- Burns, William(New
Slope)- Scotland, 35 yrs, single, won silver medal as soldier in Egypt
- Byers, James(No.
3 Level)- Wrickbridge, Cumberland, England, 22 yrs, left a wife & child
- Campbell, William
R(No. 1 Level). - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, 28 yrs, single, engineer
- Campbell, James(No.
1 Level)- Rye, Sussex, England, 39 yrs, married no children
- Cochrane, William
L.(Sinking Shaft)- step-son of J. Crave, Wellington Rd, single
- Corcoran, Michael(No.
5 Level)- County Kerry, Ireland, 46 yrs, left a wife & 6 children
- Davey, William(No.
3 Level)- Whitehaven, Cumberland, England, 33 yrs, single
- Davey, James(No.
3 Level)- Whitehaven, Cumberland, England, 33 yrs, single
- Davis, William(Sinking
Shaft)- Ruthin, Denbighshire, N. Wales, 36 yrs, wife & 2 children
- Dawson, Daniel(New
Slope)- Cletermore, Cumberland, England, 28 yrs, single
- Dawson, Thomas(New
Slope)- Cletermore, Cumberland, Engalnd, 32 yrs, single
- Drake, Charles(New
Slope)- Sweden, 27 yrs, left a wife & 3 children
- Ducca, Peter(No.
5 Level)- Formaco, Italy, 25 yrs, single
- Ellis, Arthur(No.
1 Level)- 21 yrs, son of David Ellis
- Ellis, David(No.
1 Level)- Rothwell, Yorkshire, England, 48 yrs, left a wife & 4 children
- Evans, Thomas(No.
3 Level)- Llwynpia, Glamorgan, S. Wales, wife & 4 children
- Fallen, John
C.(No. 1 Level)- Michigan, U.S.A., recently from California, 30 yrs, single
- Fillipea, Anderoti(No.
5 Level)- Genoa, Italy, 28 yrs, single
- Forrest, Joseph(No.
1 Level)- Longhurst, Northumberland, England, 28 yrs, just married
- Gilbert, William(No.
1 Level)- Goldsithney, Cornwall, England, 43 yrs, wife & 4 children
- Gorman, Thomas(New
Slope)- Middleton, County Cork, Ireland, 24 yrs, single, runner
- Hague, William(New
Slope)- Oldham, Lancashire, England, 23 yrs, left a wife & child
- Hoggan, James(No.
3 Level)- Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, 21 yrs, single
- Hoy,William(New
Slope)- Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, 21 yrs, left a wife & child
- Hughes, Thomas(New
Slope)- Buckley, Flintshire, N. Wales, abt. 32 yrs, wife & children
- Hunter, Andrew(No.
1 Level)- Nanaimo, 15 yrs
- Isbister, James(No.
3 Level)- Nanaimo, 17 yrs, single
- Johns, Nicholas(No.
5 Level)- Cornwall, England, 26 yrs, left a wife
- John, Edward(No.
1 Level)- Wales, recently from Minnesota, 40 yrs, left a wife & family
- Johnson, John(New
Slope)- Sweden, abt 31 yrs, left a wife & 4 or 5 children
- Jones, Evan(No.
3 Level)- Llanarmon Yu Tale, Denbigh, N. Wales, 40 yrs
- Lee, Hudson(No.
3 Level)- Rothwell, Yorkshire, England, 22 yrs, single
- Lee, Henry(No.
3 Level)- Rothwell, Yorkshire, England, 48 yrs, left a wife & 10 children
- Lewis, Abraham
T.(No. 3 Level)- Brymbo, near Wrexham, N. Wales, 47 yrs, wife & child
- Linn, John(Sinking
Shaft)- Ayreshire, Scotland, 34 yrs, left a wife & 5children
- Lukey, William,
Jr.(No. 3 Level)- Wisconsin, U.S.A., 27 yrs
- Lukey, William,
Sr.(No. 3 Level)- Cornwall, England, 50 yrs, left a wife & 5 children
- Lyons, James(New
Slope)- Ireland, 44 yrs, left a wife & child
- Lyon, Michael(No.
1 Level)- 15 yrs, son of miner James Lyons
- Martin, Thomas(No.
1 Level)- Nanaimo, 23 yrs, single
- Mattison, Frederick(Sinking
Shaft)- Sweden, abt. 30 yrs, single
- McDonald, Alexander(New
Slope)- Pictou County, Nova Scotia, 23 yrs, single
- McDonald, Roderick(No.
5 Level)- Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, 37 yrs, left a wife & child
- McGuffie, John(No.
1 Level)- Nanaimo, 23 yrs, single
- McLean, Malcolm(No.
5 Level)- Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, 31 yrs, single
- Meakin, John,
Sr. (No. 1 Level)- London, England, 57 yrs, wife & 9 children
- Meakin, Arthur(New
Slope)- Nanaimo, 19 yrs, youngest son of miner John Meakin, Sr.
- Milton, James(No.
1 Level)- Indiana, U.S.A., recently from California, abt 30 yrs, single
- Morgan, John
W.(No. 5 Level)- County Down, Ireland, abt 28 yrs, single
- Morgan, David(No.
1 Level)- Cowbridge, Glamorganshire, S. Wales, 27 yrs, single
- Morris, William(New
Slope)- Missouri, U.S.A., abt 30 yrs, left a wife & 3 children
- Morton, John(No.
3 Level)- Lanarkshire, Scotland, 30 yrs, left a wife & 2 children
- Morton, Andrew(No.
3 Level)- Lanarkshire, Scotland, 28 yrs, left a wife & child
- Muir, Andrew(No.
1 Level)- Ayreshire, Scotland, 45 yrs, left a wife & 6 children
- Muir, Archibald
(No. 3 Level)- Ayreshire, Scotland, 57 yrs, left a wife & 3 children
- Myles, John(New
Slope)- Redding, Sterlingshire, Scotland, 39 yrs, single
- Myers, Samuel
H(No. 5 Level)- Ireland, 49 yrs, single
- Nicholson,
Robert(New Slope)- Northumberland, England, 34 yrs, left a wife & 2
children
- Old, George(No.
3 Level)- Penzance, Cornwall, England, 46 yrs, left a wife & child
- Perry, Thomas(New
Slope)-Backworth, Northumberland, England, 32 yrs, wife & 2 children
- Popplewell,
Benjamin(No. 1 Level)- Methley, near Leeds, Yorkshire, England, 28 yrs, single
- Richards, John(No.
1 Level)- Birmingham, England, 45 yrs, wife(son in England by 1st wife)
- Ridley, William(No.
3 Level)- Clifton near Workington, Cumberland, England, 28 yrs, single
- Scales, William(New
Slope)- New Westminster, B.C., 27 yrs, single
- Simmons, George(No.
1 Level)- London, England, 35 yrs, left a wife & child
- Smiley, Allan(New
Slope)- Glasgow, Scotland, 34 yrs, left a wife & child
- Smith, J.J.(No.
1 Level)- Liverpool, England, lately Australia, 25 yrs, Brakeman
- Smith, John(Sinking
Shaft)- Scotland, 21 yrs, single
- Stephenson,
William Henry(New Slope)- Macon County, Missouri, 18 yrs, married
- Stevens, John(No.
1 Level)- Iowa, U.S.A., 23 yrs, single
- Stove, John(No.
3 Level)- Nanaimo, 23 yrs, left a wife & child
- Stove, Robert(No.
3 Level)- Nanaimo, 21 yrs, single
- Tellaro, Jubert(No.
5 Level)- Turino, Italy, 29 yrs, single
- Thomas, James(No.
1 Level)- Wales, 35 yrs, single
- Thompson, Joseph(No.
1 Level)- Peltonfell, Durham, England, 37 yrs, wife & 3 children
- Thompson, John(New
Slope)- Maryport, Cumberland, England, 32 yrs, single
- Tulley, Frank(New
Slope)- California, 28 yrs, left a wife & child
- Watson, Joseph(No.
1 Level)- Weardale, Durham, England, 30 yrs, single
- Westfeldt,
John Henry(No. 3 Level)- Holland, 43 yrs, left a wife & 5 children
- Wilkins, Edward(No.
1 Level)- Cowbridge, Glamorganshire, S. Wales, 26 yrs, single
- Willis, Caton(New
Slope)- St. Charles, Canada, 40 yrs, left a wife & 3 children
- Woobank, John(No.
3 Level)- Leeds, Yorkshire, England, 41 yrs, left a wife & 2 children
- Woobank, Copley(No.
3 Level)- Rothwell, Yorkshire, England, 18 yrs, son of John
- Zermani, John(No.
5 Level)- Matte, Parma, Italy, 38 yrs, left a wife & 3 children
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If one of your ancestors
was a coal miner on Vancouver Island, you may find evidence pertaining to
him among a wealth of information on file at the Nanaimo Community Museum
and Archives. The museum has built a life-size replica of a mining
shaft into which visitors can descent and displays and personal artifacts
donated by the families of miners. The upper floor archival holdings include
mining company payroll books, accidents reports, maps and photos of coal
mines and mining towns in the region.
back to the Vancouver Island
GenWeb Project