GC1C81D Aug 13, 1930 - Victims of the Blakeburn Disaster (Traditional Cache) in British Columbia, Canada created by 240 Jordy

This cache has been archived.

240 Jordy: Archiving certain caches in the Princeton area due to various reasons.

GC1C81D ▼

A cache by 240 Jordy Message this owner

Hidden : 1/1/2009

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

You will be visiting the Princeton Cemetery, the cache is behind - not in the cemetery. Ensure that the cemetery is open when you attend - recommend going during the day in good light. The below information is copied with permission of Terry Melanchuk - historian of the Blakeburn Area. When we placed the cache there was too much snow to get coordinates of where they are located in the cemetery we will obtain them as soon as possible.

This cache is part of our series, accompanies by the other local cachers highlighting the history of Blakeburn & Coalmont.

Blakeburn Stories, Volume Ten

- As with any large mining tragedy, there are many stories. Stories of blame, of pain and of luck.

In 1982, Blakeburn Miner, Winston Pilling passed along some of his remembrances to historian Margaret Stoneburg.

Here is a sample :

As the boys from the Princeton Mine Safety crew arrived, they found there was not a lot that they could do. The Main Slope was partly caved, a considerable amount of time and man-power would be required to clear a safe access to the miners below. They found an “empty trip” ( a string of 6 empty coal cars) all piled up in the slope. The body of young Albert Cole was found at the top of the slope. He was still in a standing position, burned, but looking down the slope as if looking at the runaway cars below. It was never established if the cars ran off before or after the blast, or what may have been the cause.
If the blast caused the cars to roll over the “knuckle” and down the slope, then how did Albert live to be in the position that he was discovered in? There was fire, for Albert’s partner, Clifford Smith was nearby and also burned. Clifford was infirmed, he had difficulty walking without assistance. From his station at the hoist control, it took at least some time for him to have moved toward Albert before the blast took them.

Evidence showed that a rapidly moving blast of intense heat moved up the Main Slope, past the knuckle then expending itself through the Upper Portal, which was totally destroyed. In my book, I am confident that 2 blasts took place. The first instigated the run-away and after a short period of minutes a second took most of the lives. If Albert and Clifford were together at the hoist controls, which was positioned such that a portion of the wall would have protected them from the initial blast wave, they could have survived that wave.

In the deepest operational section of the number 4 Mine, during the afternoon shift, mechanics were replacing the hoist drum. Their aim was to replace the bearings in the large 75 h.p. hoist. A heavy ½ inch chain cable was attached, with a large strong box also attached as a counterweight. At 4 o‘clock, the mechanics decided to leave the assembly in place and go for supper. The returned to the surface to eat with the intent of returning later that evening to finish the replacement of the bearings rather than finish up and then eat. When the rescue personnel had made their way down to the hoist, they were shocked by the level of destruction there. The ½ inch chain had actually stretched out until it snapped. The heat and force had fused it solid. The hoist drum had been tossed 500 feet.

This area for destruction lies below the Main Slope were the first blast occurred. It was this second blast from an unknown second source that took most of the lives. The source must has originated in the depths of the exploration shaft, but we will never know for sure. When the mine reopened a few months after the disaster, the shaft was still “hot“, and therefore sealed forever..

From Pictures for caches

Victims of the Blakeburn No. 4 Mining Disaster, August 13, 1930
ADAMSON JAMES -24 yrs
BABICH MIKE - Miner
BRADBURY ROY J - Hoistman
COLE ALBERT- 19 yrs. Rope-rider
DREFFIE JOHN -44 yrs. Miner
EDWARDS HARRY - 36yrs. - His family of 5 stayed on, and still reside in Granite Creek
EWING WILLIAM - 22yrs. - Miner
FLEISCHMANN PAUL -35yrs. Miner - See Blakeburn Story #4.
GAILUS F - 27yrs. - Miner
GIBSON THOMAS “Tommy” - 42 yrs. Left a large family who stayed on. His 16 year old son, Tommy jr. had to delay entering Grade Nine to support the family by going to work in the very mine which took his father.
HALE RALPH - 42yrs. - Fire-boss
HATFIELD JAMES - 43yrs. - Miner
HUPTON CORNELIUS - 22yrs. - Miner
JEROSYK FRANK - 35yrs. - Miner - Yugoslavian
KONOPKA JOE - 39yrs - Miner - Polish
KRESIC VIDE - 31yrs. - Miner - Yogoslavian
KRUK ALEX - 30yrs. - Miner
LAWRIE WALTER - 37yrs. - Miner
LUBARDO MIKE - 42 yrs. - Miner
LUBARDO Z - Miner . Brothers
McDONALD DONALD -43yrs. - Miner and First-aid man.
MARSHALL MATTHEW -37yrs. Miner
MILLIGAN SAMUEL -46yrs. - Miner
MILLITICH J - Miner
NAGODE JOESPH - Miner. Serbian
NESBITT JOHN - 38yrs. Miner
NJEGOVAN JOE - Miner. Yugoslavian
PLUT FRANK - 27yrs. - Miner. Yugoslavian
PURSS JOHN - 22yrs. - Miner
ROSS WILLIAM - 64yrs. Fire-boss. See Blakeburn Stories # 3.
RUCKLEDGE HERBERT 37yrs. - Miner
SCUPRANUK W. - Miner
SIM WILLIAM - 17yrs. - Youngest fatality - Chute-bucker
SIMPSON ROBERT - 28yrs. - Miner
SMITH CLIFFORD A - 49yrs. - Hoistman
SMITH CHARLES H - 25yrs. - Rope-rider. Left a wife with 3 children.
SMITH JOHN CONNELL - 36yrs. - Fire-boss.
SMITH PETER - 36yrs. Miner.
SMITH WILLIAM -33yrs. Miner. Peter and William were brothers.
STANICH FRANK - Miner.
STANICH JOE - Miner. Frank and Joe were twin brothers. Joe’s wife gave birth 2 days prior to the explosion.
STILLINOVICH P. - Miner.
STORYK NICK - 36yrs. - Miner.
SUTICH JOE - Miner Yugoslavian.
VIDOSH J - Miner.