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Topic spans: 1956 - 1992
Springhill Mining Disasters
In the 1950s, the town of Springhill, N.S., was devastated by two of the worst mining disasters in Canadian history. An explosion in 1956 killed 39 miners, and another 74 died in the "bump" of 1958. Despite much hardship, the people of Springhill have shown a will to survive that is tougher than coal.
Photo inside a Springhill, Nova Scotia mine, from Wikipedia, is in the public domain.
7 television clips
3 radio clips
What's ahead for Springhill?
Broadcast Date: Jan. 1, 1960
The mines are closed and jobs are scarce, but optimism prevails. Having survived two major disasters, the people of Springhill have shown they are stronger than coal. Plans for a new federal prison and a wood products plant offer hope to the unemployed. But there are mixed reactions to the idea of reopening the mines. Many feel it is time to move on to a safer future.What's ahead for Springhill?
• Irish pop stars U2 brought attention to the 1958 disaster when they performed Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger's The Ballad of Springhill as part of the Joshua Tree Tour playlist in 1987.• Another musical memorial was written by Maurice Ruddick, a miner who survived the 1958 bump. It's called The Springhill Mine Disaster Song and was recorded 40 years later by his daughter, Val MacDonald. The song is featured on Cate Friesen's Roots Report on CBC Radio.
What's ahead for Springhill?
Medium: Television
Program: CBC Television News
Broadcast Date: Jan. 1, 1960
Guest(s):
Reporter: Bill Curtis
Duration: 2:10
Last updated:
Aug. 14, 2003
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10 clips in this topic . page
Radio
11:44
April 12, 1936
CBC's J. Frank Willis reports from Moose River, where three men have been trapped in an old gold mine for eight days.
Television
6:14
April 29, 1903
82 million tonnes of rock crash down on the mountainside mining town of Frank, Alta., leaving 70 dead.
What's ahead for Springhill?.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: Aug. 14, 2003.
[Page consulted on Feb. 9, 2010.]