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Blood on the coal : the true story of the great Springhill mine disaster  Cover Image Book Book

Blood on the coal : the true story of the great Springhill mine disaster / Ken Cuthbertson ; foreword by Anne Murray.

Cuthbertson, Ken, (author.). Murray, Anne, 1945- (writer of foreword.).

Summary:

"The riveting true story of one of Canada's worst mining disaster, told in the voices of the men who survived. They said it was the world's deepest and most dangerous coal mine. In October 1958, the people who made that claim probably were correct. What can be said for certain is that the Dominion Steel and Coal Company's No. 2 colliery at Springhill was a leading candidate for both those dubious distinctions. The No. 2 mine at Springhill, Nova Scotia, was literally a disaster waiting to happen--and it did. On the night of October 23, 1958, a "bump" in the mine--literally a small earthquake--shook the entire structure crushing the weight of the world down on the miners below. Seventy-five miners would lose their lives in what remains one of Canada's worst disasters. Ken Cuthbertson, author of The Halifax Explosion: Canada's Worst Disaster, tells us the stories of the miners and their families in riveting detail, based on historical documents and interviews but also new interviews with one of the surviving miners. Anne Murray was a girl living in the town of Springfield, home to the mine, when the bump happened, and her father was a doctor who helped treat the wounded and identify the lost, and there were many. This is a story of heroism and sacrifice. As for the miners, what do you do when suddenly there's no escape, no light, no food, no water, and your comrades are dying around you? But this is also a story of hope, as some of the miners were rescued, becoming international celebrities in the process. And it's a story about how one disaster can change an entire industry forever."-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781443467919 (hardcover)
  • Physical Description: 354 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: Toronto, ON : HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, [2023]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Subject: Coal mine accidents > Nova Scotia > Springhill.
Miners > Nova Scotia > Springhill.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Cookstown Branch 971.611 Cut 31681010339927 NONFIC Available -

  • HARPERCOLL

    The riveting true story of one of Canada’s worst mining disasters, told in the voices of the men who survived it

    Foreword by Anne Murray

    They said it was the world’s deepest and most dangerous coal mine. That claim was probably correct. What is certain is that in October 1958, the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation’s No. 2 colliery at Springhill, Nova Scotia, was a leading candidate for both those dubious distinctions. The mine was the proverbial “disaster waiting to happen.” And it did.

    Springhill was the quintessential one-industry town. Its existence depended on coal, and in 1958 the market for that commodity was dying. And yet something far worse was to come. On the night of October 23, a “bump” in the mine—actually a small earthquake—shook the ground beneath the town. Seventy-five miners died and scores more were injured in what remains one of Canada’s worst underground disasters. The lives of the survivors were shattered, and Springhill would never be the same again.

    In compelling detail, Ken Cuthbertson tells the stories of three of the miners and one of the doctors who cared for them following the disaster. This remarkable book is based on historical documents and interviews, as well as new interviews with the last of the surviving miners and their loved ones. It is a story of heroism, sacrifice and the indomitable strength of the human spirit. 


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