The 1958 Springhill Mine Disaster

By the late 1950s, the Nova Scotia town of Sprinhill was no stranger to the hazards of mines. On October 23rd, 1958, a "bump" rocked the #2 mine at the Cumberland Pit. Those at home were just finishing up dinner of settling down in front of the TV when they felt the earth shake. The 1958 bump buried 174 men 13,000 feet underground. Off-duty miners raced to the site to help dig out their colleagues and worked for days without sleep until the last man had been brought to the surface. In the end, 75 men died in the accident. As a result of the disasters and continuing hazards, the mine was finally closed in 1971.