History of Coal Mining in Nova Scotia
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1917
       
       
       
       

CANADA
DEPARTMENT OF MINES
Hon. P. E. Blondin, Minister; R. G. McConnell, Deputy Minister

MINES BRANCH
Eugene Haanel, Ph.D., Director.

BULLETIN No. 14

The Coal-Fields and Coal Industry of Eastern Canada

A General Survey and Description

By
Francis W. Gray

Coat of Arms

OTTAWA
Government Printing Bureau
1917
No. 430


Plate I


Coal Measure cliffs near No. 2 Colliery, Table Head, Glace Bay. Coal seams can be seen in the cliffs: typical of the shore exposures in the Sydney coal-fields showing wastage of cliffs.


LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

DR. EUGENE HAANEL,
Director Mines Branch,
Department of Mines,
Ottawa.

SIR,--
I beg to submit, herewith, the following report on the Coal-fields and Coal Industry of Eastern Canada.

I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) Francis W. Gray.

Sydney, N.S.
July 24, 1916.


CONTENTS.

Introductory

  • Geological ..... p. 1
  • Historical ..... p. 2
  • Economic ..... p. 6

Cape Breton Island ..... p. 14

  • Operating coal companies ..... p. 18

Nova Scotia mainland

  • Cumberland field ..... p. 21
  • Pictou field ..... p. 23

New Brunswick ..... p. 29

Prince Edward Island ..... p. 30

General

  • Submarine mining ..... p. 31
  • Preparation of coal: washing, coking, and by-product recovery ..... p. 35
  • Methods of working ..... p. 38
  • Colliery plant and motive powers ..... p. 41
  • Explosions, and mine fires ..... p. 44
  • Oil-shales, and inferior coals ..... p. 47
  • Brickmaking ..... p. 48

Sociology and economics of the mining industry

  • General conditions of employment ..... p. 49
  • Miners' Relief Societies ..... p. 51
  • Legislation, and technical education ..... p. 53

Bibliography (partial): relating to the coal-fields and coal industry of eastern Canada ..... p. 55

Explosions and fires in Nova Scotia coal mines

  • Chronological list of the more important coal mine explosions and mine fires that have occurred in Nova Scotia ..... p. 61
  • Index ..... p. 63
  • Catalogue of Mines Branch publications (missing) ..... map pocket

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Photographs.

(Plate)

  1. Coal Measure cliffs near No. 2 Colliery, Table Head, Glace Bay. Coal seams can be seen in the cliffs: typical of the shore exposures in the Sydney coal-fields showing wastage of cliffs ..... cover
  2. Winter stock pile at No. 21 Colliery, Birch Grove: Dominion Coal Company ..... p. 12
  3. Coal discharging plant at Halifax: showing elevator barge for bunkering steamers, with discharging towers and barge--Dominion Coal Company ..... p. 12
  4. Sandstone spur near Table Head, Glace Bay: photographed in 1900 ..... p. 16
  5. Sandstone spur near Table Head, Glace Bay: photographed about eight years later-- showing effect of erosion ..... p. 16
  6. Glace Bay harbour: showing Dominion Coal Company's coal loading pier for schooner trade, also a portion of the stock of pit props ..... p. 18
  7. Blast furnaces, stock-yards, etc., Dominion Iron and Steel Company ..... p. 20
  8. Typical colliery village, showing workmen's dwellings, at No. 17 Colliery, Dominion Coal Company, Sydney, N.S. ..... p. 20
  9. Loading piers of Dominion Steel Corporation, at Sydney Harbour ..... p. 20
  10. "Baum" coal washing plant of the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company, at Sydney Mines: showing washery and concrete settling tank ..... p. 36
  11. "Baum" coal washing plant of the Dominion Coal Company, Sydney, N.S.: showing washery, and concrete storage pockets holding 8,000 tons of washed coal, also concrete settling tank ..... p. 36
  12. Blast furnaces and coke ovens of the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company, Sydney Mines ..... p. 36
  13. Nos. 2 and 9 Collieries of the Dominion Coal Company: two coal seams are worked at this mine to contiguous shafts ..... p. 38
  14. "Princess" Colliery of the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company, Sydney Mines ..... p. 38
  15. Joggins mine: Maritime Coal, Railway, and Power Company, Cumberland county ..... p. 38
  16. The Springhill mines of the Dominion Coal Company ..... p. 40
  17. No. 12 Colliery: Dominion Coal Company ..... p. 40
  18. No. 4 (Caledonia) Colliery: Dominion Coal Company ..... p. 40
  19. No. 14 Colliery, Dominion Coal Company: showing electric hoisting engine house at rear of bankhead ..... p. 40
  20. No. 1 slope of the Minudie Coal Company, River Hebert, N.S. ..... p. 40
  21. No. 2 slope of the Minudie Coal Company, River Hebert, N.S. ..... p. 40
  22. Bankhead and colliery buildings, Inverness Railway and Coal Company, Inverness, Cape Breton, N.S. ..... p. 40
  23. Waterford Lake electric power plant, Dominion Coal Company: serving the Lingan-Victoria group of collieries ..... p. 42
  24. Interior of power house, No. 2 Colliery of the Dominion Coal Company, at Glace Bay, N.S.; showing air compressors and electric generators. (The unoccupied space in the centre of the floor is now occupied by the turbo-generator set shown on Plate XXV.) ..... p. 42
  25. Electric turbo-generator driven by exhaust-steam turbine. Dominion No. 2 Colliery, Glace Bay ..... p. 42
  26. Collieries, general office, and Rescue Corps, of the Acadia Coal Company, Stellarton, N.S. ..... p. 46

Drawings.

Curve showing sales of Nova Scotia coal: progressing by decades 1830-1910 ..... p. 8

Map.

Map showing coal-fields of Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick (high resolution PDF, 1.7 Mb) ..... map pocket

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Last Modified: 2005-01-16

Originally Produced by: Canada Department of Mines, Government Printing Bureau


IMPORTANT
The information contained on this site is not provided for the purpose of factual
representation. Instead, it is provided in an historical context. Every effort has
been made to ensure that this information represents the actual content of
Bulletin No. 14, The Coal-Fields and Coal Industry of Eastern Canada.
Nevertheless, no warranties are provided in any respect.

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