1,721,000 research outputs found
Interview with Steve Arman
No full textAudio recording and transcript of Steve Arman's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. Arman shares memories from his time working in coal mines in both Extension and Cumberland and he describes the community of Extension, where his father also worked as a coal miner before operating the Tunnel Hotel. Arman also shares the story of how his uncle, Johnny Senini, survived the flooding of the Beban Mine in 1937.https://library.viu.ca/libinfo/harmfullanguagestatementhttps://viuspace.viu.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/127/CoalTyeeArmandScript1979.pdf?sequence=
Interview with Herschel Biggs
No full textAudio recording and transcript of Herschel Biggs's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. Biggs' discusses his family's history on Vancouver Island, which dates back to 1854, when his grandparents, John and Jane Biggs, arrived on the Princess Royal. As well as being a coal miner himself, Biggs shares how many of his relatives, including his father, uncle, and brothers, worked in the coal mining industry, and that his uncle, George Biggs, was killed in the 1887 explosion at the Number 1 Esplanade Mine. Biggs describes conditions he experienced in coal mines and he also reflects on other aspects of living in Nanaimo.https://library.viu.ca/libinfo/harmfullanguagestatementhttps://viuspace.viu.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/132/CoalTyeeBiggsScript1979.pdf?sequence=
Interview with Jack Unsworth
No full textAudio recording and transcript of Jack Unsworth's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. Unsworth's wife, Ida, is also present and contributes to the interview. Unsworth shares some of his background, explaining how his family arrived in Nova Scotia in 1906 before later moving to Alberta. Unsworth came to Vancouver Island in 1923, and he soon after started work in the Granby Mine, where he stayed until 1932. At several points during the interview Unsworth explains how he and a partner, Andy Dunn, leased some coal company land and ran their own small mining operation. Unsworth talks about living in Granby, including staying in the boarding house and participating in social events like dances. Mrs. Unsworth shares how she used to worry about her husband being alone in the mine, and she also talks about living in Extension as a girl. Unsworth gives details about mining rescue teams and equipment, and he also gives his opinions about different ethnic groups who participated in coal mining. He explains how difficult mining could be and reflects on the different responsibilities that fire bosses, pit bosses, and mine managers had. Unsworth concludes the interview by talking about the connections between Ladysmith and Extension.https://library.viu.ca/libinfo/harmfullanguagestatementhttps://viuspace.viu.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/176/CoalTyeeUnsworthScript1979.pdf?sequence=
Interview with Jock Gilmour
No full textAudio recording and transcript of Jock Gilmour's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. Gilmour discusses both his own and his father's involvement in the Vancouver Island coal mining industry. He goes into detail about his memories of the Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike and the efforts to unionize. Gilmour also shares some of his experiences doing mine rescue work, including his entry into the #10 Mine in South Wellington after an explosion just before Christmas in 1940 that killed miners Chris Mills, James Waring, and Eugene Gava. Near the end of the interview Gilmour shares a version of "A Coal Miner's Prayer."https://library.viu.ca/libinfo/harmfullanguagestatementhttps://viuspace.viu.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/87/CoalTyeeGilmourScript1979.pdf?sequence=
Interview with Nelson Dean
No full textAudio recording and transcript of Nelson Dean's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. Dean opens the interview by detailing his difficulties finding steady employment due to his participation in union organizing activities. He talks about his various jobs in the forestry, mining, and construction industries in locations throughout coastal B.C. He then focuses on his mining career, which spanned 15 years. He talks about various jobs he had in the mines, the types of equipment he used, and he gives information about navigating coal mines underground. He shares his memories about he Oscar explosion, about the cage accident in the Protection Island Mine, and about the Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike. He reflects on how the strike affected not only his own family, but also the larger community. He talks about the explosives industry in Nanaimo, and he shares his thoughts on the risk of entering abandoned coal mines. He concludes the interview by sharing a story about his uncle getting help from a mule to escape the Extension Mine after an explosion.https://library.viu.ca/libinfo/harmfullanguagestatementhttps://viuspace.viu.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/149/CoalTyeeDeanNScript1979.pdf?sequence=
Interview with Mike Plecas
No full textAudio recording and transcript of Mike Plecas's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. Plecas reflects on both his father's and his own jobs as miners. He explains how his father initially worked as a hard rock miner in Britannia Mine, but then the family moved to Vancouver Island and he became a coal miner, first in Cumberland and then in South Wellington and Granby. Plecas got his own job as a coal miner at the Number 1 Esplanade Mine when he was 19 years old, and after it shut down, he worked in the Northfield Mine. He talks about the working and safety conditions of both mines and about different pieces of mining equipment. Plecas also recalls several mining accidents, including Daisy Waugh's electrocution in the Number 1 and two of his own close calls in the Northfield Mine. He concludes the interview by talking about union organizing and his opinion on coal miners' attitudes towards the war effort.https://library.viu.ca/libinfo/harmfullanguagestatementhttps://viuspace.viu.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/160/CoalTyeePlecasScript1979.pdf?sequence=
Interview with John Gourlay
No full textAudio recording and transcript of John Gourlay's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. Gourlay discusses his jobs in the coal mining industry, which he eventually left to become first a hard rock miner and then a school teacher. Gourlay explains how his family came to Vancouver Island and how his father worked in both the Wellington and Extension Mines. Gourlay describes his own coal mining jobs in the Extension and White Rapids Mines. He shares his opinions about Chinese workers in the coal mining industry and he also talks about race relations in Ladysmith. He explains how he left the mining industry and how he became a school teacher. During the interview Gourlay reflects on his father's stance during the Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike and how his family home was destroyed. He talks about both his and his wife's families' connections the Dunsmuir family, and gives his opinion of the Dunsmuirs' motivations. He concludes the interview by talking about his father's connection to William Sloan, who Gourlay feels was an influential person in establishing the Workmen's Compensation Board of B.C.https://library.viu.ca/libinfo/harmfullanguagestatementhttps://viuspace.viu.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/85/CoalTyeeGourlayScript1979.pdf?sequence=
Interview with Jock and Amy Craig
No full textAudio recording and transcript of Jock and Amy Craig's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. The Craigs reflect on and share stories about living in the coal mining community of South Wellington. Jock talks about how his family emigrated from Scotland and how his father worked for the Hudson's Bay Company in Saskatchewan before the family moved to Vancouver Island so he could work in the South Wellington coal mines. Jock also started working in the mines when he was 14 years old, and throughout the interview he shares many details about his career as a coal miner. As his family arrived in 1910, Jock has many memories of the Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike. During the interview, both of the Craigs talk about the August 1914 fire in South Wellington, gardening, social activities, transportation, and the sense of community that existed amongst the coal mining families. Jock also reflects on several coal mining accidents, including the 1915 flooding disaster in the South Wellington Mine in which 19 miners died.https://library.viu.ca/libinfo/harmfullanguagestatementhttps://viuspace.viu.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/144/CoalTyeeCraigSript1979.pdf?sequence=
Interview with John Pecnik
No full textAudio recording and transcript of John Pecnik's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. Pecnik not only reflects on his own career working in coal mines, but he also gives details about what it was like to be the child of a miner. He talks about his family's arrival in Canada, and how they lived in Canmore, Alberta prior to coming to Vancouver Island in 1914. He gives details about Nanaimo, particularly about the different beer parlours where miners spent their breaks and leisure time. He talks about various mines that he worked in and he shares his opinion about the differences in practices and attitudes amongst the various coal mining companies around Nanaimo. Pecnik shares several stories about working with mules, horses, and ponies in mines, highlighting how the animals often had an sense of impending dangers. Near the end of the interview, Pecnik shows Bergren some of his old mining equipment and clothing and they discuss various lamps that were used in the mines.https://library.viu.ca/libinfo/harmfullanguagestatementhttps://viuspace.viu.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/158/CoalTyeePecnikScript1979.pdf?sequence=
Interview with Hjalmar Bergren
No full textAudio recording and transcript of Hjalmar Bergren's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. Hjalmar Bergren was an active organizer for unions on Vancouver Island, particularly in the forestry industry of the 1930s and 1940s. He discusses his knowledge of what was going on with union organizing at that time in the coal mines, and also shares his views about the militancy of miners.https://library.viu.ca/libinfo/harmfullanguagestatementhttps://viuspace.viu.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/126/CoalTyeeBergrenScript1979.pdf?sequence=
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