The town of New Waterford, incorporated in 1913, was a major centre of the coal industry in Cape Breton. New Waterford is an especially important site in the local history of Cape Breton, as it was the setting for two major events in the labour history of the region: the 25 July 1917 explosion at the local Number 12 Colliery and the death of coal miner William Davis during a strike in 1925. [1]
The Miners’ Memorial Monument, located in a square at the centre of town, consists of an inscribed shaft bearing the names and ages of those killed in the explosion, a base inscribed with the words “Miners’ Memorial,” a floral pattern above the engraved names, and a statue of a coal miner standing on the top. Unveiled on 15 July 1922, the monument was designed to serve as a memorial to the victims of the explosion. It was originally established at a location on Ellsworth Avenue, near the site of the No. 12 mine, but it was later moved to the Miners’ Memorial Park on one of New Waterford’s main streets, Plummer Avenue.
At first glance the inscribed names and ages of those who had died appear to have little significance other than as a memorial, but these names offer a view into the diversity of the coal mining work force in New Waterford. The range of ethnicities in this mining town became clear in the community response to the explosion. The funeral services were a multicultural affair, and a newspaper headline two days after the explosion read: “Cosmopolitan Gatherings Attend Services at Various Churches.” The article described the presence of the local Italian, Russian, Belgian, and Jewish communities. [2]
The statue that crowns the Miners’ Memorial is a representation of a coal miner, with a mine lantern in hand. This is not simply a generic miner, however, but the image of a specific person linked to the events of the 25 July 1917 explosion. The statuary is a representation of 45-year-old John D. McKay, the shotfirer who had been blamed by the company for causing the explosion. McKay was also the treasurer of Local 19 of the Amalgamated Mine Workers, a respected community member, and a devoted father. [3]
The AMW was created on 1 July 1917 when the representatives of two rival miners’ unions in the province, the Provincial Workmen’s Association and the United Mineworkers of Nova Scotia, decided to amalgamate. This was widely supported among the miners, as the AMW soon established itself as a firm supporter of workers’ rights and effective bargaining with the employers. [4] The No. 12 explosion, as one of the first major events the new union had to deal with, presented an opportunity for the AMW to prove its value to the community. Following the explosion, the union began collecting money “for the purpose of defraying expenses in making a complete inquiry into the cause of the disaster at No. 12 coalliery [sic].” [5]
In choosing the image of John McKay to top the memorial, the coal miners were explicitly rejecting the findings of the provincial inquiry into the causes of the disaster. The investigation had concluded that although increased ventilation was necessary in the coal mine, blame could not be assigned to the coal company. [6] The coal miners and their union, on the other hand, felt that the company had failed to keep the mine free of dangerous gas and had pushed for increased production as the result of the First World War. [7] John McKay’s statue not only absolves him of responsibility for the explosion, but also implores us to see the folly in sacrificing safety. It also serves as a testament to the value of the union in the aftermath of the disaster, when the AMW had established itself through the fight for compensation and demands for justice. It presents a defiant version of the explosion in which the cause cannot be blamed on the actions of one man, but on the unsafe working conditions and irresponsible officials of the Dominion Coal Company. The statue rejects the “official” findings of a provincial commission and instead presents the miners’ conclusions. With the image of John McKay standing on top of the monument, the miners’ narrative of the causes of the 1917 explosion has been incorporated into the collective memory of New Waterford.
Footnotes
[1] Ted Boutilier, New Waterford: Three Score & Ten. Seventy Years of Civic History (Sydney: The Publication Committee New Waterford 70th Anniversary, 1983).
[2] Sydney Daily Post, 28 July 1917.
[3] Maritime Labor Herald, 29 July 1922.
[4] Frank, David. J.B. McLachlan: A Biography (Toronto: James Lorimer and Company Ltd., 1999), 136.
[5] Minute Book of Local 13, Amalgamated Mine Workers of Nova Scotia, Springhill 41, 51. Accessed at http://collections.mun.ca/cdm-stfx/document.
[6] “Mine Explosion in New Waterford, 1917,” Cape Breton’s Magazine no. 21 (1978)
[7] “Mine Explosion in New Waterford, 1917.”
The Miners’ Memorial Monument, located in a square at the centre of town, consists of an inscribed shaft bearing the names and ages of those killed in the explosion, a base inscribed with the words “Miners’ Memorial,” a floral pattern above the engraved names, and a statue of a coal miner standing on the top. Unveiled on 15 July 1922, the monument was designed to serve as a memorial to the victims of the explosion. It was originally established at a location on Ellsworth Avenue, near the site of the No. 12 mine, but it was later moved to the Miners’ Memorial Park on one of New Waterford’s main streets, Plummer Avenue.
At first glance the inscribed names and ages of those who had died appear to have little significance other than as a memorial, but these names offer a view into the diversity of the coal mining work force in New Waterford. The range of ethnicities in this mining town became clear in the community response to the explosion. The funeral services were a multicultural affair, and a newspaper headline two days after the explosion read: “Cosmopolitan Gatherings Attend Services at Various Churches.” The article described the presence of the local Italian, Russian, Belgian, and Jewish communities. [2]
The statue that crowns the Miners’ Memorial is a representation of a coal miner, with a mine lantern in hand. This is not simply a generic miner, however, but the image of a specific person linked to the events of the 25 July 1917 explosion. The statuary is a representation of 45-year-old John D. McKay, the shotfirer who had been blamed by the company for causing the explosion. McKay was also the treasurer of Local 19 of the Amalgamated Mine Workers, a respected community member, and a devoted father. [3]
The AMW was created on 1 July 1917 when the representatives of two rival miners’ unions in the province, the Provincial Workmen’s Association and the United Mineworkers of Nova Scotia, decided to amalgamate. This was widely supported among the miners, as the AMW soon established itself as a firm supporter of workers’ rights and effective bargaining with the employers. [4] The No. 12 explosion, as one of the first major events the new union had to deal with, presented an opportunity for the AMW to prove its value to the community. Following the explosion, the union began collecting money “for the purpose of defraying expenses in making a complete inquiry into the cause of the disaster at No. 12 coalliery [sic].” [5]
In choosing the image of John McKay to top the memorial, the coal miners were explicitly rejecting the findings of the provincial inquiry into the causes of the disaster. The investigation had concluded that although increased ventilation was necessary in the coal mine, blame could not be assigned to the coal company. [6] The coal miners and their union, on the other hand, felt that the company had failed to keep the mine free of dangerous gas and had pushed for increased production as the result of the First World War. [7] John McKay’s statue not only absolves him of responsibility for the explosion, but also implores us to see the folly in sacrificing safety. It also serves as a testament to the value of the union in the aftermath of the disaster, when the AMW had established itself through the fight for compensation and demands for justice. It presents a defiant version of the explosion in which the cause cannot be blamed on the actions of one man, but on the unsafe working conditions and irresponsible officials of the Dominion Coal Company. The statue rejects the “official” findings of a provincial commission and instead presents the miners’ conclusions. With the image of John McKay standing on top of the monument, the miners’ narrative of the causes of the 1917 explosion has been incorporated into the collective memory of New Waterford.
Footnotes
[1] Ted Boutilier, New Waterford: Three Score & Ten. Seventy Years of Civic History (Sydney: The Publication Committee New Waterford 70th Anniversary, 1983).
[2] Sydney Daily Post, 28 July 1917.
[3] Maritime Labor Herald, 29 July 1922.
[4] Frank, David. J.B. McLachlan: A Biography (Toronto: James Lorimer and Company Ltd., 1999), 136.
[5] Minute Book of Local 13, Amalgamated Mine Workers of Nova Scotia, Springhill 41, 51. Accessed at http://collections.mun.ca/cdm-stfx/document.
[6] “Mine Explosion in New Waterford, 1917,” Cape Breton’s Magazine no. 21 (1978)
[7] “Mine Explosion in New Waterford, 1917.”