Local historian Karen Bachmann delivered a presentation to council on Monday, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Paymaster Mine Tragedy.
On February 2, 1945, 16 men perished after a wire cable lowering them underground broke, sending the double-decker cage plummeting to the bottom of the shaft.
Many family descendants of the victims attended the ceremony, in which Bachmann read excerpts of Charlie Angus’ book ‘Mirrors of Stone: Fragments of the Porcupine Frontier.’
In a sombre passage, she describes what the first responders were faced with at the bottom of the shaft, approximately 2,575 feet below surface.
“The rescue team used acetylene torches to cut their way into the crumpled cage, all the while hoping to find some of the men alive. When they finally reached the group in the upper cage, one man was barely alive. He soon perished when he was brought up to the surface, so grave were his injuries. After they extricated the bodies from the upper level, they went to work on the lower part of the cage. It was grisly work, the men would have died instantly,” read Bachmann, director of the Timmins Museum.
Guy Lamarche, Manager of Tourism, Events and Communication, read the poem ‘Sixteen Men’ by A.J. Timmins, which is likely a pseudonym.
The poem was published in the now defunct newspaper, the Porcupine Advance, on February 8, 1945.
Mayor Steve Black emphasized the importance of remembering the tragedy.
“Having worked in the mining industry up until a few months ago, I know the impact that a single fatality can have on the industry and community. I can only imagine the impact that losing 16 men all at once would have at that time. It definitely changes the atmosphere at the mine. I know when we went through it a few years ago, just to work up the courage to go back underground, is tough to do for a lot of people. Then there is the impact of family and friends,” he said.
Black read the names of those who died tragically that day, followed by a moment of silence.
- Marvin Appleyard
- Alphonse Auger
- Arthur Beland
- Russell ‘Mickey’ Dillon
- Laurent Dubeau
- Eero Kohtala
- Stanley Kolozjiepa
- Legouri Lauzon
- Ubald Legault
- Melvin Markoskie
- Mike Mohoruk
- Eino Niemi
- Mike Parnetta
- Albert Plourde
- Nick Suppa
- Iaano Art Vautilainen
Black gave a sobering reminder of the often perilous job that miners have.
“Unfortunately in the mining world, we usually need one of these tragedies to have an altering shift in health and safety. The changes that were implemented following were obviously a step in the right direction. Incidents like this are a constant reminder that we’re never done. I’m sure all these men thought they were entering a safe workplace that day, just like everyone does today. We need to continue to seek improvements in health and safety in the workplace and in the industry.”
The Paymaster Mine operated in Timmins from 1915 to 1966.
