Bellevue Mine Blairmore, South and Greenhill Mines Coleman Mine Hillcrest Mine Leitch Collieries Lost Lemon Mine

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• 1920: production 372,718 tons, total accidents 120, serious accidents 6, fatality 1, tons per accident 3,018; profits $316,436; cost price $3.75; selling price $4.60
   
• 1927: air picks used in mine in place of picks and coalpowder; Mine Safety became major item; added cost per ton estimated up to $.15; new regulations for protection against coal dust explosions; W.C.C. report indicated that it was more difficult to make money as 40 % reduction in selling price, poor weather and difficult conditions underground (the mine was becoming flatter and deeper); felt mines still in first class condition but required more orders
   
• 1929: $25,000 spent to widen mine entrance and build concrete archway; over $50,000 spend to rebuild tipple
   
• 1930s: decade of low coal orders and few shifts for miners; major strikes during '30s
   
• 1930: as of August 1, each mine (Bellevue and Maple Leaf) worked for two weeks with a two week shut down; production 208, 413 tons; miners 144; total men 383; tons per miner per day 9.85; total accidents 74; serious accidents 5; fatalities 2; tons per accident 2, 820; profits $52, 175; cost price $3.41; selling price $3.69; 13 air locomotives and 6 shakes conveyors in use 1930: Meadow Sweet Dairy started by Richards and Anderson in old Alberta Brewery building on back street; sold to R. Fabi; 1944: bought by Fauville and Costigan (sold interest in 1947 to Fauville); 1947-1986: monopoly on dairy production, Pass a controlled area; 1950: moved to Main Street location; 1970s: bought by R. Andrist
   
• 1932: 6 month strike at Bellevue and Greenhill mines; increased wages gained; first time mine fails to record profit; production 94,647 tons; miners 103; total men 276; tons per miner per day 13.42; total accidents 20; serious 4; fatalities 0; days lost to accidents 302; loss $49,341; cost price $3.95; selling price $3.34
   
• 1940: production 316, 809 tons; miners 141; total men 307; tons per miner per day 12.18; total accidents 123; serious accidents 10; fatalities 0; tons per accident 2,277; loss; $11,111.00; cost price $2.75; selling price $2.72
   
• 1941: highest yearly production
   
• 1945: use of mechanical mining equipment well established
   
• everyone listened for the mine whistle each night: three blasts meant No Work and one blast meant Work
   
• 1950: production 211,986 tons; miners 103; total men 309; tons per miner per day 11.65; total accidents n/a; serious n/a; fatalities 2; profits n/a; new coal washery constructed at cost of $ 93,507; serious shortage of coal cars
   
• July 29, 1950: Star Weekly reported Canadian Railways in middle of revolution as changing from coal to oil & from steam to diesel; railways had bought last steam locomotives
   
• 1951: production 231,567 tons; miners 102; total men 316; tons per miner per day 10.90; total accidents 127; serious accidents 47; fatalities 0; loss $5, 194.00; cost price $5.89; selling price $5.88;

This article is extracted from Crowsnest and its People: Millennium Edition (Coleman, Alberta, Crowsnest Pass Historical Society, 2000). The Heritage Community Foundation and the Year of the Coal Miner Consortium would like to thank the authors and the Crowsnest Pass Historical Society for permission to reprint this material.

Bellevue Mines Website

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