From the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Center:
Arguably, the most dangerous job in a mine is performed by those who handle the explosives.
Before the ore can be crushed and processed to extract the gold, the rock must first be loosened and blasted into manageable pieces. This is done by drilling a series of holes in the hard rock surface, packing them with explosives, and detonating the explosives to create “muck” which can then be removed and taken to a mill for further crushing and grinding.
When the mines first began in the Porcupine gold camp, holes were punched using a drill steel. One man would hold a chisel, turning it a quarter turn after each stroke of a heavy mallet swung by another individual. The holes were then packed with sticks of dynamite and blasted using plunger boxes reminiscent of Wile E Coyote cartoons.
Safety in those days seems not to have been a primary focus. The Dome Mines’ beloved mascot, Mike the Bulldog, met an unfortunate end in 1912 because he had “an incurable habit of chewing up fuse when it was spitting towards the cartridge…and poor Mike went aloft and came down without his head.”
Today, blasting is a highly detailed task where computer simulations and advanced calculations are used to ensure that each explosion is efficient, cost-effective, and most importantly, safe.
Each week, the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre provides TimminsToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.
Find out more of what the Timmins Museum has to offer at www.timminsmuseum.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here.
