Hollinger Mines
Encyclopedia
The Hollinger Gold Mine was founded by Benny Hollinger in Timmins
, Ontario
, and in 1910 the company was incorporated by Noah Timmins
and partners. The main Hollinger Mine operated from 1910 until 1968. During that period 65,778,234 tons were milled, producing 19,327,691 ounces of gold, indicating an overall grade of 0.29. The value of the gold produced is placed at $564.7 million.
Hollinger Consolidated Gold Mines was later acquired by Canadian
tycoon E. P. Taylor
's Argus Corporation. Argus was later acquired by Conrad Black
in 1978 and it would become today's Hollinger Incorporated
.
In October 1909 Benny Hollinger, a young barber from Haileybury, and his partner, Alex Gillies, started prospecting in the area. When they met the Wilson expedition they were told that all the good lots were staked for at least 6 miles (9.7 km) west. So they went west, past the already staked-out claims, until they came upon an abandoned test pit near Pearl Lake where Reuben D'Aigle
had given up three years earlier. The two were exploring the site when Hollinger dug into a mound that demonstrated how unlucky D'Aigle was:
They staked twelve claims near their discovery. Because different sponsors had staked them, they flipped a coin to determine how to divide the them. Hollinger won the toss and took the six claims on the west.
Noah Timmins, who had early started a successful silver
mine in Cobalt
, purchased an option on Hollinger's claims and immediately started work on setting up mining operations. He set out in December 1909 from mile post 222 on the Temiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway (T&NO) with a crew of twenty men, two teams of horses, and two tons of supplies. Following an old lumber road, they had to blaze their own trail where the road had become overgrown. They arrived at the mine site on New Year's Day, 1910, and within weeks began mining gold.
By the end of the 20's the Hollinger was the largest gold mine in the British Empire and paid annual dividends of more than $5 million.
In the 1930s Hollinger Consolidated Gold Mines built 250 houses which were located in one area of the Town of Timmins. These houses remained in place right up until the late 1970s. The three room homes were designed and built identical to each other in every respect with the exception of the impregnated tar paper the covered them. Every second home was green with a red roof and the other was red with a green roof.
The mine was so big by the 1960s it had almost 600 miles (965.6 km) of tunnels
Hundreds of miners escaped to surface, but the news soon spread that others had been trapped on the 550 feet (167.6 m) level. At that time mined-out stopes were not backfilled with waste rock, but one on the 550 feet (167.6 m) level had been filled over the years with mining debris such as powder boxes, sawdust and wooden crates. It's believed that the fire started as a result of spontaneous combustion in this area.
There were accounts of individual heroism, and the Department of Mines, the T&NO, many others, and the community itself put forth a stellar effort to battle the disaster and alleviate the suffering. A relief train was sent up from Pennsylvania with rescue personnel experienced in coal-mine fires.
In the end, 39 miners succumbed to the smoke and carbon monoxide
poisoning. An inquiry into the disaster recommended that mine rescue stations be set up in major mining camps. In 1929 the Porcupine Camp received the first mine rescue station in the province.
Stompin' Tom Connors
, the famous Canadian musician, composed and recorded a ballad about another later fire at the nearby McIntyre Mine (in February of 1965), with Lord Thomson's "CKGB
Recording" entitled "Fire in the Mine".
prior to the bankruptcy of Royal Oak Mines
. Most of the work on the site has concerned the management of ground subsidence resulting from the collapse of drifts and stopes that were not backfilled. Extensive subsidence has occurred at the Hollinger Golf Course to the SW of the mine site
Timmins
Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At the time of the Canada 2006 Census, Timmins' population was 42,997...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and in 1910 the company was incorporated by Noah Timmins
Noah Timmins
Noah Anthony Timmins was a Canadian mining developer and executive who is considered a founding father of Canada's mining industry.-Background and mining achievements:...
and partners. The main Hollinger Mine operated from 1910 until 1968. During that period 65,778,234 tons were milled, producing 19,327,691 ounces of gold, indicating an overall grade of 0.29. The value of the gold produced is placed at $564.7 million.
Hollinger Consolidated Gold Mines was later acquired by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
tycoon E. P. Taylor
E. P. Taylor
Edward Plunket Taylor was a Canadian business tycoon and famous breeder of thoroughbred race horses. Known to his friends as "Eddie", he is universally recorded as "E. P...
's Argus Corporation. Argus was later acquired by Conrad Black
Conrad Black
Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour, OC, KCSG, PC is a Canadian-born member of the British House of Lords, and a historian, columnist and publisher, who was for a time the third largest newspaper magnate in the world. Lord Black controlled Hollinger International, Inc...
in 1978 and it would become today's Hollinger Incorporated
Hollinger Inc.
Hollinger Inc. was a Canadian media company based in Toronto. It was created by the Canadian businessman Conrad Black as a holding company for his media interests after he acquired control of The Daily Telegraph in 1986. It was the parent company of Chicago-based Hollinger International, whose...
.
- Founded 1910 as Hollinger Gold Mine
- Changed to Hollinger Mines
- Changed to Hollinger Argus Limited 1978
- Changed to Hollinger Inc. in 1985
Hollinger Mine
Rumors of gold in the Porcupine area had been circulating for some time, but every attempt to start production had resulted in poor returns. In June 1909 a group of prospectors found a rich vein that would eventually become the Dome Mine, but at the time it too remained undeveloped. However the news was now out, and prospectors started flowing into the area.In October 1909 Benny Hollinger, a young barber from Haileybury, and his partner, Alex Gillies, started prospecting in the area. When they met the Wilson expedition they were told that all the good lots were staked for at least 6 miles (9.7 km) west. So they went west, past the already staked-out claims, until they came upon an abandoned test pit near Pearl Lake where Reuben D'Aigle
Reuben D'Aigle
Reuben Bennett "Sourdough" D'Aigle was a Canadian prospector who made numerous discoveries in the Klondike, Ontario, Quebec and Labrador. Although successful with several of these ventures, he remains best known for missing the Porcupine Gold Rush by only a few feet, a huge deposit being...
had given up three years earlier. The two were exploring the site when Hollinger dug into a mound that demonstrated how unlucky D'Aigle was:
... Benny was pulling moss off the rocks a few feet away, when suddenly he let a roar out of him and threw his hat to me. At first I thought that he was crazy but when I came over to where he was it was not hard to find the reason. The quartz where he had taken off the moss looked as though someone had dripped a candle along it, but instead of wax it was gold.
They staked twelve claims near their discovery. Because different sponsors had staked them, they flipped a coin to determine how to divide the them. Hollinger won the toss and took the six claims on the west.
Noah Timmins, who had early started a successful silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mine in Cobalt
Cobalt, Ontario
Cobalt is a town in the district of Timiskaming, province of Ontario, Canada, with a population of 1,223 In 2001 Cobalt was named "Ontario's Most Historic Town" by a panel of judges on the TV Ontario program Studio 2, and in 2002 the area was designated a National Historic Site.-History:Silver was...
, purchased an option on Hollinger's claims and immediately started work on setting up mining operations. He set out in December 1909 from mile post 222 on the Temiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway (T&NO) with a crew of twenty men, two teams of horses, and two tons of supplies. Following an old lumber road, they had to blaze their own trail where the road had become overgrown. They arrived at the mine site on New Year's Day, 1910, and within weeks began mining gold.
By the end of the 20's the Hollinger was the largest gold mine in the British Empire and paid annual dividends of more than $5 million.
In the 1930s Hollinger Consolidated Gold Mines built 250 houses which were located in one area of the Town of Timmins. These houses remained in place right up until the late 1970s. The three room homes were designed and built identical to each other in every respect with the exception of the impregnated tar paper the covered them. Every second home was green with a red roof and the other was red with a green roof.
The mine was so big by the 1960s it had almost 600 miles (965.6 km) of tunnels
Fire
On February 10, 1928 smoke began to curl up from the main shaft house. At first no one could understand how fire could take place in a hard-rock mine. The Hollinger had its own safety inspector, in addition to the government official, but they had not visited all of the more than 100 miles (160.9 km) of underground workings.Hundreds of miners escaped to surface, but the news soon spread that others had been trapped on the 550 feet (167.6 m) level. At that time mined-out stopes were not backfilled with waste rock, but one on the 550 feet (167.6 m) level had been filled over the years with mining debris such as powder boxes, sawdust and wooden crates. It's believed that the fire started as a result of spontaneous combustion in this area.
There were accounts of individual heroism, and the Department of Mines, the T&NO, many others, and the community itself put forth a stellar effort to battle the disaster and alleviate the suffering. A relief train was sent up from Pennsylvania with rescue personnel experienced in coal-mine fires.
In the end, 39 miners succumbed to the smoke and carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
poisoning. An inquiry into the disaster recommended that mine rescue stations be set up in major mining camps. In 1929 the Porcupine Camp received the first mine rescue station in the province.
Stompin' Tom Connors
Stompin' Tom Connors
Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, OC is one of Canada's most prolific and well-known country and folk singers.He lives in Wellington County, Ontario.- Early life :...
, the famous Canadian musician, composed and recorded a ballad about another later fire at the nearby McIntyre Mine (in February of 1965), with Lord Thomson's "CKGB
CKGB-FM
CKGB-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts an adult contemporary format at 99.3 FM in Timmins, Ontario. The station uses the on-air brand EZ Rock and is owned by Rogers Media.-History:...
Recording" entitled "Fire in the Mine".
Current Ownership/Activity
The mine site was acquired in December 1999 by Kinross GoldKinross Gold
Kinross Gold Corporation is a Canadian-based gold mining company with a gold production guidance of 4.5 to 4.9 million gold ounces by 2015. Kinross owns mines and projects in Canada, the United States, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Russia, Ghana and Mauritania, employing approximately 7,500 people...
prior to the bankruptcy of Royal Oak Mines
Royal Oak Mines
Royal Oak Mines Incorporated was a gold mining company, founded in 1990 by Margaret "Peggy" Witte in Kirkland, Washington....
. Most of the work on the site has concerned the management of ground subsidence resulting from the collapse of drifts and stopes that were not backfilled. Extensive subsidence has occurred at the Hollinger Golf Course to the SW of the mine site