Bell Island's Mine Museum and Underground Tour

Useful Information

Location:	On Bell Island. From St. John's Route 40 to the Portugal Cove Ferry Terminal, ferry to the island. From the ferry terminal follow Beach Hill, then Main Street, turn left at the church, then first right before the hospital.
Open:	JUN to SEP daily 11-19. OCT to MAY by appointment. [2007]
Fee:	Museum with mine tour: Adults CAD 7, Children (0-11) CAD 3, Seniors CAD 5. Museum only: Adults CAD 2, Children (0-11) free, Seniors CAD 2. [2007]
Classification:	Iron Mine
Light:	electric.
Dimension:	T=7°C.
Guided tours:
Bibliography:
Address:	Bell Island's Mine Museum and Underground Tour, Bell Island Heritage Society, P.O. Box 219, Bell Island, NF, A0A 4H0, Tel: +1-709-488-2880, Fax: +1-709-488-2909. E-mail:
Last update:	$Date: 2008/07/01 20:17:12 $

History


1895		first surface mining.
1902		No. 2 mine opened.
1949		No. 2 mine closed.
1966		last mine on the island closed.
2000		mine museum opened.

Geology

Description

The No. 2 Mine on Bell Island was once the world's largest submarine iron ore mine. There is a mine museum, which shows artifacts from the Islands mining past. An exhibition of old photographs tells about the mining history. There is also an exhiubition of pictures by the famous photographer Yousuf Karsh. The underground tour is part of the museum.

Once there were six mines in total on Bell Island. Four of the mines, numbers 2, 3, 4 and 6, were submarine mines, which means the mines actually went under the sea floor. The other two mines (1 and 5) ended at the shoreline. The mines extended up to 4.8 km under the floor of Conception Bay. Mining under the sea is only possible if the overlying rocks are water tight. In general there is a greater danger of water inrush, and as it is the sea this will generally cause the immediate flooding of the whole mine.

Bell Island's Mine Museum and Underground Tour

Useful Information

History

Geology

Description

See also