Not Your Grandfathers Mining Industry, Nova Scotia, Canada

Gallihar and Dimock

In 1904, two men died as a result of working at a gold mine in Lower Seal Harbour, but the tragedy was not directly caused by mining.

On October 24, William Gallihar and Edward Dimock left their homes early in the morning and headed to a small bridge that crossed a river or stream which the Halifax Herald referred to as the “Upper Seal Harbour run.”

Gallihar and Dimock were sent to dismantle the bridge because its planking was needed for cribbing in a temporary mine shaft.

The men did not return home at the end of the day, so friends went looking for them.

The Herald wrote, “Not finding them last evening a larger party resumed the search at daybreak, and their caps were found floating in the water. The party began dragging for the bodies, and recovered them about nine o’clock, both near together in nine feet of water. No one knows how the accident occurred.”

According to the newspaper, “William Gallihar is a son of the late Charles Gallihar, who at one time carried on a large general business in this place. Edward Dimock belongs to Waverley, Halifax County, and has lived here for the past twelve years. Much sympathy is felt for the bereaved families.

Nova Scotia’s mining and quarrying industry has reduced its injury rate by 90% since the Westray inquiry report was released in 1997 and is one of the safer industries in the province today. We believe the most important thing to come out of a mine is the miner, and our modern safety record reflects this.

The story of Gallihar and Dimock is a sad reminder of why we have the same commitment to safety in all aspects of our operations, both at mines and quarries and offsite - for example, when transporting minerals and equipment.

Gallihar and Dimock worked for Percy J. White, who earlier that month had discovered the main lode in Lower Seal Harbour when he followed several previously discovered gold-bearing veins and found that they were part of a larger belt of veins. White’s discovery was close to the boundary line between his property and that of G. J. Partington to the west. Almost immediately after White’s discovery, Partington discovered the same ore body on his side of the line.

The rush of activity in Lower Seal Harbour that followed White’s find was no doubt the reason Gallihar and Dimock were sent to fetch the wood from the bridge.

Like so many of Nova Scotia’s historical gold districts, Lower Seal Harbour has the potential to be returned to production and to create jobs for Nova Scotians. In fact, almost all the activity in Nova Scotia’s gold sector is at historical mines where deposits were proven during our early gold rushes, but modern science and technology make it possible to mine profitably while, of course, taking proper care of the environment.