There is a terrifying phenomenon that occurs in the deepest and largest mines on Earth.

And in 1958, this would occur in the deepest mine in North America

and the results would be catastrophic for the miners over 10,000 feet underground.

This is that horrifying story, and as always, viewer discretion is advised.

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's 13 provinces and territories, with a population of just more than 1 million in early 2024. Incredibly, among the country's provinces and territories, it's the second most densely populated,

as well as the second smallest by area.

It's also home to a variety of natural resources, and so mining has been a central part

of its economy for more than 300 years.

Over that time, the province has exported more than 20 different mineral products all over

the world, but beginning in the 18th century all the way through the better part of the 20th century, coal was king in Nova Scotia.

It's estimated that around 400 million tons of it had been mined for more than 300 coal

deposits since 1720.

One of the most abundant of these mines in Nova Scotia's history is located in Springhill,

which was a city of around 7,000 in the 1950s. Digging at the Spring Hill

mines began in the 19th century and eventually became one of the deepest coal mines in North

America and also one of the deepest in the world with a depth of 4,260 feet or 1,300 meters.

And during its heyday, the Spring Hill mine saw its share of success and a couple of horrific disasters.

The first one was on February 21, 1891, when an explosion occurred in the number one and number two collieries,

which was caused by an accumulation of coal dust that was blown through both shafts by the ventilation system.

The dust then ignited and caused one of the worst disasters in Nova Scotia's history, with 125 miners losing their lives.

Then, 65 years later, another 39 miners were killed in November of 1956 when another blast

occurred with circumstances oddly similar to the first explosion.

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