On the afternoon of Monday, June 27, 1910, an explosion destroyed the cook house at the Green Lake Mining and Milling Company camp on Fitzsimmons Creek, near current day Whistler, B.C. This accident resulted in the deaths of two men and generated a family legend of skulduggery and murder. The story as related by Roy Winston Woodburn was that his uncle James (or Jim) Woodburn had been “done in” by two partners after striking it rich in a gold mine, and his share stolen. Allegedly, the two villains returned to the Swarthmoor area in Lancashire, England, and lived out their days from stolen wealth. Was this the true story, or simply embroidered fancy spread by James’ family?
The basic facts of the explosion are straightforward. At 3:15 p.m. a blast occurred some 215 metres down slope from the mine shaft, and the miners descended to investigate, where they discovered the wreckage of the cook house and two bodies on the ground. Twenty-seven-year-old cook Edgar Henry Bryce was killed instantly, while mortally injured 22-year-old James Woodburn would die within three hours of the explosion. These were the first recorded deaths of Europeans on London Mountain, now known as Whistler Mountain, home to the world-famous ski resort.
Mr. J.W. Elliott, the Green Lake Mining and Milling Company representative onsite, took charge of the deceased men’s letters and identification and hastened to join the pack train, which had just brought supplies, south some 64 rugged kilometres over the Pemberton Meadows Trail, including the under-construction Howe Sound and Northern Railroad bed.
Elliott arrived at Newport near Squamish on June 29, and reached Vancouver later that day on the steamer SS Baramba. He diligently relayed news of the accident to the Vancouver-New Westminster office of the BC Provincial Police (BCPP). His attendance was recorded in the logbook at 11 p.m. that night.
The next morning, June 30, Cst. John Munro was sent by Chief Cst. Colin S. Campbell to the Baramba to obtain a full statement. From there, Munro contacted coroner Dr. Thomas Jeffs and reported the deaths and Elliott’s account of the accident. Dr. Jeffs hastily agreed this to have been an accident, and deemed it unnecessary to schedule an inquest. Given the difficulty of packing bodies over a rough trail in warm weather, he instructed word be sent that the corpses should be buried onsite “at Green Lake.” Green Lake is actually some 12 kilometres from the site of the explosion and camp. Death certificates were completed in absentia, with Dr. Jeffs incorrectly identifying Bryce as “about 25 years old” and Woodburn, correctly, as “about 22 years old.”
Heating dynamite... in a pan
Dr. Jeffs later interviewed the witnesses: miners John McCaulay, Sydney Redhead and James Nicholson, as well as Mr. J. C. Gill, a director of the Company who arrived from the Green Lake Mining and Milling office in Newport. Why Gill was interviewed is not clear, as he was not actually a witness to the event at all. All agreed that in preparation for the afternoon shift, Woodburn had taken approximately 12 sticks of dynamite from a tent used to store “powder” some distance from the camp proper, and that the dynamite required “thawing” prior to use. The witnesses stated that the dynamite was usually thawed in a pan of water heated on the cast iron woodstove, and while it was agreed that the stove was blasted into pieces, no one suggested that the “thawing” might have been shifted into the oven itself.
Old-time dynamite consisted of nitroglycerin mixed with an inert substance, usually sawdust, packed into cardboard tubes; this dynamite would not favourably explode unless it was warmed to approximately 14 C, hence the term “thawed.” Below that temperature, dynamite was unlikely to explode; heating it too much, too fast or too vigorously would lead to an unstable material prone to spontaneously explode. Industry guidelines stated the safest method to warm dynamite was in a water jacket, and at no more than half the temperature of boiling water. Unsurprisingly, during this time period there were multiple deaths and dismemberments as a result of these directions being ignored.
Once the miners reached the wreckage, they reported that Bryce was already dead, but incredibly and horribly, Woodburn had remained conscious in spite of having broken both arms and both legs, lost his left eye and had a portion of his skull blown off. His comrades gave him some water to drink, then moved him into one of the cabins in the nearby camp when he complained of being cold, indicating that he had gone into shock. When asked what had caused the explosion, he reportedly replied, “Do not ask me, I am too sick.” He also begged them to “write [his] mother.” An unposted letter to his mother, Mrs. Thomas (Mary) Woodburn, was later found, which ironically began, “Just a few lines to let you know I am in the land of the living, hoping this will find you the same.”
Hasty burials and lurid newspaper reports
Dr. Jeffs’ instructions for on-site interment did not reach the camp until Saturday, July 2. Split-cedar planks were used to hastily build rough coffins, and the two bodies were buried side-by-side, approximately 90 metres from the cabins, and marked with a single cross. After that, the remaining miners abandoned the site and decamped for Vancouver.
Surprisingly, only after the holiday weekend, on Monday, July 4, did Chief Cst. Campbell, determined to investigate further, depart Vancouver by 8:30 a.m. steamer, reaching Squamish later that day. He met the returning Green Lake miners on the trail, and upon being told the bodies had been buried on site, decided to return to Vancouver without further action. He recorded that he was “unwell,” and he did not return to duty until after July 6. It is odd that he seemed not previously aware of the burial instructions, and perhaps it is coincidental that his “unwell” state followed the long weekend.
The three Vancouver newspapers apparently had sources and wasted little time in reporting the story, with various degrees of accuracy: The Vancouver World on June 30 misreported that an explosion in the Green Lake mine shaft had killed both David S. Ryan, the contractor, and Woodburn, his helper. It then luridly quoted the first line in the letter intended for Woodburn’s mother. The Vancouver Daily News Advertiser on July 1 reported that both men were “from Lancashire,” and that one D.H.S. Ford had set out from Newport to assist, but upon hearing of the deaths he had turned back and was later thrown from his horse, fracturing two ribs. Finally, The Vancouver Daily Province on June 30 reported, more accurately, the men were named Bryce and Woodburn, natives of England, but that only the latter hailed from Lancashire. The Province more correctly reported the two had died from a powder explosion, but misreported they died “in their cabin,” and that the bodies were being sent to Vancouver for interment where an inquest would likely be held.
Notification of kin and tracking personal effects
The BCPP were left to complete their investigation and ultimately inform next of kin. This proved to be somewhat challenging, as between July 4 and 6 the BCPP Daily Record Book indicates that Cst. John Munro and Cst. Thomas Smith spent a considerable amount of time trying to round up the witnesses, who were supposed to be at the Burrard Hotel. Mr. Gill of the Company assured the BCPP he would send them along when they reported to his office, which ultimately took until 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6. Constable Munro took detailed statements, while Dr. Jeffs conducted further witness interviews, and a review of deceased assets.
The effects of the individuals revealed a stark contrast: Edgar Henry Bryce had left behind a number of personal possessions including miscellaneous receipts, papers, clothing, and a number of receipts and literature from something called “Camp Brotherhood,” an accordion valise and a bundle of blankets. Most interestingly, he left $13.50 cash in a purse; a bank book from the Canadian Bank of Commerce in Vancouver indicating $60 on deposit; a bank book from the Canadian Bank of Commerce in Victoria indicating $190.88 on deposit; and a third bank book from the Imperial Bank of Canada in Victoria with a balance of $297.08. All totalled, the hoard of $561.46 equates to an impressive $18,650 in current value.
Conversely, James Woodburn left precious little more than the clothing he died in, a pocket knife and a pipe. He had had one dollar in his possession but this was apparently owed to fellow miner Nicholson, who was said to have “taken charge of the papers and money” at the time of his death.
Notification of next of kin fell to Chief Cst. Campbell using addresses found on letters taken from the dead men, and presented by Elliott on June 29. The notification letters were written on June 30 and sent with mixed success. He wrote to one H.A.C. Dyer in “Trenton,” England, informing that person of the death of Bryce, and requesting word be passed to his family. This letter was ultimately returned as undeliverable. Months later, in September, a Miss Dora Bryce of Taunton, Somerset, England, wrote to BCPP Superintendent Fred Hussey in Victoria inquiring about the death of her brother Edgar Bryce.
Letters about James Woodburn’s death were sent to James Campbell at Britannia Beach, Miss C. Dennison of Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, and Miss C. Parkinson of Fulwood near Preston, Lancashire. Campbell also wrote to his mother at “Glen Moor House,” Pennington near Ulverston, Lancashire, England. The correct address was in fact “Green Moor House,” Pennington near Ulverston.
As it turned out, James Nicholson was a schoolmate and friend of James Woodburn, both having grown up in Swarthmoor. He informed the BCPP that the Woodburn family was desperately poor and that his friend James had previously worked as a miner in the Hedley mining camp. Unfortunately, Woodburn had owed room and board there when he left for work at Britannia Beach and Green Lake, and had left behind as security a valuable gold watch and chain, and most of his clothing.
All personal effects were ultimately turned over to R.B. Ellis, the Provincial Administrator, Mercantile Building, Homer Street on July 11. Nicholson advocated that his friend’s possessions should be recovered and sent back to the family in England.
On Aug. 2, Chief Cst. Campbell wrote to BCPP Csts. G.H. Sproule and V.W. Ewart in Hedley, who traced Woodburn’s debt to The Grand Union Hotel proprietor, Mr. Anton Winkler, who was holding the items. Campbell sent a $5 postal order, purchased by Nicholson, to cover the unpaid room and board, and subsequently the watch and chain were sent to Vancouver. Chief Cst. Campbell notified Nicholson to collect the items from his office. On Sept. 8, Winkler advised that a sale of the clothing and suitcase had covered the debt, and returned the $5 postal order. This was acknowledged Sept. 13 by Acting Chief Cst. G. Alvin Murray.
Delving into my family history
This story came to light when I began researching my family history and found the record of James Woodburn, whose lonely demise seemed to be out of place. Initially I thought he might have died at Green Lake near Nanaimo where my family had lived, but as I searched further, it appeared that he and I simply shared a surname.
I posted this orphan or missing forebearer to a genealogy site as “anyone missing a James” and had a surprise response from Nancy Woodburn of Edmonton, Alta. She related the legend of her grandfather Adam’s three older brothers, Abraham, William and James, who had left Swarthmoor for B.C. in the early 1900s. Abraham suffered respiratory issues and immigrated to dry-climate Arizona, while William ended up farming at Hodgeville, Sask. Later, the youngest brother, Adam, joined William in Canada, and resided in Alberta. Somehow the story of James being done in by scoundrels entered the family history, a story said to have been frequently told by his mother, Mary.
Despite having at first glance no relationship to James, the peculiarity and the loneliness of his death were so interesting I found it difficult to simply leave it alone. I was fortunate to have the internet assistance of two other family historians to fill in some of the genealogical details, and in the end it proved that poor James was a distant cousin after all. There was some confusion because over time there were two separate marriages of a Thomas Woodburn and Mary Slater. I learned James’ parents were married in 1877, but his mother was the grandniece of an earlier Mary Slater who married my ancestor Thomas Woodburn in 1794, all in the same area of Lancashire.
A lesson in B.C. mining history
Sadly, the true story of the Green Lake Mining and Milling Company is that it was a typical deception created by stock promoters who established the Vancouver Stock Exchange in 1906—notorious throughout its existence for sales of questionable mining stocks. The Green Lake Mining and Milling property totalled 20 claims and one fraction, which still exist as a cluster of District Lots on the south bank of Fitzsimmons Creek, roughly 5.5 km southeast of the Whistler townsite.
The crosscut tunnel that Woodburn and the other men blasted into the valley wall horizontally crossed a band of mineralization which “dipped” into the mountain. Ultimately this penetrated 176 metres to where it met barren bedrock. The Company extolled the massive extent of ore stretching “over 1,500 metres” along the valley wall, and stated an intent to build a smelter, such was the bounty, describing the ore as “rich copper-gold with silver,” intimating that it would rival even the huge Granby mine and smelter in Boundary country, and with a capitalization of $5 million offered at nominally $1 per share. Quoted grades of $71.27 per ton were published, and the future proximity of the Howe Sound and Northern Railway was dangled as promising easy access and shipping.
The reality of this mineral prospect was that, on Sept. 16, 1910, the Provincial Minerologist, William Fleet Robertson, inspected the mine site in person, and noted the presence of “small lenses of chalcopyrite” (a copper ore); and yellow copper, “but in no place in sufficient quantity to suggest profitable ore.” In spite of this assessment, ads promoting the Company regularly continued to appear in the 1910 Vancouver newspapers, though it is perhaps not a surprise that activity disappeared by year’s end, perhaps reflective of Robertson’s report appearing in the Minister of Mines Annual Report of 1910, published in 1911.
The BC Mining Act requires all mining accidents, certainly fatalities, to be reported in the Annual Report of the Minister of Mines. The deaths of these two men were never reported as required, which was confirmed to me by Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals staff; additionally, the story of the accident disappeared quickly from the newspapers.
Based upon Elliott’s version of events, Dr. Jeffs ruled out the notion of an inquest, which could have drawn further news interest. His death certification was at best an estimate, and not based upon facts actually known to him. The Conservative government of Premier Richard McBride was noted for its corruption, and one might speculate that influence could have been used to suppress the report of the two deaths. Almost certainly the promoters of the Green Lake Mining and Milling Company did what they could to silence any negative publicity before sales of stock eroded. That might explain the difficulty the BCPP had gathering the witnesses to obtain statements, and why when they did, all three miners stuck to the same identical reporting of the events. Why was the account of the company man Gill important? Why did the BCPP delay sending someone to the site to investigate? Was there more to the story? Or had the miners ignored safety protocols and fearing loss of their employment or legal repercussions adhered to the company version? The truth, unfortunately, will never be known.
To this day, somewhere in the vicinity where Harmony Creek meets Fitzsimmons Creek, lie a pair of unmarked graves and whatever traces of mining may persist after 115 years, awaiting the curious to explore and re-discover. For the descendants of the family of James Woodburn there is at least some semblance of closure, although the loss of her son obviously tormented poor Mary Woodburn for many years. Perhaps at some future date a suitable memorial will be established. In the meantime, the story has finally emerged and may now re-enter the history of Whistler.
In tracing the historical records I enjoyed the excellent assistance of the staff at the BC Archives Reference Room, 655 Belleville Street, Victoria, to whom I am grateful, as well as the many online sources available.
