1879 Kaitangata mining disaster

The coal mine at Kaitangata, South Otago, was rocked by an explosion at about 8 a.m. Extra miners had started work only the day before, and on the day of the explosion 47 men were employed at the mine.

At first no one knew how many men were underground. A train was sent to nearby Balclutha to bring help. An initial rescue attempt was thwarted when rescuers were unable to enter the mine due to debris from the explosion and the presence of ‘fire damp’ (mainly methane gas which becomes explosive when mixed with a certain volume of air). Rescue parties were unable to enter the mine until about midday.

By early evening it was clear that there were no survivors and that 34 men had died. The condition of their bodies showed that they had not been killed by the explosion but had been suffocated by a belt of ‘black damp’ – a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The coroner’s report identified faults in the mine’s safety practices and ventilation system. There was also a lack of safety lamps.

The explosion appeared to have been sparked by the mine manager’s brother, who had carried a candle into a disused part of the mine where fire damp had accumulated. The gas exploded when it came into contact with the naked flame. The accident led to the introduction of stricter controls on mining.