The Brunner Mine disaster happened at 9:30 am on Thursday 26 March 1896 ( NZMT; UTC+11:30), when an explosion deep in the

Brunner Mine The Brunner Mine was a coal mine on the West Coast of the South Island in New Zealand. The Brunner Mine was one of several mines situated on the banks of the Grey River, at an area known as "Coal Gorge" between the townships of Stillwater and T ...

, in the West Coast region of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, killed all 65 miners below ground. The Brunner Mine disaster is the deadliest mining disaster in New Zealand's history. The royal commission of inquiry put the cause of the disaster to a blown-out shot in a part of the mine where miners should not have been working. However, experienced miners claimed the explosion was caused by

firedamp Firedamp is any flammable gas found in coal mines, typically coalbed methane. It is particularly found in areas where the coal is bituminous. The gas accumulates in pockets in the coal and adjacent strata and when they are penetrated the releas ...

igniting, which had accumulated in the mine due to inadequate ventilation.

Accident and response

It is most likely that the explosion was caused by

, a common hazard in

coal mine Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

s when a pocket of

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ea ...

gas is accidentally ignited and explodes. Firedamp is all the more hazardous because of the after effects of the explosion. Gases known as "

afterdamp Afterdamp is the toxic mixture of gases left in a mine following an explosion caused by methane-rich firedamp, which itself can initiate a much larger explosion of coal dust. The term is etymologically and practically related to other terms for u ...

" – carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen produced by the explosion – often prove to be just as deadly and can kill miners unhurt by the explosion itself. "Joseph Scott, the

Blackball Mine Blackball, black-ball, black ball, blackballed, or blackballing may refer to: * Blackballing, a rejection in a traditional form of secret ballot Film * ''Blackball'' (film), a 2003 film starring Paul Kaye * '' Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Stor ...

Manager.., believed that the majority (of miners) were killed by the explosion and "not more than half a dozen by the afterdamp". Robert Russell, believing the explosion to be caused by firedamp, while acknowledging that the explosion force and coal dust flames contributed to the causes of death, believed that "at the end it was the afterdamp gases that killed them (all)." Dr. James McBrearty's description of many victims frothing at the mouth, suggests asphyxiation by the predominant afterdamp gas, being carbon dioxide. The afterdamp gas carbon monoxide which presented such a problem for the recovery teams must also have contributed to death through poisoning. It was not then fully appreciated that only small quantities of carbon monoxide or white damp could be fatal". Rescuers entering the mine after the explosion found themselves suffocating on the afterdamp gas and had to return to the surface, often unconscious, carried by other rescuers; however, the determination was such to find the bodies, and to find any survivors, that the rescuers – mostly miners from nearby mines – would insist on returning to the airless mine as soon as they had been revived on the surface. Miners came from as far as Denniston to assist the rescue effort, though it took the Denniston miners several days to arrive as they had to travel by sea from Westport. Wood explains this: "The response of the West Coast miners in volunteering for the rescue parties was due to their occupational loyalties and social and kinship ties. Occupational bonding, especially of coal miners, requires obedience to the miner's code that they come to each other's assistance. Denniston miners and mine managers, like Blackball miners, included former workmates, relatives and friends belonging to the same generation of immigrants, particularly those arriving between 1875 and 1885". According to Wood: "The tragedy helped to break down some old world differences and establish a West Coast identity especially in the mining community.

Aftermath

The bodies of all 65 miners from the Brunner mine were eventually accounted for, including a Mr. John Roberts and three of his sons who were all working that day. The miners were buried at Stillwater, 33 of them in a mass grave. A disaster relief fund was established to support the families of the deceased miners. Over £32,000 was raised for the fund, equivalent to

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6.46 million in December 2020. Contributions to the fund came from a number of towns including

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Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

, Lyttleton and

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Inquiry

A Royal Commission was appointed to investigate the disaster. Four commissioners were appointed: district court judge Charles Ward, geologist

Sir James Hector Sir James Hector (16 March 1834 – 6 November 1907) was a Scottish-New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon who accompanied the Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist. He went on to have a lengthy career as a government employe ...

, colliery manager Joseph Proud, and coal miner Thomas Skellon. The commission reported back to the Governor-General on 15 June 1896.

References

External links

Brunner Mine disaster
at Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Brunner Mine disaster
at the

Christchurch City Libraries Christchurch City Libraries is operated by the Christchurch City Council and is a network of 21 libraries and a mobile book bus. Following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake the previous Christchurch Central Library building was demolished, and wa ...

Folk song on the Brunner Mine Disaster
{{Coord, 42, 25, 56.5, S, 171, 19, 24.2, E, region:NZ_type:city, display=title Coal mining disasters in New Zealand Grey District 1896 in New Zealand 1896 mining disasters History of the West Coast, New Zealand March 1896 events

Accident and response

Aftermath

Inquiry

See also

References

External links