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The Mount Mulligan mine disaster occurred on 19 September 1921 in Mount Mulligan, Far North Queensland, Australia. A series of explosions in the local

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 ...

, audible as much as 30 km away, rocked the close-knit

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

. Seventy-five workers were killed by the disaster, making it the third-worst coal

mining accident A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground coal mining, although accidents also occur in hard rock mining. ...

in Australia in terms of human lives lost. Four of the dead had been at the mouth of the pit at the time of the explosion. Seventy four bodies were recovered by the time the Royal Commission ended, the last body was recovered five months after the disaster after the mine had reopened. The disaster affected people in cities and towns all over the country. The mine, which was new at the time of the accident, was widely considered safe and had no previous indications of

gas leak A gas leak refers to a leak of natural gas or another gaseous product from a pipeline or other containment into any area where the gas should not be present. Gas leaks can be hazardous to health as well as the environment. Even a small leak in ...

s. The miners hence worked using open flame lights instead of

safety lamp A safety lamp is any of several types of lamp that provides illumination in coal mines and is designed to operate in air that may contain coal dust or gases, both of which are potentially flammable or explosive. Until the development of effectiv ...

Public inquiry

A Royal Commission into the accident confirmed that the disaster was caused by the accidental or negligent firing of an explosive charge on top of a block of coal, apparently in order to split it. No methane was ever detected in the mine and candles and naked flames were used throughout its history (Royal Commission: 1921). The investigation found that explosives were used, stored, distributed and carried underground in a careless manner. It was also determined that the lack of appropriate means to render the

coal dust Coal dust is a fine powdered form of which is created by the crushing, grinding, or pulverizing of coal. Because of the brittle nature of coal, coal dust can be created during mining, transportation, or by mechanically handling coal. It is a form ...

safe in the mine was a violation of law. The coal seams at Mt Mulligan are conspicuously dry, leading to the ignition of coal dust from the firing of the charge. The disaster was also the impetus for the passing of a Coal Mining Act in Queensland that would ban the use of open flames in underground coal mines

Aftermath

The mine was reopened after 4 months and suffered surprisingly little damage from the explosion. In 1923 the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...

bought it from the operators. It was in operation until 1957, although it was heavily

subsidise A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

d after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The mine's final demise occurred with the completion of the

Tully Falls The Tully Falls, a horsetail chute waterfall on the Tully River, is located in the UNESCO World Heritagelisted Wet Tropics in the Far North region of Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , ...

hydro electricity scheme. Soon after, the town was sold and most of the buildings were removed.

References

#

Page XXXIII, 1921 Report of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into and report upon the recent disaster at Mount Mulligan Coal Mine, and also into the methods of mining carried on at such mine, and further, to make such recommendations as may tend to prevent the recurrence of accidents of a like nature. # [] Caims Post, 13 February 1922.
The Australian Journal of Emergency Management
Vol 18. No.3 August 2003.
Walkabout.com.au
Mount Mulligan history

External links

Mount Mulligan Mine Disaster
– John Oxley Library Blog, State Library of Queensland {{coord, 15.85, S, 144.867, E, source:kolossus-plwiki, display=title 1920s in Queensland 1921 in Australia 1921 mining disasters Coal mining disasters in Australia Disasters in Queensland Dust explosions Far North Queensland Mining disasters in Australia Mining in Queensland Public inquiries in Australia

Public inquiry

Aftermath

See also

References

External links