Kaitangata Mine

When: 21 February, 1879

Where: Kaitangata, Otago

Coal was first discovered at Kaitangata, just east of Balclutha, in 1844, but a mine was not opened until the 1850s when the gold rushes brought more people to the area. Once a railway was built the mined coal could be transported to other places.
On 21 February, 1879, sometime between 8 and 9:00 am, an explosion shook the coal mine.
The pit where the explosion took place had been opened for only two years, but there were plans to increase the amount of coal being mined. Extra miners had started work just the day before the disaster.
On the day of the explosion 47 men were employed at the mine, but at first no one knew how many men were underground at the time.
A train was sent to Balclutha to bring help. In the meantime rescuers tried to enter the mine but were stopped by debris and the presence of fire damp.
By noon rescue parties were able to enter the mine and begin bringing out the bodies of the dead miners. By 6:00 pm it was known that there were no one had survived the explosion, and that 34 men had died.

How many died: 34

It became obvious from the unmarked state of the bodies that the miners had not been killed by the explosion, but had been suffocated by a belt of black damp before they could reach safety.
The coroner's report found that there were faults in the management of the mine, particularly with the ventilation system and the lack of safety lamps.
It appeared that the manager's brother been carrying a candle when he entered a disused part of the mine where fire damp had accumulated. The gas had exploded when it came into contact with the naked flame.
The Kaitangata Relief Fund was set in place to help the families of miners who had died in the Kaitangata explosion, and others who had suffered death or injury in mines around New Zealand.

Black damp, or choke damp: Miners' name for a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. If there is not enough oxygen in the air, miners can suffocate.
Fire damp: Miners' name for a gas of mostly methane which forms as decaying plant matter turns into coal. It becomes explosive when mixed with a certain amount of air.