Brunner mine disaster kills 65

At 9.30 a.m. an explosion was heard from the Brunner mine in Westland’s Grey Valley. Two men sent to investigate were later found unconscious from black damp, a suffocating mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

By 11 a.m. would-be rescuers were bringing out bodies. Many almost succumbed to the noxious gases and themselves had to be carried out. A total of 65 miners were killed – almost half of Brunner’s underground workforce. This remains New Zealand’s deadliest industrial accident.

The official enquiry found that the explosion had been caused by the detonation of a charge in a section of the mine where no one should have been working. Some experienced miners disagreed. They maintained that firedamp – methane gas produced by coal – had not been dispersed by an ineffective ventilation system while the mine was idle for several days. Instead it had accumulated in lethal concentration.

Image: Rescue party at Brunner (Christchurch City Libraries)