Mount Lyell Underground Disaster.

One Of the heaviest losses of life in the history of Australian mining occurred at
the North Lyell mine in October, 1912 in a tragedy that will be forever
remembered as the "Mt Lyell Disaster."

It claimed the lives of 42 men and very nearly took a much higher toll.Unlike
most mine disasters it was not an underground cave-in nor an explosion of
inflammable gases. The Mount Lyell disaster was a smouldering fire in the timber
pumphouse and supports on the 700ft level of the mine. On the surface the fire
could have been easily extinguished or left to burn itself out without endangering
life. But in the confines of the underground mine the smoke, fumes and lack of
oxygen were deadly.

First miner emerging from tunnel
 
 

The victims among the 170 miners who went underground in the North Lyell mine
on Saturday October 12th, 1912 were not killed by flames or heat, but a dense
pall of smoke in the main shaft prevented escape or rescue for 42 men. Some
who did escape had their lungs damaged by smoke and fumes and did not live long.
The loss of life would have been much higher had it not been for the acts of
bravery both underground and on the surface by miners and non miners alike.

Memorial Stone for the victims, located at Lyell cemetery.
 
 

Rescue efforts continued for four days. Skilled firemen and rescue equipment
were rushed to Queenstown by rail from Hobart and by ship from Bendigo and
Ballarat. The last of the survivors were brought to the surface on Wednesday
October 16th, more than 100 hours after they had descended into the mine
for an eight hour shift. The final search for the living was made on Thursday,
by then it was known that none of the 42 men still below was alive. The news
was broken gently to the anxious group of women waiting at the entrance.

Memorial Plaque listing the victims, located at Lyell cemetery.
 

The question to which there was no conclusive answer and to which there never
will be,was "what caused the fire?" A Royal Commission examined 54 witnesses
 and returned an open finding. There was strong circumstantial evidence to
suggest, however, that the fire was deliberately lit by a union agitator,
not to cause death or injury, but to discredit the company