vIINING DISASTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 216, 12 September 1935, Page 11

vIINING DISASTER.

ANNIVERSARY EVENT.

EXPLOSION AT HUNTLY.

HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE.

To-day is the twenty-first annivereary of the Iluntly disaster, when one of the worst colliery explosions in New Zealand's mining history occurred and 43 lives were lost.

At that time Ralph's mine at Huntly was regarded ae one of the safest mines in New Zealand, and there had been nothing of untoward enaracter to warn the miners of danger.

The explosion occurred shortly after work had been started on a Saturday morning. It was pay day, and for that reason there were not as many miners underground as there would otherwise have been. At 7.20 the concussion of a big explosion was felt in Hnntly township, and flames and smoke shot up from the mouth of the mine.

Rescue work on a big ecale was at once attempted, and twenty miners got safely to the surface, some of them escaping from the Taupiri Weet shaft of the mine, which was a mile and a half away.

The rescue partiee met with great difficulties in attempting to penetrate the mine workings where the presence of gas and the havoc wrought by fire and explosion quickly caused little hope to be held out for any of the miners who were not able at once to make an escape. One miner, however, was rescued after being ten hours in the workings, he fortunately being in a place that had practically escaped the blast of flame which had traversed most of the mine.

During the next couple of daye there were poignant scenes as the bodies of the dead men were recovered. On tne Monday following the disaster twenty of the dead miners were burled, when a combined funeral was held. Eleven were buried on the following day, and four more on the Wednesday. Several of the miners who escaped had been burned, and the death of one followed in hospital.

The mine was quickly cleared of gases, and connection was established through the workings between the two shafts. Exhaustive investigations were commenced by mining and Government officials.

An inquest on the victims extended over 6everal days, and at the end there was a finding that the explosion was due to ignition of a email quantity of fire damp, augmented by columns of coal dust which were immediately scattered.

After the inquest a Royal Commission wae set up by the Government, and a large amount of evidence was taken.