1912 North Mount Lyell disaster


The 1912 North Mount Lyell disaster refers to a fire that broke out on 12 October 1912 at the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company operations on the West Coast of Tasmania. The mine had been taken over from the North Mount Lyell Company in 1903.

Start

The fire started on a Saturday morning, between 11:15 and 11:30 am, when the pump house on the 700 ft level of the mine was reported as being on fire. Only 73 men made their way to safety on the first day. Initially the status of the fire, numbers, casualties and survivors were confused in the first day or so. Considerable problems occurred removing men from the mine who were still alive. Many became trapped as they were working in remote stopes and didn't know of the fire until it was far too late, as there was no emergency warning system operating in the mine. Instead, men had to run along the levels and drives calling to the men, warning them of the serious danger that faced them. 170 men entered the mine that day. 42 were never to be seen alive again.

"Letter From A Dead Man"

During the rescue party's attempts to find any still alive in the stifling depths, they came
across a group of men on the 700 ft level. One of these, Joe McCarthy, left a note pinned to a timber with a "spider".
The note read:

"Seven hundred level. North Lyell mine, 12-10-12.

If anyone should find this note convey to my wife.

Dear Agnes. - I will say good-bye. Sure I will not see you again any more.

I am pleased to have made a little provision for you and poor little Lorna.

Be good to our little darling.

My mate, Len Burke, is done, and poor old V. and Driver too.

Good-bye, with love to all.

Your loving husband, Joe McCarthy."

"40 men in 40 stope"

On Monday 14 October, 1,100 ft of rope was lowered down the main shaft of the mine. Attached to it was a signal gong. It was originally meant for the men working on fixing the skids in the shaft, however, late in the afternoon, watchers heard the rap of the line. It sent the message: "Pull to surface". When the rope was pulled up, a handkerchief wrapped around a tobacco tin was attached to it. Inside the tin was a penciled note: "40 men in 40 stope. Send food and candles at once. No time to lose. J. Ryan"

Rescue attempt

The rescue attempt involved the transporting of breathing equipment from one of the Victorian mining towns to Queenstown, via a speedy shipping across the Bass Strait and the alleged fastest times by engines on the Emu Bay Railway, the Government Strahan–Zeehan Railway line between Zeehan and Regatta Point, and from there by the abt line to Queenstown.
Such was their rush to get the rescue gear to the mine, the, the ship which crossed Bass Strait carrying the equipment, made the crossing in 13 hours, 35 minutes - a record which stood for many years. Also the train travelling times between Burnie and Queenstown were never bettered.

Legacy

As a result of the fire, initially 42 lives were lost; the bodies were buried in unmarked graves in the Queenstown General cemetery. Initially, the first two bodies to be recovered were buried in the Linda Cemetery, however when the final victim was recovered, the pair were buried at Queenstown at the same time as Bourke. One of the miners, Albert Gadd, who escaped death and then re-entered the mine to assist in the rescue efforts, was hospitalised in Launceston and died on 20 February 1913 from carbon monoxide poisoning. Gadd, whose wife was delivered of a son two months later, can be regarded as the 43rd victim of the mining tragedy. He was posthumously awarded the Clarke Gold Medal from the Royal Humane Society in Melbourne. Silver medals were awarded to 30 rescuers, among them engineer Russell Mervyn Murray, later the mine's general manager.

Royal Commission

The royal commission that was held at the time of the retrieval of bodies after the fire, and despite various theories as to the cause of the fire, an open verdict remained.
Although Blainey covers the details of the disaster in The Peaks of Lyell, writing 40 years after the event, there were still variations upon the "official" versions of the event, amongst "old timers" in Queenstown. Some of these are aired and detailed in Bradshaw's verbatim record of the newspaper reports and the royal commission, as well as being incorporated into Crawford's recent novel.
A number of themes arise from reading Blainey, and others on the subject: the rise of trade unionism on the west coast at the time, and the lack of preparedness for such disasters by the mining companies. Also one recurring theme in some of the stories was the rumour or suggestion of the presence of a woman disguised as a man working underground.
At the Centenary of the event at the Queenstown Heritage and Arts Festival Peter Schulze's book An Engineer Speaks of Lyell elaborates an argument that the most likely cause of the fire was an electrical fault as a result of faulty installation of the pump motor at the 700 ft level. Schulze, who had access to more documents than Blainey and the twin advantages of an electrical engineering background and mining experience, concludes that the Royal Commission process was manipulated to give a result that best suited the company, for whom an adverse finding could have been financially ruinous. It was especially at fault for naming the suspected arsonist, against whom there was no evidence apart from his prominence as a Union leader. He concedes that following the accident the Company followed best practice in mine management and labour relations.

Casualties

This list of victim details is compiled from the following sources:
NameStatusAgeAddress/Place of OriginNotes
John BawdenSingle25EnglandResided at Linda Valley, Tasmania. Had relatives living in Truro, Cornwall, England
Valentine BianchiniSingle48AustriaIdentified by his earring
John BoltonSingle38Gormanston, TasmaniaResident of Gormanston, Tasmania
John BourkeSingle24VictoriaMother lived at Daylesford, Victoria. His body was the last recovered.
William Henry BowkerMarried42Ballarat, Victoriadied 1 September 1919, aged 49 leaving a wife and 7 children
Samson Rodda BrayMarried33Bendigo, VictoriaWife and one child living at Bendigo, Victoria
Louis BurkeMarried43SwedenWife residing in Hobart, Tasmania
John CreedenMarried46Westbury, TasmaniaIdentified by his gold crowned front tooth
James DaveyMarried37VictoriaWife and four children living at Linda Valley, Tasmania
Albert Mansfield GaddMarried32Queenstown, TasmaniaDied 20 February 1913. Native of Hobart, Tasmania. He had 7 children, his wife pregnant with their eighth when he died. Albert was posthumously awarded the Clarke Gold Medal for bravery from the Royal Humane Society. His brother Gilbert was rescued from the1000ft level.
George GardSingle21Queenstown, TasmaniaHis married sister lived in Queenstown, Tasmania, and his mother lived in Victoria.
Thomas GaysSingle22VictoriaGave up his place in the last rescue cage to a married man.
Mr. Gays rose to the height of absolute heroism. The cage was ready to come up, when be saw a married man on the plat. He calmly stepped out of the cage into the blinding smoke and sent it up the shaft. That was the last cage that left.
Charles GreenSingle22Launceston, TasmaniaNative of Launceston, Tasmania
Francis Henry GuyMarried27VictoriaWife and three children residing in Queenstown, Tasmania
James Thomas HallMarried32Mount Lyell, TasmaniaBrother rescued from the 1,000 ft level. Native of Campbell Town, Tasmania. Wife and two children living at North Lyell township.
Eden Aloysius HillsSingle21Hobart, TasmaniaNative of Hamilton, Tasmania. His sister lived in the area, whilst other relative residing in Hobart, Tasmania.
William HorneMarried45Black Lead or Buninyong, VictoriaMarried with six children
John JenkinsMarried28Hobart, TasmaniaWife of twelve months residing in Hobart, Tasmania
Henry JonesSingle22Hobart, TasmaniaSister living in Queenstown, Tasmania. Neither parent living.
John Martin LeemanSingle27VictoriaBody identified by his brother Charles
Zephaniah LewisMarried41VictoriaWife and eight children living at Gormanston, Tasmania. Body identified by oldest son William.
Thomas MaherMarried31VictoriaWife in Linda Valley, Tasmania
Joseph McCarthyMarried40New South WalesWife and child residing at Linda Valley, Tasmania. To them a letter pinned to the wall by a "spider", was addressed.
Eugene Felix McCaslandSingle27New South WalesEngaged to a girl from Linda Valley, Tasmania
Edmund Michael McCullaghSingle49Richmond, TasmaniaLived with his sister and brother, Thomas, at Queenstown, Tasmania.
James Bede McGowanSingle23Queenstown, TasmaniaIdentified by his brother Martin
Bernard. McLoughlinMarried35Ballarat, VictoriaNever saw his youngest child as it was born after he left for North Lyell
Arthur McMasterMarried27VictoriaIdentified by brother-in-law, Thomas McHenry
Herbert John MitchellSingle23Linda Valley, TasmaniaMother living in Black Lead, Victoria
Peter MooreSingle48IrelandLeft a note for the landlady at the Boarding House, letting her know where to send warning if anything should befall him.
Cornelius O’KeefeSingle26TasmaniaIdentified by his father, John
James Robert ParkMarried37VictoriaNo children, but wife, Annie Eleanor living in Linda Valley, Tasmania.
Christopher QuakeSingle50VictoriaFormerly known as W.J. Smith, but better known by the nickname of "Speewa".
Patrick ReileyWidower46TasmaniaIdentified by his brother John. Native of Westbury, Tasmania. Resided in Linda Valley, Tasmania. Had three children, two daughters and a son, residing in Hobart.
Francis John RolfeMarried31VictoriaShift boss. Two children residing at Linda Valley, Tasmania.
James Roland RolfeSingle22VictoriaParents living at Malmsbury, Victoria. Rumours stated that he was the brother of Francis John Rolfe
Thomas SaundersonMarried37North Lyell, TasmaniaHad a wife named Wilhemina and a daughter named May.
Leonard Sydney ScottMarried22VictoriaIdentified by his father-in-law, Charles Morley. He had a wife named Louisa and a six-week-old daughter named Violet. Native of Melbourne, Victoria.
James William SmithSingle19TasmaniaHis mother was residing with Mrs O'Connor, Princess St, Port Melbourne.
John StudwellSingle20TasmaniaFather residing at Manly, N.S.W.. Formerly from Beaconsfield. Identified by the initials "J.S." tattooed on his left forearm.
James TregonningSingle18Kyvalley, VictoriaRecently arrived from England with father Daniel Tregonning, and younger sister, Eva Frances Tregonning.
William TregonningSingle20Kyvalley, VictoriaRecently arrived from England with father Daniel Tregonning, and younger sister, Eva Frances Tregonning.
Richard John TrevertonMarried34Queenstown, TasmaniaWife and two children residing at Queenstown, Tasmania. Better known as "Snowy".
Henry WrightMarried54North Lyell, TasmaniaResided at Linda Valley, Tasmania. Two daughters; one aged 17, the other aged 23

Centenary

The Queenstown Heritage and Arts Festival of 2012 celebrated the centenary of this event. Part of the celebrations included a collection of songs entitled Fire Underground performed by The West Coast Singers, an ensemble of vocalists organized and directed by Kerrie Maguire. The West Coast Singers toured Tasmania with this concert in the following months, including performances at the Cygnet and Tamar Valley Folk Festivals in January 2013. The tour wrapped up with a performance at the Paragon Theatre, Queenstown in June 2013, on the 100th anniversary of the last funeral of the disaster's victims.

Primary sources