{"id":4675,"date":"2021-10-08T15:31:28","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T04:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bassstraitmaritimecentre.com.au\/?p=4675"},"modified":"2021-10-11T16:50:50","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T05:50:50","slug":"mining-on-the-west-coast-1912-mt-lyell-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bassstraitmaritimecentre.com.au\/history\/mining-on-the-west-coast-1912-mt-lyell-disaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Mining on the West Coast: 1912 Mt Lyell Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Mount Lyell Disaster of 1912<\/strong><\/p>\n On the 12th<\/sup> of October 1912, a fire broke out in North Mount Lyell mine. One hundred and seventy men entered the mine that day. Forty-two were to die there.<\/p>\n The fire started on Saturday morning between 11:15am and 11:30 am, when the pump house on the 700ft level of the mine was reported as being on fire. The fire had originated in a pump motor at the 700ft level, igniting the chamber house. This was lined with King Billy pine, a very inflammable wood, and with oily waste about the fire probably took hold within a few minutes.<\/p>\n The fire was first discovered by Thomas Burns who was in charge of two pump motors, one at the 700ft level, and one at the 1,100ft level. He was at the 1,100 ft level for a short while, and on returning to the 700ft level and finding smoke that was almost overpowering he immediately went up the shaft to give the alarm. In a very short time smoke had filled the shaft above and below the 700ft, making it impossible to see and very difficult to breathe.<\/p>\n