Mount Mulligan Disaster
On 19 September 1921, a series of underground explosions in the Mount Mulligan coal mine, audible as far as 30 kilometres away, killed seventy-five men in Queensland's worst mining disaster. Four of the dead had been at the mouth of the pit at the time of the explosion.
The mine had been in operation for six years at the time of the explosion, and, since it was widely regarded as safe with no indications of gas leaks, the miners used open flame lights rather than safety lamps.
Seventy-four bodies were recovered by the time the Royal Commission ended, with the last body recovered after the mine had reopened.
A 1921 Royal Commission concluded that the disaster resulted from the accidental or negligent firing of an explosive charge, that explosives were used, stored and carried carelessly and that the lack of appropriate safety measures was a breach of law. Mt Mulligan's coal seams are unusually dry; firing the explosive charge ignited coal dust in the underground mine, causing the explosion. The subsequent Queensland Coal Mining Act banned the use of open flames in underground coal mines.
When the mine reopened four months later, it had suffered surprisingly little damage from the explosion. In 1923, the Queensland Government bought it from the operators. It was in operation until 1957, although it was heavily subsidised after World War II. The mine's final demise occurred with the completion of the Tully Falls hydro electricity scheme.
