page_title: Kaitangata Mine disaster
section_title: Kaitangata Mine
hierarchical_section_title: Kaitangata Mine disaster / Kaitangata Mine
caption_attribution_description: English: Memorial to the Kaitangata mining disaster, New Zealand
context_page_description: The Kaitangata Mine disaster was one of New Zealand's early industrial disasters and the first of its kind in New Zealand. Thirty-four miners lost their lives at 8am on 21 February 1879 in an underground explosion at Kaitangata in South Otago.
context_section_description: Coal was discovered in the area around near Kaitangata in the late 1840s and William Aitchinson began extracting coal near Kaitangata in 1862. In 1871 he leased his mine to John Thompson of Balclutha. In September 1872 Thompson and Aitchenson reached agreement to raise capital to expand their mining operation by way of a new company, the Kaitangata Coal Mining Company.  The underground mine produced sub-bituminous coal of a high quality. In 1875, the Company merged with the recently created Kaitangata Railway Company to become the Kaitangata Railway and Coal Company Ltd. Through late 1875 and early 1876 the mine was expanded with additional shafts being driven in anticipation of the new railway. Once the railway had been completed the company announced further expansion intentions with a desire by 1877 to bring production up to 100 tons per week. There were 41 men employed at the mine in mid-1877.
  On 8 September 1878 there was a small explosion in the mine. The Manager Mr Thorne was burnt by the explosion while he was inspecting a minor rock fall. Two other miners suffered from minor injuries. At that time it was thought that the coal in New Zealand was not prone to emit gas and such precautions as were necessary were in place.
caption: Memorial to the 1879 mining disaster
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