Coalbrook Mynramp – Monumente, Gedenktekens en Interessanthede in Suid Afrika
21 Januarie 1960
Suid van Sasolburg
In 1961 is Coalbrook myn gesluit na nog ñ verskuiwing in aardlae(strata).
Dorpie se naam waar monumentjie opgerig is se naam was Clydesdale maar in 1996 opgekoop deur ñ Taiwan Sakeman en herdoop na Holly Country.
Toe die Taaibos Kragstasie in 1990 gesluit is is alle steenkool mynbedrywighede in area gestaak.
GESKIEDENIS: COALBROOK MYNRAMP Dalene Nelson
Die grootste mynramp in Suid Afrika se geskiedenis het plaasgevind op 21 Januarie 1960 by die Clydesdaleskag van die die Coalbrookmyn naby Sasolburg. Om ongeveer 16:20 die Donderdagmiddag het die “dak” van een van die noordelike skagte ineengestort en ‘n tweede ineenstorting het om 19:30 plaasgevind. Coalbrook het die steenkool voorsien aan die nuut-geboude Taaibos kragstasie by Kragbron.
Vasgekeerde mynwerkers in die oostelike gedeelte was in lewensgevaar, want al was dit twee kilometer van die vertikale skag is die lugdruk verhoog en die hooflugreelaar was buite werking wat daartoe gelei het dat metaangas in die skagte opgebou het. Stutpilare oor ‘n gebied van sowat 324 hektaar het geknak onder die ingesakte gedeeltes.
Gedurende die volgende elf dae sou reddingspanne onverpoosd werk om die 435 vasgekeerde myners 180m ondergronds te probeer bevry. Gate is geboor bokant die seksies waar die mynwerkers vasgekeer was en mikrofone laat sak, maar geen kommunikasie kon bewerkstellig word nie. Die myntonnels het gewissel van 6,1m tot 6,7m breed.
Die Clydesdale (Transvaal) Collieries Co Ltd was die eienaars van die myn en George Dixon was die hoof uitvoerende beampte. Die salvation Army het dadelik ‘n sopkombuis begin vir die vroue en families van die die vasgekeerde myners.
Swart myners wat in die kampongs was het begin met massa-aksie en kolonel At Spengler van die veiligheidspolisie moes hulle weghou van die rampgebied om reddingspanne toegang te gee. ‘n Telex-masjien is in een mynkantoor geinstalleer om onmiddelike kommunikasie met Pretoria en Johannesburg te versnel.
Selfs in Brittanje het die Minister CJM Alport ‘n mosie van rou by die Parlement ingestel. Hulle het egter aanvaar dat 10 000 pond net aan die naasbestaandes van die mynwerkers van Lesotho (219) oorbetaal.
Dit het geblyk dat die 435 vasgekeerde mynwerkers probeer vlug het na Seksie 10 aan die suidelike kant van die skag met die ineenstorting. Vir drie dae na die storting is daar gereeld geluide gehoor soos nog seksies inmekaarstort. Die myn se algemene bestuurder en veiligheidsbeampte het een oorlewende mynwerker gevind in Seksie 4. Geeneen van die vasgekeerde mynwerkers kon gered word of na die oppervlak gebring word nie en na elf dae is die reddingsaksie gestaak toe daar besef is dat daar geen oorlewendes kan wees nie.
Eerste gedenksteen is by wat vandag bekend staan as Holly Country opgerig.
Tweede gedenkstene in ‘n amfiteater is buite Holly Country later opgerig.
Na baie jare se beplanning is amfiteater opgerig ter ere van die 437 mynwerkers wat lewendig begrawe is in ineengestorte myn.Dit is fase 1 in samewerking van Metsimaholo munisipaliteit, Dept van Minerale Sake en Health and Safety.
Daar is reeds groot omstredenheid en groot foute gemaak:
Swak vakmanskap veroorsaak dat eerste krake reeds 1 week na oprigting verskyn.
Terrein is waar mynwerkers bymekaar gekom het en nie waar tragedie plaasgevind het nie.
Gruwelike foute in bewoording van gedenkplate oa area val nie binne ou Transvaal nie.
Meeste werkers was nie afkomstig van Lesotho en Mosambiek nie.
Heritage Portal: Article Author: Horst Müller Thursday, June 14, 2018 – 20:33
The coal seam (No 2 seam on the sketch) extracted by the mine was of about 6m thickness, but this was only mined to 2.4m height. The material above that was of lower quality and of no interest to the market served at the time. In 1948 the mine had already been experimenting with extracting coal from higher up in the strata by raising the height to 3.7m. The term used for this was ‘top coaling’. Top coaling was started again in 1951 to supply the new power station. Later the height was further increased to 4.5m.
The acting mine manager and overseer entered the mine to inspect. Some of the ventilation piping had been damaged. At the same time it was reported that there was a subsidence on the surface of section 10. It was concluded that the ‘weight had come off’ and it was time to send in a repair team.
Mining was resumed on the 18 March in the non affected areas. By March 1961 the mine was supplying ¾ of the requirements for the two power stations. And then in March 1961 another shift in the strata occurred. As a consequence of that, mining from the North shaft was abandoned. Coalbrook South which had been sunk to supply the new Highveld power station continued producing until 1990. Another area was developed from the East shaft, which was situated next to the Heilbron Road
The new and latest monument is far larger. It is in the form of an amphitheatre, situated where the South shaft used to be. All 437 names are engraved on stones placed around the inside perimeter and two stone tablets at the entrance commemorating the event. A criticism I have is the Ellen Tauscher quote on the stone: ‘Our hearts go out to the victims of the coalbrook mining disaster tragedy and their families. This disaster will go down in the history of books as one of the largest mine disasters in South Africa. (Ellen Tauscher)’.
llen Tauscher an American politician said the following after Hurricane Katrina struck the American Midwest in 2005: ‘My heart goes out to victims and survivors of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy and to their families. This disaster will go down in history books as one of the largest natural disasters in U.S. History.’
I also have a problem with the falsified quote which said: ‘one of the largest mine disasters in South Africa’, it should be ‘the largest mine disaster’. I could nitpick a bit more, but will leave it at that.
References ; ‘The Orange Free State – its pastoral, agricultural and industrial resources’, compiled by Somerset Playne, printed by the foreign and colonial, compiling and publishing company, 1912
J.N. van der Merwe, ‘Beyond Coalbrook: what did we really learn?’, published in The Journal of The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Dec 2006 Prof Nielen van der Merwe, Lessons from coalbrook, presentation to SACMA 22 August 2013
Clydesdale Colleries about 1910
Position of the Anglo drill rig (Horst Muller)
Site of the rescue shaft ( Horst Muller)
The monument at the east side ( Horst Muller)
A few explanations to the map. The grey area is the mine served from the North Shaft at the time of the disaster. North Shaft was a twin shaft, what was called an up and a down shaft. These shafts are completely covered and just marked by two stones, one of them at 26.8959ºS and 27.914ºE. The East Shaft was sunk at a date after the disaster, it is near where the rescue shaft was. It is also completely covered now. It is the site of another monument, not completed yet, position 26.9094ºS 27.9375ºE. The rescue shaft was started and never finished and is now covered with concrete, position 26.9068ºS and 27.9379ºE. One of the boreholes, referred to as No 1 was penetrated by the ‘Anglo Drill’, position 26.9013ºS and 27.9443ºE. 5