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Lists of names of widows with numbers of children under 16 - Brunner Mine explosion.
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DescriptionThe image is from an 1896 report from Mrs Grace Neill, dated 8th June 1896, detailing the economic conditions of the dead miner’s families following the disaster. It lists the names of women widowed, and the number of their children under the age of 16. The report gives some insight to hardships faced by the families, and the living conditions of West Coast mining communities at the time.
Brunner Mine Disaster
At 9.30 am, on 26 March 1896, an explosion rang out from the Brunner mine in Westland's Grey Valley. In that moment 65 men would lose their lives.
Explorer Thomas Brunner discovered a seam of quality coal on the banks of the Grey River in July 1847, but it was not until the railway to Greymouth had been built in 1876 that the
Brunner coal field really took off.
On the morning of the Brunner mining disaster, it was reported that a sound like artillery fire was heard, and smoke was seen billowing out of the pithead. The area of the Brunner mine in 1896 was over 230 acres. Due to the depth of the mine, there was no damage to the buildings around the opening of the mine shaft.
Two men were initially sent in to investigate the blast. When they didn't return, miners from other shifts followed them. They were found unconscious from black damp, a suffocating mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
The rescue party moved further into the diggings. By 11 am, the first bodies were recovered. Those involved almost succumbed to the noxious gases and themselves had to be carried out. This misled the onlookers in to thinking that some of the original miners were being brought out alive.
As the rescue efforts moved deeper into the mine, signs of an enormous explosion could be seen. Railway lines and trucks were twisted and smashed. Some bodies were so badly mutilated that they had to be identified by their clothing.
By 2:00pm the next day, 64 bodies had been brought out of the mine. It could be seen that those away from the point of explosion had been trying to escape and had been suffocated by the black damp. It took a further three days to locate the last body. A total of 65 miners died in the disaster, almost half of the Brunner underground work force.
53 of the dead miners were buried at the nearby Stillwater Cemetery on 29 March. It was estimated that the funeral procession was made of 6000 people, and stretched for half a mile.
A disaster relief fund for the miners’ families was launched the day after the explosion, and money was given from all parts of New Zealand. Altogether more than £32,000 was raised for the fund.
A commission of inquiry found that the explosion had been the result of human error. A charge had been placed the wrong way around, in a part of the mine where there should have been no one working. Experienced miners believed that fire damp had accumulated and not been cleared properly by the ventilation system, and a series of explosions had been the result. As a result of the explosion, the ventilation system in the deeper parts of the mine was destroyed. More exit shafts would not necessarily have saved more lives.
An obelisk was erected to the miners at Stillwater Cemetery and dedicated in 1900. In 1996 a statue of a late nineteenth century miner was placed at the entrance to the Brunner Mine.
The Brunner Mine disaster was the worst mining disaster in New Zealand’s history.
Shared from Archives New Zealand.Date of Photo8th June 1896. Map[1]
Brunner Mine Disaster
At 9.30 am, on 26 March 1896, an explosion rang out from the Brunner mine in Westland's Grey Valley. In that moment 65 men would lose their lives.
Explorer Thomas Brunner discovered a seam of quality coal on the banks of the Grey River in July 1847, but it was not until the railway to Greymouth had been built in 1876 that the
Brunner coal field really took off.
On the morning of the Brunner mining disaster, it was reported that a sound like artillery fire was heard, and smoke was seen billowing out of the pithead. The area of the Brunner mine in 1896 was over 230 acres. Due to the depth of the mine, there was no damage to the buildings around the opening of the mine shaft.
Two men were initially sent in to investigate the blast. When they didn't return, miners from other shifts followed them. They were found unconscious from black damp, a suffocating mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
The rescue party moved further into the diggings. By 11 am, the first bodies were recovered. Those involved almost succumbed to the noxious gases and themselves had to be carried out. This misled the onlookers in to thinking that some of the original miners were being brought out alive.
As the rescue efforts moved deeper into the mine, signs of an enormous explosion could be seen. Railway lines and trucks were twisted and smashed. Some bodies were so badly mutilated that they had to be identified by their clothing.
By 2:00pm the next day, 64 bodies had been brought out of the mine. It could be seen that those away from the point of explosion had been trying to escape and had been suffocated by the black damp. It took a further three days to locate the last body. A total of 65 miners died in the disaster, almost half of the Brunner underground work force.
53 of the dead miners were buried at the nearby Stillwater Cemetery on 29 March. It was estimated that the funeral procession was made of 6000 people, and stretched for half a mile.
A disaster relief fund for the miners’ families was launched the day after the explosion, and money was given from all parts of New Zealand. Altogether more than £32,000 was raised for the fund.
A commission of inquiry found that the explosion had been the result of human error. A charge had been placed the wrong way around, in a part of the mine where there should have been no one working. Experienced miners believed that fire damp had accumulated and not been cleared properly by the ventilation system, and a series of explosions had been the result. As a result of the explosion, the ventilation system in the deeper parts of the mine was destroyed. More exit shafts would not necessarily have saved more lives.
An obelisk was erected to the miners at Stillwater Cemetery and dedicated in 1900. In 1996 a statue of a late nineteenth century miner was placed at the entrance to the Brunner Mine.
The Brunner Mine disaster was the worst mining disaster in New Zealand’s history.
Shared from Archives New Zealand.Date of Photo8th June 1896. Map[1]
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)BrunnerPersonGrace NeillLandmark (Place)Brunner MineEventBrunner mine disaster
Category Information
Category TagCoal Mining
From Facebook
CommentsAnthea Keenan Some terrible events have happened here..
Phyllis Aberhart So sad
Robert Mathewson And we think we are having hard times.
Jeff Rayner That is a very thought provoking documents. Do the younger generation realize what really went on back then. My grandfather came out from Scotland to work in the Millerton mine in the early 1920's
Shelley Lock Horrific
Mark Boon A family mentioned there with 11? Obvious to mention that the men were the sole breadwinners back in those times also. How the families coped in those meagre times is beyond me. In some cases fathers and sons were lost in that disaster. immigrants the only family the women had was fellow miners families. As a result of the disaster they were forced to shift away. The mourning period also went on a long time. In line with faith and the period. The extreme lengths men went to when coal was king. I think the miners families got not next to no compensation as well.
Heather Newby i think they got a pension.. i read about it somewhere
Dorothy Wills Quite a few had large families they must have found it incredibly tough
Colin Angus Heinz My grandmother’s sister Irene Furness née Duncan was born shortly after her father was killed and may have been the last of all those children when she passed away in Palmerston North
Heather Newby there was a Furness family in Blaketown in the 1960`s
Edit or delete this
Anne Honey Imagine feeding those children on a single payment of 5 shillings.
Kay Palmer I remember going to the centenary in 1996 at the mine site hearing the names read out of the men who perished. This list reminds of survival. Doing what you have to do when your world changes.
Janenne Beaton Brian Wood, Wrote a book about this, The Brunner Mine disaster,, just after the 1996 centenary, Everything is explained in there,,Dean R McLaughlin
Shane Duncan Relation 5 down from first row
Lois Iacoppi That’s shocking so awful for the women, I know I lost the love of my life in Strongman
David Meech
All those children lost their fathers.
David Meech
Heather nothing explains the appeal of unionism/ socialism amongst miners better than this photo.
Claire Balderstone
Am related to the Pasco and Masters something like great great aunts/uncles
April Jarden
Elizabeth Pattinson widow of John William Pattinson and Mother to 8, Grandmother and Great Grandmother to many.
Linda Strickland
My grandmother was Eva Pascoe.No financial assistance for her family.Very hard times
Margaret Wilde
My Dad was killed in Dobson mine 1964.mum had 5 kids at home. She got no help. Not even from dad's so called friends She done a awesome job keeping us together n feed n clothed. We are n always will be proud of her. No acc n hand outs back then.
David Meech
In many ways the women were tougher than the men.
Colleen Yee
It must have been so hard for these families. So sad.
David Meech
And consider that these are kids under 16 only. At 17 you were out in the world.
Wendy Oats
Still wondering if the McMahon that died was a relative of my GG grandmother.
So devastating for these women n children
Pam Englefield-Absolum
No Govt enquiry? No payment for the disaster! What terrible tough times for mothers and children.
Colin Angus Heinz
My grandmother Janet Duncan had to leave school to help her mother Jessie Duncan after her husband’s death in the Brunner Mine disaster - their youngest child, my great aunt Irene, was born a couple of weeks later.
Darian Zam
My great grandmother's husband had saved 200 pounds to buy a farm because he despised mining and wanted to get out. He had almost saved up enough and was getting ready to leave Brunner mine when this happened. While my great grandmother received widow's compensation from the coal company, she took the money and bought the property in Peel Street to turn into the boarding house. This new info was in the book that was at the Blackball Hilton. I didn't know about the farm money. She was one of two widows who left almost immediately. Everyone else stayed.
Darian Zam
Teward is my great grandmother. She was left with 3 children 5 and under; one a newborn.. In the aftermath she took other people's washing to meet ends and then later moved to Peel St in Westport where she opened a men's boarding house to make a living, and eventually met my great grandfather who came to stay there. She took her time though and waited 12 years to remarry.
We can't even imagine the impact and far reaching devastation. For all the people here always saying 'in my day, no OHS to be seen and everyone got along fine' well they didn't. There was no real welfare for widows or those who were victims of industrial accidents. It makes my blood boil to see ignorant comments like that from people who think they're being clever or amusing (you're not).
I digress, so if only they had left with the rest of the family to Westport the year before this never would have happened. However if they had all stayed my second great grandfather the first to come to NZ and my second great uncle as well as others would have likely died too. Either way I wouldn't be typing this now if it wasn't for that few seconds of explosion which irrevocably changed history because I wouldn't have been born at all if not for the Brunner Disaster.
https://www.geni.com/.../Elizabeth.../6000000018456413127...
Phyllis Aberhart So sad
Robert Mathewson And we think we are having hard times.
Jeff Rayner That is a very thought provoking documents. Do the younger generation realize what really went on back then. My grandfather came out from Scotland to work in the Millerton mine in the early 1920's
Shelley Lock Horrific
Mark Boon A family mentioned there with 11? Obvious to mention that the men were the sole breadwinners back in those times also. How the families coped in those meagre times is beyond me. In some cases fathers and sons were lost in that disaster. immigrants the only family the women had was fellow miners families. As a result of the disaster they were forced to shift away. The mourning period also went on a long time. In line with faith and the period. The extreme lengths men went to when coal was king. I think the miners families got not next to no compensation as well.
Heather Newby i think they got a pension.. i read about it somewhere
Dorothy Wills Quite a few had large families they must have found it incredibly tough
Colin Angus Heinz My grandmother’s sister Irene Furness née Duncan was born shortly after her father was killed and may have been the last of all those children when she passed away in Palmerston North
Heather Newby there was a Furness family in Blaketown in the 1960`s
Edit or delete this
Anne Honey Imagine feeding those children on a single payment of 5 shillings.
Kay Palmer I remember going to the centenary in 1996 at the mine site hearing the names read out of the men who perished. This list reminds of survival. Doing what you have to do when your world changes.
Janenne Beaton Brian Wood, Wrote a book about this, The Brunner Mine disaster,, just after the 1996 centenary, Everything is explained in there,,Dean R McLaughlin
Shane Duncan Relation 5 down from first row
Lois Iacoppi That’s shocking so awful for the women, I know I lost the love of my life in Strongman
David Meech
All those children lost their fathers.
David Meech
Heather nothing explains the appeal of unionism/ socialism amongst miners better than this photo.
Claire Balderstone
Am related to the Pasco and Masters something like great great aunts/uncles
April Jarden
Elizabeth Pattinson widow of John William Pattinson and Mother to 8, Grandmother and Great Grandmother to many.
Linda Strickland
My grandmother was Eva Pascoe.No financial assistance for her family.Very hard times
Margaret Wilde
My Dad was killed in Dobson mine 1964.mum had 5 kids at home. She got no help. Not even from dad's so called friends She done a awesome job keeping us together n feed n clothed. We are n always will be proud of her. No acc n hand outs back then.
David Meech
In many ways the women were tougher than the men.
Colleen Yee
It must have been so hard for these families. So sad.
David Meech
And consider that these are kids under 16 only. At 17 you were out in the world.
Wendy Oats
Still wondering if the McMahon that died was a relative of my GG grandmother.
So devastating for these women n children
Pam Englefield-Absolum
No Govt enquiry? No payment for the disaster! What terrible tough times for mothers and children.
Colin Angus Heinz
My grandmother Janet Duncan had to leave school to help her mother Jessie Duncan after her husband’s death in the Brunner Mine disaster - their youngest child, my great aunt Irene, was born a couple of weeks later.
Darian Zam
My great grandmother's husband had saved 200 pounds to buy a farm because he despised mining and wanted to get out. He had almost saved up enough and was getting ready to leave Brunner mine when this happened. While my great grandmother received widow's compensation from the coal company, she took the money and bought the property in Peel Street to turn into the boarding house. This new info was in the book that was at the Blackball Hilton. I didn't know about the farm money. She was one of two widows who left almost immediately. Everyone else stayed.
Darian Zam
Teward is my great grandmother. She was left with 3 children 5 and under; one a newborn.. In the aftermath she took other people's washing to meet ends and then later moved to Peel St in Westport where she opened a men's boarding house to make a living, and eventually met my great grandfather who came to stay there. She took her time though and waited 12 years to remarry.
We can't even imagine the impact and far reaching devastation. For all the people here always saying 'in my day, no OHS to be seen and everyone got along fine' well they didn't. There was no real welfare for widows or those who were victims of industrial accidents. It makes my blood boil to see ignorant comments like that from people who think they're being clever or amusing (you're not).
I digress, so if only they had left with the rest of the family to Westport the year before this never would have happened. However if they had all stayed my second great grandfather the first to come to NZ and my second great uncle as well as others would have likely died too. Either way I wouldn't be typing this now if it wasn't for that few seconds of explosion which irrevocably changed history because I wouldn't have been born at all if not for the Brunner Disaster.
https://www.geni.com/.../Elizabeth.../6000000018456413127...
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West Coast New Zealand History (24th Jul 2025). Lists of names of widows with numbers of children under 16 - Brunner Mine explosion.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 4th May 2026 02:31, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/21737