1930 Hausdorf mining disaster
Funeral | |
| Date | 9 July 1930 |
|---|---|
| Time | about 16:00 CEST |
| Location | Kurt Shaft, Wenceslaus Mine, Hausdorf (now Jugów) near Neurode, Lower Silesia, Weimar Republic, Germany (now Jugów, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland) |
| Cause | Carbon dioxide outburst |
| Outcome | Rescue and recovery operation; mine later closed in January 1931 |
| Deaths | 151 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 59 rescued, many suffering from gas poisoning |
| Some foreign press reports later gave the death toll as 152. | |
The Hausdorf mining disaster was a mining accident that occurred on 9 July 1930 at the Kurt Shaft of the Wenceslaus Mine in Hausdorf (now Jugów), near Neurode now Nowa Ruda, in Lower Silesia, then part of Germany. The disaster was caused by a sudden outburst of carbon dioxide in the mine workings. It killed 151 miners according to local memorials and later regional histories, although some contemporary foreign newspaper reports later gave the toll as 152.[1][2]
The accident was one of the worst mining disasters in the history of the Neurode coalfield. It struck a colliery that had been regarded as one of the most important industrial employers in the district. Later regional histories described the Wenceslaus Mine as the largest and most modern employer in the County of Glatz in the 1920s, with about 4,600 workers.[1]
Background
The Kurt Shaft at Hausdorf formed part of the Wenceslaus Mine complex. In the weeks before the disaster, the pit had already experienced smaller carbon-dioxide incidents. Later accounts linked the catastrophe to the particular gas hazards of the seam in this part of the Lower Silesian coalfield.[1]
Disaster
Early wire reports published on 10 July 1930 described the event as a "coal gas explosion" and stated that around 200 miners had been trapped, with 20 bodies initially recovered.[3] Subsequent reporting and later technical accounts established that the disaster was not a firedamp explosion but a violent outburst of carbon dioxide.[2][1]
According to contemporary German press reports, the outburst occurred at about 16:00 in the 17th section of the mine and spread rapidly into adjacent workings, overcoming miners before many could escape. Rescue teams from other Lower Silesian pits were sent to the scene and managed to bring out numerous men alive, many of them unconscious from gas poisoning.[4]
The final contemporary German tally generally settled at 151 dead and 59 rescued.[4] Recovery of the bodies continued for about four weeks.[1]
Funeral and public reaction
The disaster drew national attention in Germany. The Reichstag recorded a formal expression of sympathy on 10 July 1930, the day after the catastrophe.[5]
A mass funeral was held on 13 July 1930 at the Catholic cemetery in Hausdorf. Later regional histories state that more than 20,000 people from the surrounding area and from neighbouring Czechoslovakia attended. Officials present included Reichstag president Paul Löbe and senior representatives of the Prussian provincial administration. Many of the miners recovered from Hausdorf were buried in three mass graves, while others were buried in neighbouring communities.[1]
Aftermath
The disaster had severe economic and social consequences for the district. Later regional histories connect it directly with the decline of the Wenceslaus Mine. With no sufficient state or company support for continued operation, the mine was closed on 28 January 1931, leaving about 2,600 miners unemployed.[1]
A memorial cross by the sculptor August Wittig was later erected at the entrance to the Hausdorf cemetery in memory of the dead.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Meißner, Horst-Alfons (2013). "Schweres Grubenunglück in Hausdorf bei Neurode am 9. Juli 1930". In Meißner, Horst-Alfons; Hirschfeld, Michael (eds.). Die Grafschaft Glatz zwischen 1918 und 1946: Beiträge über eine schlesische Kulturlandschaft (in German). Münster: Aschendorff. pp. 167–176. ISBN 978-3-402-12896-1.
- ^ a b "German Mine Disaster". The Queenslander Illustrated Weekly. Brisbane. 17 July 1930. p. 44. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Mine Disaster: Many Lives Lost in Silesia". The Straits Times. Reuters. 10 July 1930. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ a b "151 Tote! Die Wenzeslaus-Grube bei Neurode". Wurzener Tageblatt und Anzeiger (in German). 11 July 1930. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Sachregister, Band 428: anläßlich des Grubenunglücks auf der Wenzeslaus-Grube in Hausdorf bei Neurode am 9. Juli 1930". Reichstagsprotokolle (in German). Retrieved 7 March 2026.