On 15 February 1937, a powerful methane gas explosion occurred at the No 20 shaft, Dalyson Colliery, Wonthaggi.
The explosion was caused by the contact of a naked light and methane gas and was propagated by coal dust. It was so powerful it catapulted a two tonne iron cage 60 ft from the mouth of the shaft to the top of the poppet head.
Thirteen miners were killed in the explosion, which resulted in a successful national campaign to improve conditions for Australian miners.
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Alia Christine Burton, ‘Lessons learned in the design and erection of box girder bridges from the West Gate collapse,’ Massachusetts Institute of Technology Thesis (M.Eng), 2007 website viewed 11 November 2014
