Kia ora Wellingtonians!
As part of my project to uncover the darker side of Wellington's past, I recently came across a nightmarish story from April 1915 I'd never heard of. In the middle of the night, coal gas, then used for lighting, cooking and heating, accidentally escaped in a number of homes across the city, exposing the occupants to noxious fumes as they slept. Tragically, five of Pōneke's men didn't wake up the next day. The victims included three of Wellington's Chinese community, a unionist wharf worker, and the 19-year-old son of a West Coast coal miner. The coroner's inquest found failures in the city's gas distribution system run by the Wellington Gas Company, and, in my research, I uncovered several other questions about the Company's practices that were never answered at the time. Following the incident, compensation was quietly paid to the victim's families.
I'm curious if anyone else has ever heard about this tragedy, or has any interesting family stories related to our city's history with coal gas?
If you want to learn more about the incident, I’ve pulled together the details on my blog. I'd be interested to hear your opinions about whether you think the Gas Company was appropriately held to account at the time.
Hana