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| Entrance to the tunnel |
“All onboard! Tickets please!” The guard checked our
tickets (senior citizens and children get 50% discount), fastened the safety chain
and then gave the signal for the driver to start the mini-train. Our rickety
old train chugged forward. My two grandchildren on my left and right held on
tightly to my hands as we approached the tunnel.
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| Tickets please! |
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| The rickety old train |
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| All ready to enter the tunnel |
My family of eight (five adults and three
children) were in Sungai Lembing, on a visit to the Underground Tin Mines.
Our train chugged slowly into the tunnel. It was
pitch-dark, but soon our eyes got accustomed to the darkness and also because certain
areas were lit with lamps.
Sungai Lembing is a tin mining town 42 km northwest
of Kuantan, 15 km from Lanchang town, within Temerloh District, in Pahang, Malaysia. Lembing is the Malay name for spear, and Sungai means river. According to legend, the local ruler saw a vision of a
spear in a nearby river and he named the town "Spear River" after this vision.
Sg Lembing was a major producer of underground tin-ore. From
1891, the Pahang Consolidated Company Limited, (PCCL), under the British, mined
the area until 1986 when world tin prices collapsed. About 1400 people worked
in the mines and many of the Chinese workers were of Hakka, Hainanese and Cantonese
dialects. The pit mines were closed in 1986 due to high operational costs and
low yields.
The “combined length of the tunnels was said to have stretched up
to 322 km, with a depth of between 610 m and 700m.” During its heyday, Sg Lembing was the richest
town in Pahang and was known as the “El-Dorado of the East”.
We arrived at this historic town in the evening after
an exciting outing in Kuala Gandah Elephant
Sanctuary last August 2014. We checked in at an eco-resort, and early next
morning, after breakfast, were ready to explore the “largest, longest and
deepest subterranean tin mine” in the world.
The ride was only for 5 minutes but we all enjoyed the slow "chug chug" of the train. "So that was how miners moved around in the tunnel while working in the mine," ran through my mind.
We got down and walked along the narrow path of the tunnel. My two grandchildren asked questions continuously as we moved forward. The floor of the tunnel was
wet with rain water dripping from the walls and the air was damp but cool. After a 15 minutes walk, our guide showed us an engaging slide show on underground tin mining.
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| Walking along the narrow path |
Thereafter, he took us to another tunnel
where we walked for almost an hour. Luckily we all wore shoes and my youngest
granddaughter rode on a buggy which we had brought along. The long walk was not boring as new discoveries unfolded before our eyes. It brought back memories of my Geography lessons on tin-mining in Malaysia.
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| Reading notices on both sides of the tunnel |
Notices with notes and
photographs were displayed on both sides of the tunnel, detailing the history
of the tin mine.
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| One of the notices |
Life-sized figures of workers at various places - muscular, bare-chested, with crash
helmets attached with torchlights, and some with shovels and hammers - gave us an idea of
the attire, tools and the kind of work underground mining entailed. What a challenging life miners have to endure in the dark, hot, humid and dusty environment!
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| Posing next to a life-sized figure |
At some sections, there were activities for visitors. My grandchildren enjoyed pulling a
string attached to a pulley to test their strength. This gave us an idea of pulley systems used to
transport miners up and down a mine-shaft. I tried pressing down on a lever to mimic the action
of triggering a blast in the mine with dynamite. The sound generated was deafeningly loud in the stillness of the tunnel. My three grand-kids cupped their hands to their ears intuitively and when the sound ceased, they asked for more! Workers in the past must be tough and brave as they had to bore tunnels underground with explosives.
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| Pulling strings attached to pulleys |
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| Pressing on a lever |
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| Pressing a button |
I was amazed by the depth and length of some of the
tunnels – I peered at a few side tunnels. They seemed to be bottomless. Some
tunnels stretched further than my eyes could see. Many tunnels were out of bounds (with no entry signs or iron grills) to
the public mainly for safety reasons.
After the hour long walk, we retraced our steps to
where our train was waiting and went back on the same route.
Mining for tin underground with primitive tools was really grueling and dangerous, so different from the present times where mechanical, electrical, hydraulic machines and high technology are used. This visit was insightful and educational!
The next day, we visited Sg Lembing Museum, opened
in 2003. It was situated on top of a hill, with a panoramic view of green hills
beyond it. The museum is the old
colonial house of the tin mining company’s boss. It has been restored to house
many antiques, with information and artefacts relating to the mining history of
the area.
My grandchildren enjoyed climbing the wooden stairs of the museum. Old communication tools like typewriters, calculators, fax machines, clocks, mining equipment, furniture of the bedroom and bathrooms, kept all of us engrossed for
almost an hour. Viewing the office equipment reminded me of my dad's office where I had worked temporary using such typewriters in the 1960s.
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| Old typewriter |
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| Bedroom of Company boss |
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| Bedroom furniture of Company boss |
A 50-year old fire-extinguisher was exhibited outside
the museum. It was used to put out fires in factories or large buildings.
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| A 50 year-old fire extinguisher |
The Riverview Resort that we stayed in is a pleasant
family-run place for quiet relaxation. Because it was a weekday, we had the
whole place to ourselves. We stayed in two rooms with attached bathrooms in the
cosy bungalow that was equipped with television, comfortable sofas and a kitchenette.
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| A cosy bungalow |
Outside the bungalow, there were other chalets, a
pond full of lotus plants and a well-maintained landscaped garden where BBQ
parties can be held. My little granddaughters had a fun time balancing themselves
on the hammocks, while we adults enjoyed the fresh rambutan fruits
plucked straight from the tree.
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| Hammocks next to a coconut and a rambutan tree |
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| Pond with lotus plants |
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| Chalets in the resort |
Sungei Lembing town is just 10 -15 minutes drive
away from the resort. We had all our meals in restaurants there - noodles with
"water tofu" and yong taufoo in the hawkers’ centre next to the market and delicious dishes in the Chinese
restaurants. The local people were friendly and helpful, entertaining us with stories
of visitors to this once thriving mining town.
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| Hawkers' Centre in Sg Lembing town |
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| Breakfast of noodles and yong taufoo in Hawkers' Centre |
There are many more treasures to explore in this quaint
town: the Rainbow Falls, Bukit Panorama, Gunung Tapis Nature Park, Gua
Charas, hanging bridge etc. For us, the tin
mine visit was the most enlightening. It gave us a chance to
experience the challenging life of subterranean tin miners.
