Sungai Lembing: deepest and longest underground mine in the world

replica of mine shaft in the museum

Sungai Lembing was one of the largest, longest and deepest subterranean tin mine in the world.

It was mined by the Pahang Consolidated Company Limited (PCCL) a British company from 1906 until 1986.

The miners of Sungai Lembing were not given any uniform but they were given a hard hat, a carbide lamp and a batter-operated lamp. It was hard works and I remember my dad coming home tired and his cloths were dark and dirty

read more here

http://www.malayarailway.com/2009/10/sungai-lembing-mining-legacy.html

Sungai Lembing Mining Legacy

Deep in Kuantan hinterlands, there lies a sleepy town which was once a well-developed and the richest town in the east coast region. Sungai Lembing, 42 kilometers away from Kuantan was the centre of attraction because of its tin ore. In fact, at Sungai Lembing, there were lode mining as well as alluvial mining activities prior to the arrival of the Europeans in 1888 and before that, it had been worked for more than 100 years by the Chinese and Malays by using open-cast mining. Mining began in the 19th century in 1868 when Almarhum Sultan Ahmad Muazzam Shah I signed a concession with Baba Ah Sam.

old artefact of the subterranean mines

Pahang Consolidated Company Ltd. (PCCL) in 1891 started to intensively mine the Sungai Lembing area in 1906 until its closure in 1986. The tin mine in Sungai Lembing is the deepest and longest underground mine in the world. It was once commercialized on a big scale and enriched the nation’s economy, making Sungai Lembing renowned throughout the world. Until the 1970s, Sungai Lembing was a major producer of underground tin. It was once the richest town in Pahang, known as El Dorado of the East. In the 1940's about 1400 people worked in the mine.

However, tin is no more an important ore in the world, having been replaced by plastics, aluminium and other cheaper synthetic resources for what were previously its end products, like tins and containers for foods and drinks. Beginning in 1984, all that prosperity and riches gradually dwindled as a result of tin’s price drop. With the decline in tin production, Sungai Lembing town itself has slowly dwindled in size and importance, but the memories of its heydays are still vivid in the minds of its old residents.

ex-miner reminiscing  glory days of Sg Lembing at Tea Shop

once the biggest subterranean mine in the world

A museum which is highlighting the tin mining industry of the past was opened in 2003, known as Muzium Sungai Lembing. The museum is housed in an old bungalow once used by the mine manager. The museum houses a collection of mining artifacts as well as mining equipment, mineworkers’ costumes, furniture and tableware.

old bungalow of mine manager

The town straddles the river, and the main street on the right bank is split by an avenue of majestic trees.

At the end, an old wooden building overlooks the padang where games of cricket and other social activities were held.

Today many of the wooden shoplots are closed and people are moving away.

Read more: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Malaysia/Negeri_Pahang/Sungai_Lembing-1282115/Things_To_Do-Sungai_Lembing-TG-C-1.html#ixzz1dIk9YIiQ

Sunrise on Bukit Panorama, Sungai Lembing

Nearby Sungai Lembing is Bukit Panorama, which is a popular place to watch the sunrise. 16 km from Sg. Lembing is Gunung Tapis Nature Park, where one can camp, fish, and shoot the rapids. Gunung Tapis itself is 1,512 m high. On the way to Sg. Lembing at the hamlet of Panching^[1 is Gua Charas, a temple cave that is a popular tourist destination, also Sungai Pandan Waterfall, which is 29 km from Kuantan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungai_Lembing