No.1 MAIN BRYNCOCH. Neath, Glamorganshire. 4th. August 1896.

The colliery was about three miles from Neath and was the property of the Main Colliery Company, Limited. This Company succeeded to the Dynevor Colliery Company who had worked the Dunevor Duffryn Collieries in the same neighbourhood for many years before 1889. Mr. H. T. Wales, mining engineer, was the managing director and agent for the company and Mr. Richard Thomas was the certificated manager with Mr. William Williams and the certificated undermanager.

The colliery consisted of two shafts, No.1, the downcast, 18 feet in diameter which was used for winding and pumping and the No.2, 16 feet in diameter which was the upcast and was used for temporary pumping and the winding of water by the barrel. The sinking of the No.1 shaft was started by the Main Colliery Company in May. 1891 and the Graigola Seam was reached in January 1883 at a depth of 435 yards. The No. 2 shaft was sunk about the same time and was 412 yards deep to the same seam. The No.2 shaft was 670 yards to the south of the No.1 shaft.

The ventilation was produced by a Capell fan placed eight yards from the mouth of the No.2 shaft. The fan was 15 feet in diameter, 6 feet 6 inches wide and was driven by an engine which made 25 r.p.m. while the fan ran at 80 r.p.m. It produced 53,000 cubic feet of air per minute at a water gauge of 0.5 inches.

The sit of the No.1 Pit was close to the old Bryncoch Colliery which had been recently working a seam known locally as the Wernfraith which was bituminous coal at a depth of 179 yards. The new pit passed through this seam and then the Three Feet Seam at 141 yards, 28 yards of shale and rashes, the Victoria or Tir Edmund Seam, black shale, cliff and rock before reaching the Graigola Seam which was made up of 1 foot of coal, 1 foot of clod a, 2 feet 6 inches of coal and another 10 inches of coal. Neither Tir Edmund nor the Three Feet seams had been worked here.

At Courtherbert Colliery, which belonged to the same owners, the Tir Edmund Seam had been worked to a limited extent and the Graigola extensively worked to the dip and within a short time of the sinking of the new pits, a connection was made in this seam between these pits and the Courtherbert Pit which was 3,322 yards to the south of Bryncoch. Both seams were considered by the management to be “fiery” and were worked with safety lamps. Gas had occasionally been encountered in the working. To the west, on the rise side of upthrow fault, the same seams were regarded as none- fiery and were worked with open lights.

Particular attention had been taken in laying out the workings. The regularity and straightness of the roads and pillar and stall workings was a feature that was all too frequently absent in these kinds of workings in South Wales. For the most part, the pillars had been made about 80 yards long by 30 yards wide while the stalls were generally double-roaded stalls, about 14 yards apart.

Up to three months before the explosion, no pillar working had taken place. About that time, the management decided to work away some pillars in a part of the mine 300 yards northeast of the shaft to the rise of a fault and at the date of the disaster, one pillar had been finished and three others were in the course of being removed. The roof was a strong hard rock and had not fallen to any extent before that date, even in the largest area which was that which was formed by working the pillar between two large stalls. No gas had been observed in the pillar working and the air current which passed through the exhausted area was expected to dilute any gas which might have been given off when the roof fell.

There were two ventilation currents, one passing into the West heading and the other into the East heading. That to the West was split on No.2 North heading, one portion returning through the workings on the West side of the shaft to the South heading and from there, up that heading to the upcast shaft. The other potion of this current was joined y the current which entered the East heading from the shaft and the combined current ventilated all the workings on the North and East sides of the shaft where most of the work was being carried out.

Firedamp had been reported on very few occasions, the last being 25th June when a fireman found a little in No.4 S.E. On January 16th, a slight explosion occurred when a shot of gunpowder was fired in a stall which resulted in injury to two the colliers who were working there. The fireman who examined the place before the shot was fired said it was clear but it was possible that he had not detected a small accumulation which was fired by the flame of the shot.

The seam was slightly inclined, not more than two inches per yard and the roof was remarkably strong. There had been no falls on roadways or in old stalls with the exception of where pillars had been removed and there was adequate ventilation of the whole workings which were rather damp with the floor being quite wet in places. There was no accumulated dry coal dust in the roadways, roof, sides or floor and very few timbers stood in the headings. The only place where there was any dust was in the rubbish which formed the gobs.

About 230 men and boys were employed underground, mostly on the day shift. The day before the explosion had been a holiday and one the fateful day there were less than the usual number in the mine. They went to work between 6 and 7 a.m., after the morning inspection. The inspection was made partly by the night fireman and partly by the day fireman. Nothing had been discovered and each fireman made his report to that effect in the book.

Mr. Williams, the undermanager, had been away for a week’s holiday and had returned the previous day to be on duty o the day of the disaster. He descended the pit shortly before 6 a.m. and saw Elion Rowen, the night fireman, who reported to him that all was clear on the South and East sides. He also saw James Jones, one of the day firemen who told him that all was clear on the North and West sides. The night fireman left the pit and David Meyrick, fireman, came on duty. William James, who had been the undermanager for many years of an adjoining colliery, which had closed and was employed as a kind of undermanager with the special duty of examining the coal in the stalls.

Up to 10 a.m. work proceeded normally and nothing happened for any of the officials to suspect that there was any danger. The first unusual event was noticed by two repairers, David Harris and William D. Jones who were working in No. 1 N.E., a little above the fault that crossed the road. At about 8.30 a.m. when they hear the top “working”, a noise as if the roof was cracking and likely to fall, at the place where the pillar had been removed. Harris went to the place but found nothing wrong. As he knew that the roof was to be expected he went back to work. A little later he heard what he described as a small fall and about 10 a.m. a larger fall. Harris was just about to examine the place when he saw some colliers coming out of the working places which were a little further in where they were working out pillars. These men said the places were filing with gas and at least one of the lights had been put out by the gas. Harris acted promptly, hurried the men out and sent a haulier to warn the officials and workmen in other parts of the pit.

In a short time 176 men and boys were out of the pit which left 20 still down but at that time it was not known exactly how many were actually in the workings. It was believed that they were all out except for those in No.2 S.E. and those who were in charge and assisting men to get out.

William James gave his own account of events:

I was in the pit at 6 in the morning. I was examining the coal. I went up No.1 N.E. about 7.30 a.m. I went to where the fall was expected and waited there about 10 minutes talking to the roadman, Thomas Phillips. I examined it back and fore. a few stones had fallen. I did not notice any work in the top (roof). I then went to the roadman in another stall. About 10.30, when I got to No.5 N.E., I met Richard Jones, who told me he had come to get the men out. I met David Harris at No.2 N.E. and asked him how the air was going, and he said “going very well”. I met David Meyrick near the East heading. We went up the East heading 200 to 300 yards. We did not reach the fault. We saw a “cap” on Meyrick’s lamp and then returned to the lamp station. Then someone said Lewis Jones and two sons were in No.2 S.E. I said to Meyrick, “Let us go as fast as we can”, but Meyrick said, “Let us have someone younger than you.” I am not sure whether Evan Jones or William Jones went with him. One of them had my lamp. I told Meyrick to send a message how it was there. In a short time I went in and saw no one but the two doorboys, Sam Harris and Gardellias Jenkins. I went down the South heading, passing the two doorboys who asked if they should not go out. I told them to wait until I came back. I was near the moth of No.2 S.W. when I heard the explosion and was blown back towards the pit for a few yards. I lost myself a bit. I lay down a few minutes and then went towards the pit thinking no one else was alive but me.

During the time between the alarm being given and about 11 a.m., a labourer, William Jones, working in the No.2 S.E., and who was still down the pit when the explosion occurred, stated that he met Lewis Jones Jnr. at No.2 S.E., coming out for a light, and they went towards the face together. On reaching a point 230 yards from the South heading, his lamp went out in the gas. Lewis Jones Jnr. had left his father and brother near the face and he told William Jones that all their lamps were out. They called to the men inside but got no answer. They went together to get fresh lights and seeing colliers going out of the South heading, borrowed two lamps and returned with a collier, Evan Jones. They returned but their lamps again went out at the same place in the gas. They called again and received no answer so they went back and were met by David Meyrick, William D. Jones and James Jones, each of whom had a lamp. William Jones took up the story:

I told them to take care and not to take the lamp too high, and call on Lewis Jones (Snr). Evan Jones and Lewis Jones, jnr., turned back with the three others. I went slowly to the pit in the dark and the explosion occurred when I was at the lamp station. I went to the lamp station and there, James Bowen, Thomas Phillips and Lewis Williams. Isaiah Jones came after and we went up after the explosion.

Mr. Williams, the undermanager was in the No.1 N.W. when a boy came to him a little before 11 a.m. and told him there was gas in the East. Williams sent the men out from that district and went towards the shaft where he met David Harris at No.1 N.E. Near the door. Harris told him there was gas in the No.1 N.E. coming from where the fall was – between No.1 and No.3 in a stall. Williams and Harris had partially opened the door on No.1 N.E. after door gas in the heading above the fault. The gas was working out against the air. While watching the effect of opening the doors, they heard a noise which Harris thought was a fall but Williams recognised as an explosion. They saw no flame but felt a puff of wind. Williams said:

I went as far towards it as I could, until I met the gas o the heading, inside the fault near the mouth of the stall. The air was fresh. I had a Clanny lamp with a shield on. I heard the explosion and Harris and I went back into the pit. The lamp station was full of smoke. we met William James calling out, “Is there anyone alive there?” He was by the stables. We went to No.2 S.E., Harris and I. Some more men came soon after. In 10 to 15 minutes we were able to go into No.2 S.E.

About 27 yards further on, Williams found William D. Jones, the repairer who had been working with Harris and who had remained underground to help the men out, with a fractured skull. Between him and on a further 100 yards up the heading, they met Evan Jones walking put, James Jones sitting on the side of the road and David Meyrick lying on the road. All three were badly burnt. A further 150 yards in they found the body of Lewis Jones Jnr.

Those who died were:

  • William D. Jones aged 26 years, repairer who was found dead with a fractured skull,
  • Evan Jones aged 28 years, collier who died 24th. August from severe burns,
  • James Jones aged 51 years, fireman who died 5th. August from severe burns,
  • David Meyrick aged 56 years, fireman, who died 7th. August from severe burns,
  • Lewis Jones Jnr. aged 25 years, collier who was found dead, badly burnt,
  • Lewis Jones Snr. aged 54 years, collier found dead from suffocation and
  • Leyshon Jones aged 21 years, collier found dead from suffocation.

Mr. Robson, H.M. Inspector of Mines arrived at the colliery at 4 p.m. and immediately descended the pit. The men’s lamps were recovered and all the gauzes were found to be in good order but he thought that the explosion had been caused by one of these lamps being taken too far into an explosive mixture.

The inquest was held before Mr. Cuthbertson, Coroner and a jury at Neath Abbey on the 13th, 14th, and 27th August. All interested parties were represented and the Hone Office was represented by Mr. Chester Jones, barrister, Mr. W.W. David, solicitor appeared for the owners and Mr. Isaac Evans represented the Miners.

William Jones was the only living person who was known to have been in the No.2 S.E. on the morning of the explosion. At the inquiry he stated:

I know shot firing had been going on the No.2 S.E. and a shot was fired in the face that morning about 10 a.m. – three-quarters of an hour before the explosion. James Jones, the fireman, fired it. I saw him coming from the face. I heard the shot. He told me about the rubbish Lewis Jones wanted off. The shot had nothing to do with the explosion. I was employed discharging rubbish in an old stall. It had nothing to do with the face. I first mentioned about the shot and seeing James Jones, fireman, come out on the Thursday morning after the explosion. I saw the lamp getting dull and going out directly we got into the gas. Lewis Jones ran in the first time we went in. The second time we went in, I told them to be careful. Their lamps went out first and then mine went out. The gas had come out some distance between my first and second attempt Meyrick and the others hurried in, and I went out quietly. I met Meyrick and the others 10 yards from the South heading.

After hearing all the evidence and the Coroner’s summing up, the jury found as follows:

We, as a jury, find that Lewis Jones, senior and Leyshon Jones died through suffocation, but whether before or after the explosion there is no definite evidence, and that the deaths of David Meyrick, James Jones, William Daniel Jones, Lewis Jones junior and Evan Jones were caused thorough injuries received by the explosion which took place of August 4th., 1896, at Bryncoch Pit that the explosion was caused in the following manner: That a fall took place in the heading, No.1 North-East which caused an extraordinary accumulation of gas, and that the fireman and others endeavouring to warn the workmen still left in the inner working, accidentally causing the gas to be ignited by going through the workings with a partially protected Davy lamp, and that the jury has heard with satisfaction that the owners have already dispensed with the Davy lamp part protected and have adopted a safer lamp for future use, namely, the Cambrian Bonneted Fireman’s lamp. The jury also wishes to recommend to the owners a reconsideration of their method of working the pillars near faults, and that in future every precaution should be taken to detect any further appearance of gas. They also recommend that and effective method of surface communication should be made between Nos. 1 and 2 pits and also with Court Herbert Colliery. The jury are of the opinion that the greatest praise is due to the officials and the workmen who took part in the rescue efforts for their energetic and heroic conduct and they extend their deepest sympathy to the families and relatives of the poor men who died through the explosion.

Mr. Chester Jones concluded his part of the report by saying that:

The evidence, on my opinion, disclosed two breaches of the rules., Firstly a breach of Special Rule No. 116, in that no book was kept, nor entries made therein, of the number of strokes per minute made by the ventilating apparatus and the pressure shown on the water gauge. As, however, the fan-man made reports at intervals and the ventilation was good and efficient, the omission to keep a book is only a technical breach of the rules, which might be considered of hardly sufficient importance to warrant a prosecution being instigated.

 The second, and for the most serious offence, is the allowance of the use of lamps which if the conclusion I have arrived is correct, did not comply with the requirements of the 9th General Rule. Although, in my opinion, an offence had on this respect been committed, yet, as the efficiency of the partly protected Davy as a safety lamp is a matter fro experts opinion, I think there would be great difficulty in securing a conviction.

 

REFERENCES
The Mines Inspectors Report.
Reports to Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Home Department on the circumstances attending an explosion which occurred at No.1 (Main Bryncoch) Colliery on the 4th August 1896 by Chester Jones, Barrister-at-Law and J.T. Robson, Esq. one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Mines.
The Colliery Guardian, 7th August 1896, p.260, 21st August, p. 361.

Information supplied by Ian Winstanley and the Coal Mining History Resource Centre.

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