COEDCAE. Pontypridd, Glamorganshire. 13th. February, 1882.

The Coedcae Steam Coal Colliery was about three miles from Pontypridd. The miners had left the pit early as it was payday. George Wallow and Jacob Thomas went down in a carriage to do some repairs about 40 to 50 yards down. They went down the slope with naked lights and before they had been there many minutes when there was an explosion caused by a blower which ignited at their lights.

Twenty minutes after the gas was supposed to have cleared an exploring party of three men went down n the carriage. They had gone about 12 yards when there was a second explosion. The carriage was thrown into the roof with great force. Some of the watchers at the surface were blown over including Mr. Davies, the manager. For two hours no one could get into the pit but steps were taken under the direction of Mr. Davies, to restore the ventilation. It was found that another blower had caused the second explosion. The dead were brought to the surface.

Those who died in the first explosion were:

  • George Warow,
  • Jacob Thomas.

In the second explosion:

  • Thomas Williams, banksman aged 45 years.
  • Benjamin James, labourer aged 66.
  • Joseph Rowlands, master haulier aged 24.
  • James Lewis, collier aged 16 years.

The inquest was opened by Mr. Overton, Coroner at the New Inn, Pontypridd. The first men had gone down with a naked light when the fan had stopped and the second explosion was caused by the first setting fire to some staging about 50 yards down.

 

THE COEDCAE COLLIERY FATALITY. THE CORONERS INQUEST

On Thursday, Messrs Geo. Overton and H. Ll. Grover, coroners for the Cardiff and Merthyr districts respectively, held an adjourned joint inquiry at the New Inn Hotel, Pontypridd, into the cause of the death of George Warlow, Jacob Thomas, Benjamin James, James Rowlands, Thomas Williams, and James Howell Lewis, at Lewis’s Navigation, Merthyr, or Coedcae Steam Colliery, on the 17th of February, under circumstances already reported. There were present at the proceedings, besides a number of leading colliery managers, who felt interested in what took place, and a large number of witnesses, Mr Wales, Government Inspector of Mines for the South Wales district Air Trehame Rees, the deputy inspector Mr W. Abraham (Mabon), Pentre, miners’ representative and Messrs W. Davies, Coedcae, and W. Howell, Great Western Colliery, who attended especially on behalf of the Rhondda district of miners.

Mr James Edwards, Ceridwen-Terrace, was the foreman of the jury—17 in number. In opening the adjourned inquiry, Mr Overton the presiding coroner expressed his satisfaction at the fact that, despite the sadness even of the calamity which they had met to investigate, still that this was, out of the large number of explosions and disasters which he had attended (from 45 to 47), one of those attended with the least loss of life.

P.C. Jones was then called and gave evidence of identification. Dr. Henry Nauton Davies Cymmer, the medical officer at the colliery, gave the results of his examination of the deceased.  Warlow and Jacob Thomas had sustained severe burns; he never saw men worse burnt. Benjamin James had severe lacerations of the abdomen, nearly severing the body in two he was not burnt. The others had sustained fractures of the extremities and no burns. Were it an explosion of gas which burnt Marlow and Thomas, then the explosion must have been terrific, and the quantity of gas which burnt them very large.

Mr Overton: Why do you say “if” these two men were burnt by gas ? is there any other alternative?

Dr. Davies: I am informed that there was no explosion at first felt or heard. Then they infer that there must be something else. That “something else” I cannot know from the condition of the burns themselves. I heard the explosion at eight o’clock at about 100 yards from my residence – a mile and a half from the colliery. I only heard one report.

Mr William Thomas Rees, Gadlys Cottage, Aberdare, one of the proprietors and directors of the Coedcae Colliery, gave some formal particulars bearing upon the funeral arrangements and went on to say that 300 men and boys were engaged at the colliery, also 16 horses. Sinking commenced there in 1876. The output was 3,000 tons per week had been raised at the colliery since 1880. The machinery and appliances were laid out in a very large quantities. So far the workings had not proved expensive.

There were two shafts – upcast and downcast. The downcast was 17 feet in diameter and had been sunk to 8 yards below the six-feet seam (385 yards), and was lined throughout with brickwork of a thickness not less than nine inches. The only seam worked was the four-feet. The upcast shaft was 14 feet in diameter and was sunk six yards below the nine-foot seam, and the total depth was 405 yards from the surface the same facts applied as to the lining. The means of ventilation was a Sheile fan – 12 feet 6 inches diameter, engine 24 inch cylinder. There were duplicate engines so that if one required repairing, they disconnected and connected with the spare engine. The fan ventilated the whole of the Lewis’s Merthyr workings – the Coedcae pit, and the west side of the Hafod pit. The fan produced 238,000 of cubic air per minute at the colliery.

Witness then detailed plans of the workings, which were submitted to the court, and gave further supplementary but technical information.

Mr Wales asked the witness what quantity of air they were getting at Coedcae.

Witness: Mr Davies will tell you.

Mr Wales: did the 230,000 cubic feet you speak of pass through the workings or down and up the shaft?

Witness: Not through the workings down the downcast through to the separation doors, and then up the upcast.

At this stage, the enquiry was adjourned for three-quarters of an hour. On resuming, Mr William Davies, Gwaunyreirw, the certificated manager and agent of the Coedcae Colliery, was called, and said that the other pit officers were Thomas Griffiths, under manager; David Davies, overman; Morgan Jones, Thomas L Davies, day firemen; Evan Rees and Caleb Davies, night firemen (Rees was also a certificated colliery manager, and passed in January 1875.) They did not raise any coal at night. Jones Manning and Peter Daly were the banksmen, and Meyrick Jenkins, the engineer. Manning was the banksman on the occasion of the disaster.

Mr Grover: What was the first intimation you had of anything being wrong on the Saturday?

Witness: I had been round the colliery in the morning, and went to Merthyr by the 1.43 p.m. train, and returned by the 6.50 p.m. train—the last to Pontypridd. There I arrived at about 7.30 p.m. I there heard that two men had been burnt at the colliery. I immediately went by train to Havod, where I at 7.43 p.m. went first of all to the engineman, and asked what had happened. The fan was at work. Both the fan-enginemen, William Davies and George Broom, were with it – Broom being on the shift. W. Morgan, the fitter, was also present. I asked Morgan at what time the engine had been stopped.

He replied at 6.15 p.m. It was he who was in charge of the engine when the change took place. I next enquired at what time they had restarted the engine. The answer was, at 7.30 p.m.”

Book put in, in which the fitter had on the subsequent Monday entered the fact and time indicated; the engine,” it was formally recorded bad, been changed, and the main crank closed. William Morgan said to me that the fan was going at 46 revolutions per minute on restarting. When the engine stopped it was going 52 revolutions. The course taken with regard to that changing of the engine was at my direction. I had two or three days before giving the order. I afterwards went towards the pit to the arch under the top landing. I saw assembled a great number of people.

There was a man on the top of the pit cage, naked and burnt: His clothes had been burnt off, and he had nothing but his shoes on. I did not know who he was, but I was subsequently informed it was George Warlow. The man was fast under the byatts – wooden guides at the pit sides, and was quite dead. Part of the stage which had been placed over the carriage to clean the garlands had been burnt away, and part remained, preventing the carriage coming up. The carriage was the regular “cage” used for raising coal. I went to the engine house and instructed the driver to lower the carriage down the incline. When I came back to the place I had quitted, I found that Warlow’s body had been put in canvas. This was shifted onto a plank, and the body was carried home. I then went again to the fan engine-house, and ordered some fire lamps to be brought out for use. I next tested the speed of the engine. It was going at the rate of 50 revolutions per minute. I made this test twice. I again proceeded to the pit top, and saw two or three men in the carriage, about eight yards down, trying to put out the flame on the pit “byatts” with their hats. The men had the carriage raised and lowered during my absence at the fan-house. The byatts extend nine yards down the pit, there being nine feet between each of the byatts. I am not certain whether the men were on the stage or the carriage.

Mr Overton: You are satisfied that you saw no one?

Witness: Oh, yes. I saw the sparks going down the pit. I called out, “Don’t bat the tire out get some water and put it out.” At that time the explosion occurred.

Mr Overton: There is no woodwork attached to the pit at all except the byatts,” is?

Witness: No. The byatts” are pieces of timber, about 12ft. by 8ft. The carriage guards are of wire rope.

Mr Overton: What effect had the explosion upon you?

Witness: It blew me about 25 feet towards the screen. I was not rendered insensible; I kept my presence of mind. I got up as soon as I could, and went towards the fan engine house. I found the covering on the top of the upcast, from 35 to 40 yards from the downcast, had been blown in all directions. I then went to the engine-house and ordered the men to stop the fan engine.

Mr Grover: By whose order did the men come, and clear the curb (” garland”) ?

Witness: No particular order at all. The pit-man knows it is his duty to do the work when required.

Mr Grover: He got men to do it, I suppose?

Witness: He went himself, and got somebody to go with him.

Mr Grover: Marlow was the pitman here?

Witness: He was, sir. He had been pit-man at the pit for 15 years next May. lt was the duty of Marlow to see to the cleaning of the garlands when he thought it necessary. One body had been carried home when I got to the pit. I saw no lamp in the carriage at the outset.

Mr Grover: Supposing you knew that the fan was at the top, would you allow the pitman ordinarily to do the Work?

Witness: No sir I would stop him. It never used to be done on such occasions.

Mr Grover: Warlow was not accustomed to take such a course.

Witness: No, sir he knew very well that he should not have done this. He was a man of great experience.

Mr Overton: You are speaking of a man that is dead, and it is rather hard that we should throw the blame upon him.

Replying to further questions, witness went on to state that Warlow had intended to do the cleaning with another man, and to finish the working before the horse came up out of the pit. But Warlow was disappointed and had to take Jacob Thomas.

Mr Wales: Had the man he expected come in time, the cleansing, I take it, according to what has been told you, would have been done before the fan was stopped?

Witness: Yes, sir so the engine-driver told me.

By permission and invitation of the coroner, Mr Abraham put enquiries to witnesses: Did you,” he asked, “leave anyone in charge when you went away on the Saturday?

Witness: All the officers were in charge – from Thos. Griffiths on. They all knew who must act in the absence of the other.

Mr Overton: but did you tell any one that you were going away?

Witness: Yes, I told my under-manager.

Mr Abraham: When you went first to the downcast shaft, was there smoke, or were there flames coming up?

Witness: No.

Mr Abraham: None?

Witness: Nothing of the kind, as far as my notice went.

A Juryman (Mr J. James): Is not the man supposed to report to the under-manager or mechanical engineer when any repair is to be done.

Witness: They were not on this occasion.

Another Juryman (Mr D. Cule): By rule would seem that it was not necessary that Davis should notify beforehand to his deputy bit intention to leave.

Mr Abraham: The under-manager could not mime authority unless he knew the manager was away.

Mr Grover: Quite so.

James Manning, night banksman at the pit on the day of the explosion, said “I went on duty at 2 p.m. I relieved Peter Daly, the day banksman. I have been a banksman for several years. The men had finished working when I arrived at the pit, and they had commenced to come up—all were not up. They continued coming up a couple of hours or more after, and it was six o’clock before I had the last men up-the two ostlers. Warlow was on the pit top when I went to work. He told me that he was going to clean the curbs. He was, he said, expecting a man, “Evan something—to go with him to clean the curbs, but the man disappointed him, and as time went on and it got rather late, he went to fetch another man (Jacob Thomas) to put the stage on. Jacob lived close by, and he came with Warlow to the pit at 6.10 or 6.20 p.m. They then fitted the stage—two beams planked over the top, fitting down between the bridles of the cage. The stage projected out two feet each side of the carriage – all the staging could not be fixed on until the byatts were passed. After the arrangements had been completed, Warlow and Thomas fixed the top of it, gave me orders, and I signalled the engine driver.”

Mr Overton: How far did they go down?

Witness: I can’t say. This was the first time they went down under me to clean the garland.

Mr Overton: Did they not tell you anything?

Witness: They told me they were going down to clean the first garland curb. This was, I should say, about 40 yards down. They gave me the signal to stop. I passed it on to the engine-man, and the order was obeyed. The two men were clad in oilskin, freshly oiled. They had with them two scrapers and three comets (I believe they contained paraffin)—all of good size. The lamps were attached to the carriage bridle chain when they left the surface, and the men had put up the stage protection also. They stopped, for what object I cannot say—once before they got to the garland curb, and gave the usual signal they stopped there about ten minutes, gave me further signal to lower, and afterwards the signal again to stop.

The Coroner: What then?

Witness: They had no time to do any work (only two minutes or so had elapsed since the carriage stopped) before the fire came up out of the pit. I did not notice any jerk to the engine or rope after they stopped the second time.

The Coroner: Where were you when you saw the fire?

Witness: Standing by the side of the pit, under the wire bell. The flame did not last long. There was no report whatever, nor did I smell anything. I heard the men on the cage top hallowing once, but I did not catch what they said. I signalled the engine driver, and he raised the carriage up to the archway. I saw (from the pit-top) two men on the top of the carriage. They were apparently lying down: on the stage insensible, and as they were dead they were removed. I saw the byatts burning in the pit when I looked down the pit, but I did not see the stage a-fire. Before the carriage (except the bottom) could be got up from below the byatts a man had to go down and cut the ends off the projecting stage woodwork then the carriage was brought up.

Mr Overton: Is it not curious that men should be burnt and no part of the stage? But perhaps you had no time to think of this.

Witness: No, sir. After the bodies had been got up there was fire still in the pit, and some men volunteered to go down to put it out.

Mr Overton: Who gave orders:

Witness: Everyone did his best, sir.

Mr Overton:  But who was in control, for to suppose every man would not be allowed to do just what he liked ?

Witness: I did not hear anyone give orders, sir.

Mr Overton: Who put the men down?

Witness: I did.

Mr Overton: What business had you to do so?

Witness: I don’t know – they told me to put them down.

Mr Overton: But do you take your orders, then, from any man?

Witness: They were men of the works, sir.

Mr Overton: Were they overmen or officers of that kind?

Witness: One was the banksman of No. 3 Pit, and the other was the master haulier at night.

Mr Overton: What did they say to you?

Witness: They told me they were going down, as they desired to beat out the fire.

Mr Overton: You thought the reason which they gave you sufficient?

Witness: Yes. I don’t know who gave them their orders. I did not ask them.

Mr Overton: They went of their own accord down. The names of the men were, I see, Joseph E Rowlands and Thomas Williams.

Witness: Yes.

Mr Overton: They were persons in authority at the colliery?

Witness: Yes.

Mr W. Davies, manager (rising): They were not officers at all, sir. Thomas Williams was the banksman at the top of No.3 pit.

The Coroner: But does not No, 3 belong to you?

Mr Davies: Certainly but it is the same coal.

Mr Overton: This man (Williams) was your workman?

Mr Davies: But he was not an officer, sir.

Mr Overton: But he was a banksman at another part of the colliery?

Mr Davies: Not at that pit, however.

Mr Overton: No but it is enough if this witness knew that Williams was one of the gaffers.”Witness proceeded I put the two men down. They did not get to the archway. They brushed the lire off the byatts with their hats (or some- thing else they had in their hands). There was not much fire burning. Mr Davies, the manager, came to the pit top, and told them” not to brush the fire down.” They would not desist, but kept beating at the fire all the time. In half a minute after Mr Davies spoke, a man at the pit top said put out fire,” and an explosion then took place.

Mr Overton: Can you tell me where the explosion was?

Witness: At that (the downcast) pit I should say. (Laughter.) It was there, at all events that I got blown away – 20 yards towards the screen. The stage planks were blown to pieces.

Mr Grover: When the stage came up for these two men to go down, did you see any sign whatever of fire on the cage or the stage which was a-top of the cage?

Witness.: No, sir.

Mr Grover: That is a very extraordinary thing. When you let the two men down could you see whether or not the fan was at work?

Witness: No sir. I can hear the fan at work if I listen.

Replying to further questions, witness said that Warlow was aware that the fan was going to be stopped. Just at this juncture, Mr Abraham rose, and protested against what he had said, observing: The witnesses ought not to be interfered with like they have been this afternoon by Mr Davies and Mr Rees (the manager and one of the directors of the colliery).

Mr Overton: Very well. Witness went on One of the pit carriages at top had been blown to pieces, and he had not seen it since the other carriage (below) was not very much injured, and the rope attached to it got loose.

Mr Abraham: How long had you been banksman at the Coedcae Colliery at the time of the disaster?

Witness: Three weeks.

Mr Abraham: Is it, then, a fact that the pit-man did not go down previous to this night to clear the Witness: He did not.

Mr Abraham: Are you sure to what purpose the hand-saw was used – whether to saw off a portion of the stage or to saw off some planks that had been used to bring the bodies out?

Witness: It was the protection that was sawn off not the planks put out the protection. The cage was slackened a little back to the pit to get Warlow free. By Mr Wales: I cannot say how long the fan had stopped before the explosion happened.

A juryman (Mr D. Cule): You say that Warlow was on the top of the pit all afternoon?

Witness: Yes.

The Juryman: Can you say what was hit condition when he went down the pit? Was he anything the worse for drink?

Witness: No, sir the man did not seem anything the worse.

The Juryman: The reason I asked the question was that a rumour to that effect (that Warlow was the worse for drink) was circulated about.

Mr Abraham (to Mr Grover): Since that question has been raised, and it is a very grave question is it not a fact that our friend here (the witness) has said to some gentlemen in this room that Warlow was worse for drink?

Mr Grover (to witness): Have you ever made that statement?

Witness: No, sir. I told the man – a reporter – there he is (pointing to the representative of the South Wales Daily). He asked me, but did not take the word exactly. He told me that he would take it out again; but he did not. Warlow was not the worse for drink. The man might have had a drop of beer, but he was not worse, as far as I could judge. I say this on my oath. By the Jury, I did not see the Comet lights when the carriage was brought up.

Mr Overton: Have the lamps been discovered since?

Mr Davies (manager): I have seen the bottom of one. I believe we will get at them again. I made inquiries about, them.

At 6.15 p.m. the inquiry was adjourned until 11 o’clock this (Friday) morning when the first witness called will be the engineman, Meyrick Jenkins. Our Pontypridd reporter, writing on Thursday evening, remarks:—In the very incoherent replies given at the Coedcae explosion enquiry this afternoon to Mr Abraham, relative to the sobriety of the deceased pit-man, Warlow, the witness Manning remarked that I had promised to take out of the columns of the South Wales Daily News the representation made in the report of the Coedcae disaster of the assertions which he there made. The statement is an absolute and unqualified untruth and pure invention.” I am not aware that I have ever seen Manning since the day when he gave to me his version of what had come under his notice. There were present at’ the time the representative of your daily contemporary and P.C. Johns. Both heard Manning assert what was subsequently published in the South Wales Daily News and could, if necessary, affirm its accuracy.

 

REFERENCES
The Mines Inspectors Report, 1882. Mr. Wales.
Colliery Guardian, 17th February 1882, p.264.
South Wales Daily News
“And they worked us to death” Vol.1. Ben Fieldhouse and Jackie Dunn. Gwent Family History Society.

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

Return to previous page