Cymer Colliery Explosion – Rhondda Valley – 1856

CYMER. Rhondda Valley, Glamorganshire. 15th. July 1856.

The colliery was the property of Messrs. Insole and Son of Cardiff with Jabez Thomas as the manager. One hundred and fourteen died in the explosion at the colliery, which at the time was the worst mining disaster that had struck Wales up to that time.

The Inspector commented:

On Tuesday, the 15th of July, the inhabitants of the Rhondda Valley were thrown into a state of the most frightful excitement arising from the fact that an explosion of gas had taken place that morning at the Cymmer Colliery and had resulted in the sacrifice of human life to an extent unparalleled in the history of coal mining in this country.

The colliery was ventilated through a bratticed shaft, the upcast portion of which had an area of 10 square feet and the air travelled from the intake and the return in one continuous current for a distance of about 6 miles and passed over a furnace through an opening about six feet square. The airways ran parallel to each other for a considerable distance inside a 16 feet downthrow fault and were separated by loose stones and rubbish that made up the gob. The area of the airways at the fault was 13 square feet through which the whole of the air that ventilated the colliery had to pass. Seventy-two doors were used to direct the air to the working places and stalls. There were two levels driven from the bottom of the shaft; one to the north and one to the south. Off these, cross headings were worked for a distance of about to six hundred yards.

On the morning of the explosion, the two firemen that were employed went through the workings and reported that all was safe and the men entered at the usual time. Early statements as to how many went down varied from 120 to 140 and there was no doubt that it would have been more if it had not been for a fair held on Newbridge Common which many had attended and not returned.

The explosion occurred about 8 a.m. and there was no violent noise as the force of the blast did not reach the shaft which passed through the west workings and was followed by the deadly afterdamp which claimed the lives of everyone in that part of the mine. All the men in the east workings, of which there were not many, escaped unhurt.

The news spread quickly through the valley and there was soon a crowd of women and children around the pit anxiously seeking news of their loved ones. Colliers from other districts rushed to the scene and as soon as it was safe to do so, descended into the workings to save lives and bring up the dead. It was impossible to say how many came up alive amid the scenes of confusion but there were between eight and fifteen while by 2 p.m. 70 dead bodies had been recovered.

The men who died were:

• John Thomas.
• Henry Griffiths.
• A boy.
• Budway.
• David Davies.
• Thomas Davies.
• Thomas Davies.
• David Morgan.
• David Daniel.
• Thomas Matthews.
• William Davies.
• David Daniel.
• Thomas David.
• Richard Rees.
• D. Morgan.
• William Davies.
• John Rees.
• Thomas Williams.
• Two sons of H. Davies.
• Enoch Morgan.
• William Jenkins.
• David T. Dennis.
• John Jenkins.
• Thomas Williams, a boy.
• David Jenkins.
• John Isaac.
• Rees Jenkins.
• Hezekiah Davies.
• Benjamin Evans.
• Rees ?
• Peter Griffiths.
• William Jones.
• David Edwards.
• Evan Thomas.
• Edward Dennis.
• Thomas Hopkin.
• Daniel Lewis.
• Philip Evon.
• Thomas Lewis.
• William Morgan.
• David Richards.
• Zachariah Richards.
• Aaron Rees.
• Thomas Williams.
• Isaac Morgan.
• Thomas ?
• David ?
• William ?
• William Jenkin.
• Thomas ?
• Walter Miles.
• John Jenkins.
• John Evans.
• Morgan Evans.
• Thomas Rees.
• John Williams.
• William Jenkins.
• John Roberts.
• Walter Williams.
• Richard Miles.
• James Thomas.
• Samuel Edmunds.
• Son of Samuel Edmunds.
• Thomas Morgan.
• Jaconi Salathiel.
• David Samuel.
• John Salathiel.
• Benjamin Rees.
• Edward Howell.
• William Llewellyn.
• Richard Hugh.
• Morgan Morgan.
• Joseph John.
• Daniel Lewis.
• William Evan.
• John Evans.
• Evan Hugh.
• Thomas ?
• Isaac ?
• Daniel Thomas.
• William Rees.
• David Thomas of Raglan.
• David Harris.
• Morgan Morgan.
• Philip David.
• Evan Hulen.
• William Martin.
• Thomas Edwards.
• David John.
• Thomas Andrews.
• John Morgan.
• George Griffths
• Thomas John.
• David Powell.
• George Sollburgh.
• Edwin Hughes and his brother.
• Isaac Phillip.
• Matthew Thomas.
• David Morgan.
• William Thomas.
• Thomas Llewellyn.
• William Llewellyn
• Thomas Llewellyn.
• Evan Lewis.
• William Lewis.
• Henry Jones.
• Matthew Evan.
• Thomas Haymond, a boy.

After the explosion the Inspector made a detailed examination of the circumstances and the workings and found that it was confined to the south. the flame appeared to have travelled from the face to with 300 yards of the shaft. He said:

I think it first originated in the extreme end of the workings in a stall which had been idle for some days. It would appear that fireman, in making his examination in the morning before the men went down, discovered the presence of gas in David Morgan’s stall but did not report it to the manager.

Rowland Rowland, the overman, not knowing the state of the stall, ordered William and Llewellyn Thomas to go in and work and from the position of Llewellyn’s body, it was most probable that this was the point of the first explosion and by blowing away doors, the ventilation was cut off which caused smaller explosions but if the return air had not been so charged with gas, the fire would not have extended so far.

The rider coal above the main coal gave off more gas than the main coal but as the rider coal was taken down in the headings and levels inside the fault, firedamp could not exist in the workings and the gas would be given off into the ventilation current. It the ventilation was weak it was very likely that gas lurking in the gobs and roof would make it unsafe for the workmen.

At the inquest, it was stated that the manager seldom went underground and he spent most of his time at the surface making the necessary arrangements for the disposal of the coal. The overman and firemen took charge of the underground workings under the direction of the surface manager. From all the witnesses connected with the colliery, it was clear that the mine had been in a dangerous state for some time. Griffith Williams said that on the Thursday before the disaster, the cap on a candle was more than three inches long and there was not a breath of air moving. Mr. Gray, the colliery surveyor, also observed a cap and told Jabez Thomas, who was supposed to be the manager, that is was necessary to improve the ventilation of the colliery and that a communication should be made between the new and the old pits, the size of the shaft increased and the brattice done away with.

The Inspector commented:

I would remark that brattice shafts are always more or less objectionable and for extensive collieries like those in the Rhondda valley, they are not safe.

There had been clear breaches of the 1st and 14th General Rule by the manager and the 20th Rule by the overman. The Coroner’s jury, after a long and patient hearing of the evidence, returned a verdict of manslaughter against Jabez Thomas, manager, Rowland Rowland, overman and the three firemen.

At Swansea Assizes, his Lordship, Mr. Baron Watson in his addressed to the grand jury said:

Inasmuch as Mr. Jabez Thomas was the above-ground manager and did not go underground, he could not be held responsible and that as regards to the other men no direct case of omission was brought against them and I do not see how they could be guilty of manslaughter.

The grand jury did, however, return a true bill against Jabez Thomas, Rowland and Morgan Rowland. The prisoners were then tried and after hearing the evidence his Lordship directed the jury to return a verdict of “Not Guilty” against Thomas and said that the law required that there should be an immediate personal default before a conviction for manslaughter could take place. In summing up, the Judge said in the case of the other prisoners:

The two prisoners stood indicted for slaying another, without malice aforethought, which was manslaughter. Now, did the facts as they had come before they bring the charge of gross negligence, which gross negligence was the immediate cause of the deaths, home to the prisoners, to return a verdict of “Guilty” against Morgan Rowland? The jury must be convinced that the explosion originated in deceased Morgan’s stall and that the usual precaution had not been taken by placing the proper danger signal. if they supposed that the explosion originated in any other part of the mine they would have to give the prisoners the benefit of doubt and return a “Not Guilty” verdict.

The jury returned a “Not Guilty” verdict.

REFERENCES
Mines Inspectors Report, 1856. Mr. Herbert Mackworth.
The Cymer (Rhondda) Explosion by E.D. Lewis, M.A., D.Sc. From the Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorian, 1976.
The Merlin and Silurian.
The Monmouthshire Beacon.

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