DARRAN. Deri, Glamorganshire. 29th. October, 1909.

The colliery was situated at Deri in the Bargoed-Rhymney valley and was the property of the Rhymney Iron Company Limited. It employed 272 people at the Darran Colliery which produced about 400 tons per day.

There were two shafts about 17 yards apart and each 111 yards deep to the Brithdir of No.2 Rhondda Seam. One shaft was used for winding and downcast which had an oval section, 17 feet 6 inches by 10 feet 6 inches. This was fitted with a pair of cages which ran in wire rope guides and carried one tram each. The other shaft was a circular pumping shaft 10 feet 6 inches in diameter. This shaft was fitted with ladders for travelling and both shafts were very wet.

In addition to the two shafts there was a connection with two others belonging to the Company. One of these was the Grosfaen shaft about 850 yards to the south of Darran. This had been recently sunk to the steam coals and passed through the Brithdir seam but was not used for winding or ventilating the Darran workings. The other shaft was at the Gilfach Colliery, 4,120 yards to the south of Darran. There was also the Penygarreg shaft which passed through the Brithdir seam but had no connection with the Darran workings.

Twenty four men working at Darran at the time of the explosion escaped through the Gilfach shaft and unsuccessful efforts were made from this shaft to rescue the men which resulted in the deaths of three of the explorers.

Mr. T.W. Bowen was the manager who was also the agent and manager of the other mines of the Company. The undermanager was Mr. John Evans, the day fireman, Edmund Davies who had an assistant and John John was the night fireman.

The Brithdir seam was about 3 feet 6 inches thick with a good roof of strong shale or sandstone. The workings in use at the time were all to the dip and at a considerable distance from the shaft. They were reached by an engine plane, called the drift, driven for 1,940 yards from the pit level. The seam was worked by a modified system of pillar and stall. Levels were driven to the east and west from the engine plane at intervals of 220 and 300 yards and headings driven off them to the rise about 100 yards apart. To the east and west of these rise headings, stalls were driven with pillars about 10 yards wide between each, the pillars being worked later.

The colliery was ventilated by a Schiele fan, 6 feet in diameter, fixed near the top of the upcast shaft and driven by a steam engine which ran at 300 revolutions per minute and produced 20,000 cubic feet of air per minute with a water gauge of 1.5 inches. The air was conducted through the pit in one current, going in by the main drift, through the workings, and returning by a circuitous route to the upcast shaft. The ventilation of the Darran and the Gilfach collieries was entirely separate, and there was a snecked door o the connecting road. There was little ventilating pressure on this door, and the direction of the pressure was said to vary.

The main haulage was carried out by a steam engine on the surface working and main and tail rope. The tail rope was only used for hauling the journeys of trams between the shaft and the top of the main drift, a distance of about 300 yards. From that point the empty journeys ran by gravity to “double partings” or landings on the different levels, drawing the main rope behind them. From the double partings the trams were hauled by horses. The trams were of wood, with closed ends, one end acting as a door. They carried about 28 cwts each, with the coal stacked up above the tops of the trams.

The mine produced a considerable quantity of water and from 25,000 to 30,000 gallons an hour was pumped at Darran and some went to Gilfach. The water was drained to three pumps worked by compressed air and forced by them to the shaft where it was raised by a pumping engine at the surface.

Naked lights were, and always had been used throughout the mine. It was said that during the whole life of the colliery, firedamp had never been detected and none was observed after the explosion. Blackdamp was found in old workings and unventilated places.

The major portion of the roads and workings were wet or damp but portions of the man intake and haulage road were dry and dusty and it was on this road that the explosion occurred. In the vicinity of the downcast road the road was wet and from the shaft to the top of the drift the floor was partly wet and partly dry and dusty. The main drift was dry and moderately dusty for about 300 yards from the top where a spring of water rose out of the floor and ran inward, and from that point the floor was wet for a considerable distance and the roof and sides became damp. Further down the drift, below Shenkins level, there was another dusty section to which the explosion did not extend. The return airways and workings were damp and free from coal dust.

The coal dust in the dry portions of the haulage road was produced from dust and coal which was blown and fell off trams. The ordinary South Wales trams drop much coal dust all the way from the face to the shaft. There was probably no great amount of fine dust on any part of the road and there was little timber on which dust could lodge on the part traversed by the explosion.

Explosives were used for getting coal and stonework as required. For coal work compressed gunpowder and Bobbinite were used. The colliers supplied these explosives and fired their own shots by fuses ignited at their naked lights. For stonework, Rippite and Carbonite were used. The Company supplied these for use by the repairers. The only persons authorised to take the latter explosives into the mine were two firemen and a shotfirer who were appointed in writing to do so. They fired the shots by fuse and detonators, also supplied by the Company. There was no magazine not store for the explosives at the colliery but they were brought in small quantities as required from the magazine at another of the Company’s pits and kept in a locked box in the carpenter’s shop in the charge of the head carpenter.

There was considerable laxity shown by the Company with regard to explosives. A book was kept for the recording the particulars of shots fired, but the last entry in it was on 16th October although several shots were fired after that date. No account of the explosives received at the colliery not to whom they were given, was kept. The head carpenter said it was his practice to put 5lbs. of explosives and a box of detonators in the night fireman’s shot box and leave it in the office for him and that he gave out 5lbs. of Rippite and half a dozen caps on the 23rd October. The Report commented:

The enclosure of detonators and explosives in the same box was a contravention of the Explosives Order.

The assistant carpenter said that on the 27th October he put 5lbs of explosives and coils of fuse but no detonators into the night fireman’s shot box and left it in the office for him. When the night fireman’s shot box was found after the explosion it contained seven cartridges of Carbonite and one of Rippite, some fuse and 33 detonators in two in locked tins. The Report again:

Detonator boxes with locks are required by the Explosives Order were supplied by the Company and it could not be explained why the night fireman did not use one.

There were indications of the explosion at the surface at 4.30 a.m. when a loud report and a violent blast accompanied by dust came up the downcast shaft but there was no flame seen. The gates and fencing at the top of the pit were damaged and part of the roof over the shaft landing was blown off. The platform and handrail at the pulleys were also blown away. Heavy iron landing plates which abutted against the cages were displaced and two of them fell down the shaft. One of the cages was damaged at the pit top. In the main upcast shaft no damage was done save that the ladder was displaced and the main part of the scaffold above the fan drift was blown up. The fan was not damaged.

At the moment of the explosion, Thomas Williams, stoker who also acted as night banksman, was at the pit top to send down Thomas Skryme, an ostler who was already in the cage. Williams was thrown violently against a wall and knocked unconscious. He could remember nothing. Neither of these men was seriously injured but both suffered severely from shock.

There were only four people at the surface at the time of the blast and two were disabled by the blast but the noise of the explosion waken people living near and some of these hurried to the pit and messages were sent to the officials and for medical aid.

As the cages could not be used for several hours, the only means of access at Darran was by the ladders in the upcast shaft. Cries for help were heard from below and William Evans, the pit carpenter, who was quickly on the scene, went down the ladders and he was followed by others. They found Eli Tovey and Evan Jones alive at the bottom of the downcast shaft, the latter was pinned fast under the cage. These men were attended to but could not be taken to the surface until the cages were in use some hours later. William Cleavy was also found a short distance from the shaft. He was badly shaken, but not seriously injured and was able to walk.

At this time, the ventilation was short-circuited by the destruction of the doors between the shafts and in three connections between the intake and return airways, all within 300 yards of the shafts. The destruction of the air bridge, 380 yards from the shaft, also caused a direct opening between the intake and the return airways. The consequence of this was that the afterdamp in the immediate vicinity of the shafts was swept away. This accounted for the survival of the three men there. A small amount of air might also have circulated through the opened connections further away but there would have been afterdamp in the air which increased with the distance as the distance from the shaft.

Immediately after the explosion the road was traversed by the flame and would have been filled with a hot and deadly mixture of afterdamp, smoke and dust. Directly afterwards this atmosphere would cool rapidly and contact in volume and there would be an inrush of fresh air through all available openings, which would further cool the atmosphere but would not be sufficient to be capable of supporting life. The dust and smoke would gradually subside but the air would remain poisonous even when diluted with fresh air to support combustion and all the more dangerous because of its most deadly component, carbon monoxide, would have little or no effect o the flame of lamps.

Amongst the early rescuers was David Lewis, the undermanager of the Gilfach pit. He went down the ladders and proceeded along the main road with Edward Davies and T. Matthews, taking William Cleavy with them with the object of getting him through to Gilfach. They went below the air bridge, when Cleavy was so affected by the afterdamp that they had to return. They met Evan Owen, the undermanager of Darran, who had come down about 7 a.m., and Ned Jones. Edward Davies, who had been down since 5 a.m., was also overcome and he was sent back to the shaft with Cleavy. Lewis, Owen and Jones then proceeded down the shaft and saw the bodies of David Edwards, D. McCarthy, E. Roberts, L. Morgan, Ambrose Jones, M. Coombes and Henry Barker. They could hear someone breathing and eventually found S. Anthony in a manhole. His breathing was so noisy that they heard him 20 yards away. They tried artificial respiration but had to stop when they found the skin was coming off his arms. He was quite unconscious. Ned Jones was sent back to fetch Dr. Turner, who was then in the pit. This was at about 8 a.m.

David Lewis and Evan Owen then went on by themselves as far as Shenkin’s level. The air here was very thick and Owen was unable to go any further. He described his sensations as follows:

Pains in the head, weakness of the limbs, legs felt heavy and I was stumbling about.

They returned and met Dr. Turner, Ned Jones, Edward Richards and William Edwards. Dr. Turner sent Owen back to the pit with Richards and gave orders that Anthony was also to be taken out. This was done by Edward Davies who had returned a second time with help. On his return to the shaft Owen received and was able to superintend repairs to the doors.

Dr. Turner, David Lewis, William Edwards and Ned Jones then went down the drift. Jones, who had been in the pit for some hours, was obliged to return but he was able to go out himself. The others continued down the drift as far as Shenkin’s level, when Dr. Turner, who was leading, noticed that there was no reply from Lewis, and on returning back he saw Lewis slowly slide into a sitting position. He shouted and tried to rouse him but got no reply. Edwards gradually subsided but remained conscious. Dr. Turner asked him for the beef tea that he was carrying. Edwards did not speak but let the jack fall. They both became unconscious and Dr. Turner himself had no symptoms until he exerted himself trying to revive the other two. He then felt tired and wanted to lie down, but struggled out as far as he could, falling several times and finally losing consciousness.

Ned Jones then, for the third time, with William Thomas, underground manager of the Grosfaen, Meredith and C. Edwards came down the drift at about 9 a.m. They found Dr. Thomas unconscious but breathing. C. Edwards was told to carry him out and Thomas proceeded a short way down the drift. He found no one, and catching up with the others he found the C. Edwards could not carry Turner. Thomas took hold of Turner on his back and carried him for about 30 yards. He was then obliged to drop him and struggle on himself. Ned Jones elated how he saw Thomas drop to his knees, crawl forward and finally stop. He was just able to crawl beyond Thomas.

By this time Evan Owen had returned with Edward Davies and others to the air bridge. He saw alight below and shouted but received no reply and went down the drift where he found all four men unconscious. Ned Jones was in front with his lamp in his teeth and his chin resting on it so the lamp was vertical and alight. The four unconscious men were brought to the pit side of the air bridge, when Owen collapsed again and all except Edward Davies were overcome but a fresh party of rescuers were able to bring all the men out. Later operations were directed to recover Dr. Turner. He was treated on the pit side of the air bridge with oxygen and artificial respiration and was taken to the bank, still unconscious, about 2.30 p.m. David Lewis and William Edwards were both dead when they were found.

During these events, the ventilation had been partly restored by brattice stoppings fixed in the openings between the intake and return airways as far as the top of the drift. An attempt had also been made to repair the air bridge but the leakage here was so great that the air in the drift beyond remained charged with firedamp.

About 9 a.m. a message was received at the recently established Rescue Station at Aberaman asking for assistance. Mr. Morris, the Inspector, immediately set about getting the men and conveyances the 20 miles from Aberaman to the colliery by road. The teams arrived at Darran with their apparatus in a car, about 1 p.m. and two squads of men who were following got there about 2 p.m.

Messrs. Gray and Trump, H.M. Inspectors, arrived at the colliery about 1 p.m. and went down accompanied by several mining engineers and managers. They found 12 to 15 of the rescuers in a very exhausted condition between the air bridge and Shenkin’s level. At this time it was known that five of the rescuers had been lost and it appeared highly improbable that any further attempt to save life, with or without rescue apparatus, could be of no avail. It was therefore considered by the Inspectors and engineers present that it would be unwise to risk further life and nothing more should be done until the air bridge had been restored and there was sufficient ventilation to clear the afterdamp. This was effected in a few hours and the bodies were recovered that night. Further examinations were made by the Inspectors of 30th October and 1st, 2nd and 8th November.

Rescue attempts were also made from the Gilfach Colliery. Mr. W.T. Bowen, the manager of both collieries, Gomer Griffiths, overman, D. Morgan, fireman, D. Jones and J. McCarthy went down about 4.45 p.m. McCarthy told them what happened:

We walked very quickly to Darran, so quickly that Mr. Bowen felt tired when he arrived there. The door between the two pits was shut. We passed a horse feeding on the first double parting (Week’s). Proceeding carefully we noticed a distinct smell of powder. Bowen sat down and asked us how we felt. Morgan said he was a little dazed. Mr. Bowen asked for a drink of tea and then said, “What about going a little further, boys?”  We started, and had gone about only 10 yards when D. Morgan, who was second, fell. Mr. Bowen went on a yard or so. We shouted and he dropped his stock and came back. Bowen, Jones and I carried Morgan back as quickly as possible, Gower Griffiths leading with his light. We had gone only 40 yards when Bowen said, “Put him down.” Bowen and Griffiths then dropped almost together. McCarthy and Jones ran back for help and were found by the second party almost exhausted. Bowen’s stick was found 40 yards from the bodies.

The second rescue party said they heard Jones and McCarthy shouting for help and they rushed forward and saw them fall about Boot’s level; they carried them back.

The last rescue party was led by Mr. Lewis Watkins, manager of Bargoed Colliery, who went down about 8 a.m. He turned all the man out of the Gilfach Pit and opening all the main doors, took the air straight to the separation doors between the Gilfach and Darran. He was not at first allowed to enter the Darran workings but soon Dr. Dan Thomas and others, the third rescue party, cam through and told him that Ned Rees had been left behind. About 8.45 Watkins blocked up Gilfagh return and went forward taking the air with him. They soon found Ned Rees breathing very noisily with his tongue out and quite unconscious. He was taken back to the Gilfach workings and sent out. On returning, they found a horse in Week’s parting, unconscious and breathing very heavily. Mr. Watkins would not allow anyone to go into the double partings but him and each time he went in he felt a little dazed, but soon recovered in the fresh air behind.

Watkins then worked his way gradually up to Boot’s parting, taking most of the air with him, but allowing some to go into the returns. They passed a dead horse. There were no indications of cap on the lamp. A resinous smell was noticed like that of burning timber. The men were continually questioned as to their well being and on one case after a satisfactory reply, a man fell 10 yards further on. Watkins said:

One man fell and then I fell myself. A few yards before this I had taken a rest and felt quite well. My legs became weak and the men noticed that I was walking unsteadily.

The party then retreated with Watkins on a stretcher. He soon recovered and returned, sending a party of seven men, followed shortly afterwards by another party of seven. The first party recovered the bodies of Bowen, Griffiths and Morgan and brought them out. Then Phil Williams and Parry went of further and had to be brought back by the second party. They were able to walk with assistance. On their return they found a horse standing in Week’s level. It had been revived by the fresh air. When this party returned, all rescue operations from Gilfach were suspended.

The Report comments:

These rescue operations add another to the many previous examples of the great danger of advancing in air contaminated with afterdamp. Such hasty procedure endanger not only of the lives of the explorers but may delay and derange the course of properly conducted rescue operations and it is generally more likely to result in the loss of the rescuers that of saving life.

The men who died were:

  • William Brown aged 44 years.
  • James Weeks aged 23 years.
  • John Evans jnr. 18 years.
  • John Tovey aged 16 years.
  • Joseph Vincent aged 17 years.
  • Henry Edwards aged 17 years.

All colliers and known to be in the top of the Main drift at the time of the explosion and:

  • David Edwards aged 45 years.
  • J. Morgan, haulier.
  • David Jenkins, repairer, in the Main Drift below Shenkin’s Level.
  • D. McCarthy aged 34 years, collier.
  • E. Roberts aged 35 years, repairer.
  • L. Morgan aged 25 years, repairer.
  • Ambrose Jones aged 55 years, repairer.
  • M. Coombes aged 46 years, repairer.
  • Henry Barker aged 37 years. labourer.
  • S. Anthony aged 18 years, labourer.
  • John John aged 43 years, fireman.
  • Evan Prosser aged 65 years, repairer in the Main Drift.
  • Charles Vaughan aged 36 years, labourer.
  • Edward Cleavey aged 33 years, collier.
  • William Davis aged 25 years, haulier.
  • J. Barawenith aged 27 years, haulier were seen in the Main Drift after the explosion.

The rescuers from Darren:

  • David Lewis aged 57 years, undermanager
  • William Edwards aged 48 years, contractor.

The rescuers from Gilfrach:

  • Gomar Griffiths aged 52 years
  • W.T. Bowen aged 39 years, manager.

Those who escaped up the Gilfrach shaft were:

  • Harry Anthony.
  • William Ball.
  • Dai Carter.
  • Wat Chapman.
  • Fred Clarke.
  • William Cutcliffe.
  • Sid Edwards.
  • David John Evans.
  • William Dardy.
  • George James.
  • David Jones, a boy.
  • David Jones.
  • George Mathews.
  • Dan McCarthy.
  • Bythan Thomas.
  • Sam Weeks.
  • William Weeks.
  • Sid Williams.
  • Nat Yeoman.

The Inspector commented:

In this explosion, when it was seen that the men at the top of the drift were killed and the air bridge destroyed no further advance should have been made until the ventilation was restored. The danger form the Gilfach side was increased by the restoration of the ventilation at Darran carrying the afterdamp in that direction.

It is probable that if trained rescue men with rescue apparatus had been in early attendance, the loss of the five rescuers would have been prevented and it is possible that a few more of the victims might have been brought out alive, although it is doubtful whether they would have survived.

The inquest was held on Tuesday 9th November at the Plas Newydd Hotel, Bargoed and lasted for two days. Several witnesses, including the general manager, could give no evidence or had formed any opinion as to the cause of the explosion.

John Evans was called and gave evidence that astonished the court. He stated that he and several others were coming up the drift from the lower workings when they were met by the pumpman who told them to hurry up as there had been fall in the upper portion of the drift that had to be cleared. They went on and when they got to a point known as Shenkin’s level they were blown down and their lights extinguished by a blast. They got up as soon as they could and relit their lamps and went up the drift where they met the night fireman, Johns Evans and asked him what he had done and Johns replied that he had put four balls of powder on the stone and it had fired the dust. The fireman was badly burnt about the hands and face and had a cut over one eye. Evans, and the men with him, tried to get up the drift but they wee driven back by heat and visibility was bad because of dust. They returned and made their way to another pit called Gilfach. Evans lost a son in the disaster.

Several other witnesses followed, including some of those who were in the drift with Evans but none of them reported the conversation with Johns until it was confirmed by William Bull who said he was behind Evans and heard him peak to Johnny Johns who said he had placed four balls of powder but the witness did not hear where he had placed them. Another witness, George James, was with Evans and heard a short conversation between Evans and Johns in Welsh and one sentence translated as, “I have caused an explosion”, or words to that effect. The witness was placed under very close cross-examination but he remained unshaken.

After this came the evidence from the experts with the object or refuting that any shot had been fired but on this point, their evidence completely broke down. Four of H.M. Inspectors were called and they had all made a searching examination of the area of the explosions after the event. They were all convinced that a charge of explosive had been placed upon the stone and it was the firing of this that caused the disaster.

No hole had been drilled in the stone and this was a clear breach of the Explosives Act, Rule 2 Sub-section B but the person who actually fired the charge was dead. The Inspectors found an unlocked powder can and seven pellets of Carbonite, one of Rippite and thirty-three detonators a small distance from the stone. All the Inspectors thought that a serious breach of the Act had been committed.

In summing up, the Coroner praised the bravery of the rescue teams and said he was pleased to hear the at Company were to establish a Rescue Brigade station at Darran. The jury heard the summing up and retired to consider their verdict. In a little over half an hour they returned the following verdict:

That the deceased lost their lives through an explosion of coal dust caused by shot firing and that William Bowen, David Lewis, William Edwards and David Morgan lost their lives through afterdamp in an attempt at rescue.

The representatives of the Miners Federation commented:

The Coroner, while welcoming the idea that a rescue station was likely to be erected in the district, went no further than saying that there must be some through test and before anything definite could be said as to their value. We agree as to the value of a test or test, but beg to submit that if there had been trained men with appliances on the spot at the colliery, the loss of life would not have been so great as it was. The explosion occurred at 4.30. The day foreman and a few others get down the pit at about 7.30.and about that time, Mr. Lewis Watkins was asked if he would send over to Aberaman, a distance of a few miles, for the necessary rescue corps. The rescue brigade eventually arrived but for some reason or other, went away without doing anything. It was 1.30 when the experts got down the Darran Pit, this was owing to the necessary repairs and at that time those who had got out earlier were found endeavouring to restore consciousness to one of the victims their efforts were not successful but, if any man is found with life in him nine hours after the explosion, it strongly presumptive evidence that this life and others also would have been saved if rescue apparatus under the control of properly trained men had been available in the first instance.

 It appears very desirable to us in cases such as these, that there should be some Court apart from that of the Coroner’s, whose duties should include-

 1). The pointing out of any breach or breaches of the Law.

 2). Absence of such apparatus as could have usefully been employed in the rescue work.

 3). The calling together of workmen and others who possess good local and general knowledge, and conferring with them in order that the best possible recommendations may be made with a view to the prevention of similar disasters in future.

 

REFERENCES
Report to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the Circumstances attending the Explosion at Darran Colliery, in the Cardiff Inspection District on the 29th October 1909 by W.N. Atkinson and Fred A. Gray, H.M. Inspectors of Mines.

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

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