Eaglesbush Colliery Explosion – Neath – 1848

EAGLESBUSH. Neath. Glamorganshire. 29th. March, 1848.

The colliery was owned by Messrs. Penrose and Evans and was situated between New Heath and Brittanferry, one and a half miles from Neath. The mine was entered by a drift down which the men walked. It extended for about 250 yards straight and then turned south. There were several stalls at the point where it turned in which three to five men worked. The mine had no artificial ventilation; in fact, the way in which the coal was reached presented difficulties in ventilation. The coal was known to be fiery and the quantity of air in the mine was small and it passed over a small furnace situated at the surface near the outcrop of the seam. Naked lights were allowed in the colliery.

There was a large accumulation of gas in the old stalls and an explosion took place at the far end of the workings at about 3 p.m; the gas that was in all the stalls caused a second explosion. There were about thirty at work in the men at the time and twenty were killed. The colliery was shattered and the plant and machinery blown up the shaft. Most of the men, who died, died from the effects of afterdamp and several were found to have been trying to get out along a level but their progress had been blocked by wagons in the road.

Those who lost their lives were:

• John Grey whose wife was expecting their first baby.
• William Grey, single.
• John Jenkins, single.
• William Worthy, left two children.
• John Morris left six children.
• John Davies, single.
• John Hopkin, single.
• Thomas Christmas, left two children.
• Benjamin Hopkins, left six children.
• Robert Thomas, left eight children.
• Joseph Thomas, son of Robert.
• John Thomas, left seven children.
• Morris Protberoe, single.
• Leyson Reynolds, single.
• Evan James, single.
• William Griffiths, left five children.
• Solomon Mainwaring, left one child.

It was reported that five others were in a dreadful state. Some of these must have died as the official death toll was twenty men and boys.

The inquest was held before Coroner Overton at Neath Town Hall. Rosser Thomas told the court:

On the day of the accident, I considered myself out of danger. I can not say whether the men further out were in danger or not. On that day I took the lamp out several times to cool, it was so warm. My partner took great care of his lamp. I did not think there was any danger whatever. The workmen had to furnish their own lamps. The Company has no one to inspect the lamps, only the colliers themselves.

David Griffiths is employed by Messrs. Penrose and Evans to go into the works every morning. He used to go into the colliery when he had time and does not go in every morning. His orders were to do so and sometimes he went in after the men. I cannot say that David Griffiths was the first down on that morning but I know he went down before half-past eight that morning because I saw him coming up when I went down. There were eight men working in that airway. I worked until half-past two in the afternoon of that day and we gave up work because of the accident. I do not know where the explosion took place. I saw Thomas Christmas, the deceased, on Wednesday morning and he had seen sulphur in the place where I was. I heard the noise of the explosion and saw the sulphur near the airway. I ran for my life with my companions down and old heading and into the drift.

Detailed evidence was taken on the method of ventilation at the colliery which was by a furnace. The Coroner then summed up and a verdict of “Accidental Death” was returned.

After the disaster, a pair of Sturvz’s air pumps were installed which greatly improved the ventilation of the mine.

REFERENCES
Annals of Coal Mining. Galloway. Vol.2, p.117.
Mining Journal. Vol. xviii, p.158, 170.
The 1849 Report. p.119.
The Report of the Select Committee on Accidents in Mines. 1853.

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