FERNDALE. Rhondda Valley, Glamorganshire. 10th. June, 1869.

The colliery was the property of Messrs. Davis and Sons and was at Porth in the Rhondda Valley. There had been previous explosions at the colliery, namely on the 8th November 1867 when almost two hundred lives were lost. After the explosion had been down to improve the safety in the mine. Mr. Vivian M.P. suggested after the first explosion that the three districts of the mine should be quite separate and should not communicate with each other. The workings were not very old and the workings were at 300 yards in the Four Foot Seam which gave excellent quality coal but the seam was known to be of a fiery character. The mine was divided into three districts, by faults, the East, West, and South and it was in the South District, the Duffryn District, that this explosion took place.

The manager was killed in the previous explosion and the new manager was Mr. David Rees who had previously been at the Mountain Ash Colliery. The proprietors also employed Mr. Richard Bedlington as a consulting engineer

Six hundred men descended the mine at 7 a.m. and 120 went to work in the Duffryn or south workings. At 4 a.m., Thomas James, the fireman, went down the pit to make his inspection and by 6 a.m. he had inspected all the working places and made his report to Mr. Walters the overman and told him that everything was all right. By 7 a.m., all the lamps had been given out and the men were at work when a cloud of dust came up the upcast shaft and a report was heard.

News quickly spread and help came from other collieries and Dr. Roberts, assistant surgeon to the pit was informed and he and several other local doctors arrived at the pit. Rescue teams under the leadership of Hugh Beg were organised and the Duffryn side of the pit was found to be extensively damaged. there were many falls and progress was very slow. Bodies were found lying on their backs and suffering the effects of afterdamp and some were scorched. The bodies were brought to the surface to greeted by wailing crowds who carried away their loved ones to their homes. Richard Evans was brought to the surface alive but with a compound fracture of his leg and he died a short time later.

By 4 p.m. only a few stalls had yet to be explored when it was found that the air was becoming oppressively hot and there was a fire on the dip heading and. Mr. T.E. Wales, the Inspector had arrived at the colliery and he and along with others decided that it would be best if the fire could be contained by a stopping. Under the direction of Mr. Henry James, a stopping of turf was constructed but this did not contain the fire and it was decided to flood the mine.

Iron pipes were procured from Birmingham to convey the water down the shaft and into the workings but it was found that the turf wall was too hot for men to work there to penetrate it. Eventually, a stream of water was got to the workings and the fire extinguished.

Those who died were:

  • George Allen aged 33 years, single.
  • George Chamberlain aged 29 years.
  • Daniel Davies.
  • Samuel Davies aged 28 years, single.
  • John Davies aged 21 years, single.
  • Edmund Davies.
  • Able Dore aged 24 years, single.
  • John Edwards aged 32 years, left a wife and 4 children.
  • Thomas Elliott aged 40 years, left a wife and 2 children.
  • Henry Exell.
  • Joseph Exell.
  • James Griffiths.
  • William Hughes.
  • Richard Jones.
  • Morgan Jones.
  • Thomas Jones aged 24 years, single.
  • James Jones aged 50 years, widowed.
  • John Jones aged 21 years, single.
  • David Jones aged 24 years, single.
  • Morgan Jones aged 13 years, doorboy.
  • Morgan Jones, father of Morgan.
  • Thomas Jones aged 28 years, left a wife and child.
  • Thomas Jones aged 14 years, doorboy.
  • William Jones aged 30 years, left a wife and 4 children.
  • David Jones aged 24 years, single.
  • William Llewellyn aged 17 years.
  • William Mathews.
  • John Mathews aged 28 years, single.
  • Abraham Mathews aged 14 years, doorboy.
  • Jacob Mathews aged 48 years, left a wife and 4 children.
  • John Morgan aged 22 years, single.
  • James Morgan aged 34 years, left a wife and 3 children.
  • James Morris.
  • Richard Llewellyn Morris aged 23 years, single.
  • James Nash aged 32 years, left a wife and child.
  • Evan Phillips aged 43 years, single.
  • Thomas Price.
  • John Price aged 50 years, left a wife and 3 children.
  • Evan Richards aged 48 years, left a wife and child.
  • Windsor Roderick aged 23 years, single.
  • David Samuel aged 59 years, left a wife and 5 children.
  • Samuel Straide left a wife and 4 children.
  • Charles Taylor aged 43 years, left a wife and 7 children.
  • George Benjamin Thomas aged 31 years, left a wife and 2 children.
  • Thomas Thomas aged 34 years, single.
  • Thomas Thomas aged 27 years, single.
  • Edward Waddleton aged 30 years, left a wife and child.
  • Bendigo Weeks aged 24 years, single.
  • James Wilkins aged 13 years, doorboy.
  • Evan Williams aged 25 years, single.
  • David Williams aged 21 years, single.

William Mathews, father of two boys killed in the pit, was also in the mine but in a district that was unaffected.

The inquest was opened at the new Inn, Pontypridd by Mr. George Overton, Coroner for the County of Glamorgan where evidence of identification of the 53 bodies that had been recovered was taken, but it was not until the 3rd. September that the mine was cleared and inspected and all the bodies recovered, that the full inquiry took place. An unlocked lamp had been found which was against the rules and this was thought to have played a major part in the disaster.

After hearing all the evidence and the Coroner’s summing up the jury returned the following verdict:

We find the deceased came to their deaths by an explosion of firedamp on the 10th June last at the Ferndale Colliery but we have not sufficient evidence as to what caused it.

 We are of the opinion that the air was not properly distributed over the whole of the workings and that the windways were not of sufficient size. We regret that we should have to investigate another explosion in the colliery so soon after the terrible catastrophe of 1867. We regret also that the suggestions of the jury on the occasion have not been fully implemented by the mangers and officials of that pit. The explosion shows a lamentable want of care on the part of the officials of the pit.

 We put forward the suggestions that first a Government Inspector should visit the pit at least once on three months and that a sufficient number of Inspectors should be provided.

 

REFERENCES
The Colliery Guardian, 25th June 1869, p.605, 18th June 1869, p.587, 11th June 1869, p.559, 2nd July 1869 p.14, 9th July 1869, p.39, 23rd July 1869, p.79, 6th August 1869, p.134, 3rd September 1869 p.229, 1st October 1869, p.326.
”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.

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