LLANBRADACH. Cardiff, Glamorganshire. 10th. September, 1901.

Llanbradach Colliery was the property of the Cardiff Steam Coal Colleries  Company Limited and was near the Llandbradach station about 10 miles from Cardiff on the Rhymney Railway. The Senghenydd Colliery was on the west where 81 lives were lost in 1901. The colliery was commenced in 1887 under the general direction and management of Mr. William Galloway, M.E. of Cardiff who continued until 1895. It was thought that the coal would be struck at 300 to 350 yards but when the shafts were sunk, No.1, the upcast, 17 feet in diameter was sunk to 570 yards and No.2, the downcast, 20 feet in diameter, was sunk to 584 yards. They were completed in 1890 and costs had run far over the original estimates because of the greater depth and the large amount of water that had been encountered.

The seams that were met were the Little Rock which was house coal at 260 yards, the Four Feet which was steam coal at 505 yards, the Six Feet, also steam coal at 522 yards and the Nine Feet, steam coal at 550 yards. The seams dipped to the south-west about one inch to the yard and all gave off firedamp. Coal winding was started from the Little Rock in 1893, from the Four Feet in 1894, the Six Feet in 1896 and the Nine Feet in 1895. The Little Rock was abandoned as uneconomical in spring 1895 and the Four Feet seams had been worked through the No.2 downcast shaft. The Six Feet, which was proving disappointing and the nine Feet seams were worked through the No.1 upcast shaft.

Then Little Rock seam gave off firedamp but not as much as the lower seams and under the direction of Mr. Galloway it was worked by pillar and stall with naked lights. Some men had been injured by explosions at the mine and at the instigation of Mr. J.S. Martin, the Inspector for the District, the management introduced safety lamps. The seams were dry and dusty, but near the face in the Four Feet workings a little water was encountered.

In 1895 Mr. Galloway was succeeded by Mr. Lancaster and Mr. William Thomas. M.B.E of Aberdare who acted as Agent. Mr. Samuel Gregory was later appointed manager and Mr. W. Llewellwyn as undermanager. the staff consisted of an enginewright, five overmen and sixteen examiners and four assistants. On the day shift from 6.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. there was an overman, five examiners and two assistants in the Four Feet, an overman, examiner and assistant in the Six feet and an overman two examiners and one assistant in the Nine Feet. On the night shift from 6.30 p.m. to 6 a.m. there was a overman and five examiners in the Four Feet, one examiner in the Six Feet and one overman and two examiners in the Nine Feet. All the examiners were certified shotfirers.

There were 1,608 people employed of whom 245 were on the surface and 1,363 worked underground. The explosion took place in the Four Feet seam into which a level, 1,120 yards long had been driven from the no.2 shaft to the west which was the Main Haulage road and the intake. About 115 yards from the shaft two branching headings had been driven, No. 10 to the dip in a south-westerly direction and No. 11 to the rise for about 570 yards to the northeast. Further along another heading had been driven at 325 yards from the shaft the “Greens” which extended about 900 yards, at 690 years “Shannons” which was 640 yards long and was used a return, at 840 yards “Frances”, 350 yards long and at 990 yards “Stricklands” which was driven for 190 yards to the south-west.

The colliery was ventilated by a Guibal fan 40 feet in diameter 12 yards wide which ran at 40 to 41 revolutions per minute. According to the records for the 14th August there were 183,557 cubic feet per minute passing down the fan drift. At the time of the accident, the fan was running normally and was fortunately not damaged in the disaster.

Locked Ackroyd and Bests’s safety lamps were exclusively used in the mine and were locked by a spring that could only be opened by the use of a strong magnet. They were relit in the mine by an electric spark for which batteries were provided at certain lamps stations. The lamps were not opened in the mine and could only be opened at the lamp room at the surface.

The explosion occurred in the Four Feet Seam and some slight damage was done to the No.2 shaft at the surface but it was not serious. At the time there were fourteen men in the seam, five examiners and assistants who we firing shots, six in the stables attending to the horses and three in the No.11 heading who had been sent there by the examiner to complete some work.

The shot that caused the accident was fired in the Main Haulage road between 5 and 6.30 p.m. Isaacs and Evans were the men who fired it fired it and there were a number of shots to be fired in several districts. In No.10 district Rees was found on Davie’s heading. In No.11 district, Farell fired eight shots and had gone to the surface about 10 minutes before the blast. In Greens heading Constance was found in a manhole about halfway up the heading, evidently on his way out and on the west level Moores, an assistant examiner was found. He had taken the place of the regular men who had to go home through illness.

Of the fourteen men who were in the seam at the time of the disaster, seven were found dead. They were:

  • Thomas John Rees aged 60 years, fireman.
  • George Constance aged 35 years, fireman.
  • William James Moores aged 26 years, spare fireman.
  • Alfred Kemp aged 33 years, ostler.
  • David William Evans aged 31 year, repairer.
  • William J. Isaacs aged 31 years, fireman.
  • Charles Henry Biddle aged 36 years, an ostler, who was rescued alive from the pit but died the following day.

David Davies, David Williams, David Rees were injured and three men Seaborne, Filer and Newton were in No.11 heading at the time and escaped injury.

There were forty-two horses killed in the stables and there was considerable damage for about 900 yards along the Main Haulage Level. All the bodies were recovered in about 36 hours.

Report on the circumstances attending an explosion which occurred at Llanbradach Colliery, near Cardiff on the 11th September 1901, was presented to Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Home Department by J.S. Martin, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Mines.

The inquest was opened on Friday 13th September before Coroners from Aberdare and Cardiff. All interested parties were represented and the Jury brought in the verdict

That the deceased met with their deaths by an explosion of coal dust caused by shot firing, the place where the shot was fired being insufficiently watered at the time.

They did not see that they could attribute culpable blame on anyone but added the following rider:

That a system of pipe watering or some other more adequate means be adopted in the future.

 

REFERENCES
The Mines Inspectors Report.
Report to Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Home Department on the circumstances attending an explosion which occurred at Llanbradach Colliery, near Cardiff on the 11th September 1901.

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

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