Lower Duffryn Colliery Explosion – Aberdare – 1858

LOWER DUFFRYN. Aberdare, Glamorganshire. 24th. February, 1858.

The colliery was owned by. Messrs. Powell and Son and was one of the deepest and most fiery in South Wales. There were two large shafts cased with bricks and stones. One was used as a downcast and the other as an upcast to the rise of the workings at the bottom of which was a furnace over which passed a large proportion of the return air. At the bottom of the downcast shaft, the air was divided to ventilate the lower and the upper collieries. The latter was worked from the upcast shaft. Coal was wound at both shafts and it could be looked at as two distinct collieries except for the ventilation. The coal that was worked was the upper four feet or the Duffryn steam coal and it was subject to give off sudden blowers at great pressure and with large quantities of gas.

The explosion took place in the upper colliery following a large fall of roof in a stall at the extreme rise which liberated gas which travelled along the return air road and down the main road where it exploded at the naked or defective lamp of the men who were having their dinner in this heading.

The colliery was worked by locked lamps and at the inquest, it emerged that matches were found on some of the victims which were probably used for lighting candles. Nineteen men and boys lost their lives.

Those who lost their lives were:

• George Cox, collier aged 35 years, married Father of Joseph.
• Joseph Cox aged 15 years.
• Henry Morris, haulier aged 15 years.
• David Davies aged 20 years, collier.
• William Auberry aged 36 years, a married collier, father of William.
• William Auberry Jnr. aged 12 years.
• John Morgan, collier aged 24 years.
• Richard Jones aged 28 years, collier, married.
• Thomas Sheercross, Shawcross or Shalcross, collier, widower aged 32 years.
• Daniel Jones, collier aged 25 years, married.
• Edwin Strong aged 10 years, door boy.
• Levi Davies aged 45 years, collier, married.
• Thomas Richards, collier aged 14 years.
• Peter Morman, collier aged 44 years, married.
• James Rumley aged 40 years, married collier.
• Henry Salmon, collier aged 10 years.
• John Rosser, collier aged 22 years.
• Owen Jones aged 18 years, haulier.
• George Gale aged 15 years, door boy.

The inquest was conducted by Mr. Overton, Coroner. Mr Evans commented on the fact that:

The main “return” to the furnace is also the main travelling way, and all gasses given off, and the air after ventilating the colliery passes along it this, in my opinion, is most objectionable, and attended with danger the intake courses are too small and the air ought to be taken to the face of all the workings.

The jury brought in the following verdict:

Accidental Death caused by an explosion of gas but how it was ignited there is not sufficient evidence to show.

The jury strongly recommends that:

A large furnace of two furnaces be employed in these coal workings and that the return air road should not be used as s travelling road as also the rules prohibiting pipes or matches to be taken into the pit should be rigidly enforced so as to stop the men from doing so.

REFERENCES
Mines Inspectors Report, 1857. Mr. Thomas Evans.
The Colliery Guardian, 6th March 1858.
”And they worked us to death”. Vol.1. Ben Fieldhouse and Jakie Dunn. Gwent Family History Society.

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