NAVAL COLLIERY, Ely Pit. Penycraig, Glamorganshire. 27th. August 1909.
The colliery belonged to the Cambrian Coal Trust and the disaster occurred on the morning of the 27th August. The cage was descending with 26 men in and, owing to the breaking of the reversing gear; the engineman was unable to control the descent. The cage crashed into the sump while the ascending cage went into the headgear. The rope broke and fell down the shaft falling 525 yards on to the top of the bottom cage.
On the previous Tuesday night David Davis the engineman went to work at 10 p.m. and he noticed an electric lamp on a cord against the reversing spanner. He asked T. Evans, whom he was relieving what it was doing there. Evans told him that the spanner had cracked and Mr. Dolman, the mechanic had repaired it by shrinking a hot iron clamp around the crack. Davis hoped it was safe yet he felt afraid. He did not complain to any of the officials since the mechanic knew about it and had reported the fault. There were no safety catches or detaching hooks in use at the pit.
Those who died were:
- Thomas Brown,
- Alfred Watkins,
- Morgan Evans,
- Gideon Chapman – all were all killed in the initial impact.
- Marshall,
- T.J. Morgan,
- R.R. Jenkins – died from their injuries.
The inquest into the disaster was held on Friday 3rd September in the Vestry of the Nazareth Chapel, Williamstown. There were two coroners, Mr. R.J. Rhys of Aberdare and Mr. D. Rees of Pontypridd. The Home Office was represented by Mr. Atkinson, Superintendent Inspector of Mines, Mr. F.A. Gray Chief Inspector of Mines and Mr. F.J. Trump, Assistant Inspector. Mr. Hill-Kelly appeared on behalf of the Federation and Mr. W. Thomas, solicitor, for the Winding Engineman’s Association and Mr. Charles Kensole for the Colliery owners.
David Davis, the winding engineman was the principal witness. He had been driving the engine for 25 years and on the morning of the accident, he started to wind men down the shaft at 5.25 a.m. When the fourteenth of fifteenth cage was being sent down and was about thirty yards from the bottom the reversing spanner broke. At this distance it was usual to put the steam against the engine but on this occasion, when he did so the lever which lifts the links of the reversing gear broke. He was also using the foot brake and when he heard the snap he put this down to the last notch but it did not stop the engine. He had misgivings about the foot brake would not hold the load if anything happened to the engine. He had complained about the inefficiency of the brake a number of times over the previous six or seven years but in particular when double deck cages were installed. There was a “vice” brake but it had never been fixed to the engine and at the time of the disaster was still in the colliery yard.
John Dolman, the mechanic who had repaired the spanner considered it quite safe and he did not think that the crack had anything to with the fracture which caused the disaster. The double-deck cage weighted 3 tons 5 cwt. and carried 26 men. The single-deck cage weighed 1 ton 15 cwt. and carried only ten men. Dolman denied that he had ever heard Davis complain about the foot brake and he did not think it was inefficient. After the accident the brake was tested with the cage full of bricks equal to 26 men and the brake held the load. In his opinion the engine had been overrun.
John Fry, one of the men who was in the cage, said he was in the bottom deck and when they were about twenty yards from the bottom he thought the rope had broken as the cage descended at a rapid rate. In his opinion the engine had been overrun.
Obidiah Jenkins said that he had to examine the machinery and enter a report book kept for the purpose. He said that he had been a timekeeper and had never served his apprenticeship as a mechanic and he did not know enough to make reports. His examinations consisted of inquiries from the enginemen and he had held the position for seven years.
Mr. F.A. Gray, Inspector of Mines was of the opinion that the final fracture was a continuation of the crack that was repaired on Tuesday. It should not have been repaired as it was involved in winding men and a new one should have been provided within twenty-four hours. He was in favour of steam brakes and detaching hooks but at the time these were not compulsory. He did not think that the examination of the machinery was efficiently done and should have been carried out by a competent man.
The company brought several witnesses to show that the brake was efficient. The manager and agent denied that the engineman had claimed about the brake. The “vice” brake in the yard had come from the previous owners of the colliery and they did not think that it was necessary to fit it.
With all the evidence heard Mr. Rees addressed the jury and put to them the following suggestions:
- Did the deceased person lose their lives in consequence of the breaking spanner forming part of the winding engine?
- Was the flaw detected on the previous Tuesday repaired in a reasonably adequate manner?
- Was it reasonable to continue the winding engine for the purpose of raising and lowering men in the condition it was run in?
- Should the management have replaced the broken spanner with a new one?
- Was the method of supervising the machinery at the pit a satisfactory one?
- Was the brake power of the engine adequate?
- If not, was the attention of the management drawn to it by the winding engineman or others before the date of the accident?
The jury was out for two hours and when they returned they answered “Yes” to questions 1, 2, 4, and 7., and “No” to questions 3, 5 and 6. The foreman of the jury added that they exonerated David Davis, the engineman from all blame in the matter.
REFERENCES
Minutes of the Miners Federation of Great Britain.
Colliery Guardian, 3rd September 1909, p.842, 17th September, p.589.
”And they worked us to death” Vol.2 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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