SEVEN SISTERS. Merthyr, Glamorganshire. 10th. November, 1907.

The colliery was the property of Messrs. Evans and Bevan of Neath and an explosion at the colliery killed five men and injured three others. The colliery had two shafts, an elliptical upcast, 12 feet by 9 feet and a downcast which was 14 feet in diameter. Both shafts were sunk to the Nine Feet Anthracite coal seam which was found 200 yards from the surface. The downcast was used for winding coal and the upcast for winding only men.

The ventilation was provided by a Waddle fan, 30 feet in diameter at the upcast shaft. The fan ran at 62 r.p.m. and circulated 58,830 cubic feet per minute through the workings at a water gauge of 1.7 inches. The colliery employed 407 men employed underground and 37 on the surface. The mine was worked exclusively by safety lamps and the coal gave off gas very freely. Before the explosion there were 85 screw-locked, 237 lead plug locked and 101 pneumatically locked lamps in use by the workmen and 12 screw-locked firemen’s lamps, 2 Gray No.2 screw and six Wolf magnetically locked lamps used by the officials. After the disaster the screw-locked workmen’s lamps were replaced by lead plug lamps.

The manger was assisted by an undermanager, two overmen, four firemen and four shotmen during the day shift and two overmen and four firemen during the night shift.

On the 10th November, a party of repairers entered the East Side workings in the charge of and accompanied by William Smith, fireman, Owen Gethin, bratticeman and authorised shotman. It was proposed to repair a part of the main return airway near the place where Gethin was later found, dead and the work had been commenced by two repairers. Owen Gethin was also employed at the place, renewing and setting brattice along a new opening intended to cut off a portion of the return airway. This work had disturbed the nature of the roof which, it was found, was difficult to keep in good repair. Evan Jones, haulier and Phillip Williams were filling timbers for the use of the repairers, into a tram in the return airway. William Smith fireman was examining the main Barry heading and testing for firedamp in a cavity. The gas in the cavity fired at his lamp and there was an explosion. He was badly burned by succeeded the haulier and his assistant further outbye on the heading. These men were not seriously burned. Smith helped these men to grope their way along the engine plane to a place where the repairers met them at the junction of the Barry main road with the main straight dip of the engine plane.

The repairers in the return airway saw no flame but heard the report of the explosion and saw smoke from burning timbers travelling in the air. They decided to leave by the return airway and arrived at the junction of the two engine planes shortly before the fireman and the injured men arrived. The repairers were not injured and gave assistance to the injured to help them to the bottom of the shaft.

After the injured had reached the surface they were taken home and given medical attention. At the pit, an exploring party was organised and found the woodwork of the door and some timbers supporting the roof on fire in the Barry Main Level. The fires were extinguished and the party went on and found the Wolf lamp which had been used by William Smith, the fireman, a few yards outbye of the cavity in the roof in which he had been testing for gas. They saw that the oil vessel had not been screwed up far enough to engage the spring bar locking device which left a gap of about one-quarter of an inch.

They discovered two more fires and extinguished them. Each of the fires was found near cavities in the roof. The ventilation was restored and a search was made for Owen Gethin who was found in the return airway. An air door was then closed to allow the workings south-west of the main road to be cleared of firedamp and explored. The work was directed by William Williams, undermanager, Morgan Hugh Jones and Evan Harris, overmen. The air door was closed by the men and they proceeded up the main south-west heading as the firedamp was being swept away by the air current. They had reached the first heading to the south side when another explosion, more violent than the first occurred. The overmen were killed and two others injured. Their bodies were found on Monday night under a large fall of roof. The second explosion was probably caused by a small fire lurking in part of the district which could not be explored. There were several indications of fire when the district was explored after the second blast. The first explosion was caused by a Wolf lamp improperly used by the fireman.

Those who lost their lives were:

  • Owen Gethin aged 55 years, shotman,
  • Morgan Hugh Jones aged 33 years, overman,
  • Evan Harris aged 39 years, overman,
  • Phillip Williams aged 17 years, collier,
  • Edward Jones aged 45 years haulier.

Mr. Lewis commented:

A small safety lamp testing apparatus was placed at my disposal and, accompanied by the owner and the manager of the colliery, as well as by two representatives of the Wolf Company. I made several tests of the lamp in the exact condition it was used by the fireman. In each case the outer gas was ignited. When the lamp was properly screwed up and the lock engaged, the behaviour of the lamp was all that could be desired, and no ignition of the outer gas took place. The safety lamps used by the workmen were all examined carefully after the explosion and were found in perfect condition except one screw-locked lamp, the screw of the oil vessel having been so badly worn, that the vessel and the upper part of the lamp could be put together without any screwing up being required. This lamp should not have been used. The manager prosecuted the fireman for having an unlocked lamp in the mine and the surface lampman for permitting a defective lamp to be given out. Convictions were obtained in both cases.

 

REFERENCES
Mines Inspectors Report.
Colliery Guardian, 6th December 1907, p.1062.

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

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