TRY NICHOLAS. Cwmtelery, Glamorganshire. 27th. May, 1857.

The colliery was owned by Mr. John Russell. John Carpenter was the underground viewer for the colliery. He had two firemen under him, Samuel and Joseph Merrifield. The Inspector, Mr Mackworth, knew the two firemen at the Risca colliery and had full confidence in them. In fact, he had selected them to come to the Try Nicholas colliery as firemen. Carpenter and the Merrifield’s met at 5 a.m. every day to go down and inspect the pit before the men started work. They went down with locked lamps and if they found anything wrong they reported to John Carpenter and the men.

The colliery worked two seams, the Big Vein, or the Upper Seam which employed 45 men and boys and eleven yards under it, the Three Quarter seam which employed 25 persons. It was in this seam that the explosion took place. The Three Quarter was from three feet nine inches to four feet thick with a shale roof and up to the explosion, little gas had been encountered in the seam. There had been a small furnace in the pit but this had been removed two years before the explosion and the pit had no means to drive the air through the pit and the tops of both the shafts were on the same level. The ventilation air for the Three Quarter mine went down the pumping pit, along the water level, around the workings and back by the main level to the winding shaft which was the upcast. The ventilation in the workings depended on a single door and if that was damaged or destroyed there would be no ventilation to that part of the mine. There were four other doors further on but these would be useless if the first one was damaged.

At the inquest, John Carpenter gave an account of the events leading up to the disaster and the rescue work in which he risked his own life. John Carpenter, the underground viewer for the colliery, was the first to be sworn at the inquest. On the day before the disaster, he made his inspection and found all was well and the firemen had nothing to report. At about 7 p.m. all three were at the surface when Joseph said to Samuel, “Thee be sure to be careful how you strike Wyatt’s loose.” Samuel made light of it saying, “Never mind, I shall be all right.”

Mr. Carpenter had been in Wyatt’s stall on the previous Saturday and thought no loose had been struck bit he knew that the men were near going through the loose and he heard nothing further about the matter until Tuesday. John Carpenter continued:

On Wednesday morning I was at the pit top at six o’clock and the firemen were down when I came. About half-past six William Wyatt came to the pit to go to work as usual.

When he came I asked, “How did you get on?”

”Not very well”, he said, “for I struck the loose yesterday”.

”How do you know?” I asked.

”I struck the mandrill through, and after that, I put a wire through to be satisfied”.

I knew there was another loose and asked him when he struck through if he knew where it was. Wyatt replied that he thought it was his own stall and said, “I caught a little fire yesterday morning”

I asked him if he thought the fire had drained from the loose he had driven a wire through, and had gone on top of the air, and had collected at the hole at the top. He said that this could not be as he had not driven the wire through at the time.

Wyatt said that he had never seen gas before and Carpenter told him to be careful and not to go to the place without lamps and the fireman and that he would go to the place as soon as he could. He was delayed in going down by attending to a disabled horse and as he went to the pithead he saw the banksman turn away and he asked him, “What was the matter?” He told Carpenter that the “Firedamp had gone off”. The cage was at the pit head and he took his lamp and went down.

He continued:

When I got to the three-quarter vein working and came along the level to the first door, I found three men who had made their escape through the windway. We found the first door all knocked to pieces. I picked up the fragments and put them against the frame which was knocked out to drive the wind forward in its proper course. I then went into the level. About 140 yards in from the level or 300 yards from the pit bottom, I found George Miller and brought him back into fresh air. I left him there and went back again and found George Bence and I carried him to fresh air also. By going into the chokedamp I was a good bit exhausted, so other men came from the other working and went in. When I was recovered I went in again and brought some dead bodies out. William Sage, seeing me fall, about overcome, caught hold of me to prevent me going in any more bit I persisted and brought out the last body there.

When I was in the pit on Wednesday I found the bottom of Samuel Merrifield’s lamp a few yards from Wyatt’s deep, and the gauze of the lamp about 15 yards further down. His body was a few yards from the bottom of the lamp. The bodies of Wyatt and Barwell were found not far from Samuel Merrifield’s, a few yards further off.

Joseph Merrifield was the foreman at the colliery and he went down the pit with his brother, Samuel and their father, who was a collier at 5 a.m. They saw only the engineman and he went to examine the Big Vein and his brother and father went into the Three Quarter Vein. He found his place safe and the men were allowed down the pit. He continued the narrative:

My brother had gone round his side and had returned to the bottom of the pit also. My father was then at work in the Three Quarter Vein. He had gone in for company with his son. The men went into work in the two Veins and I went in to see them. I had seen my brother before this, trimming two lamps at the bottom, but I do not know for what purpose. When I was in my own work one of my hauliers ran to me and told me to come after him, for the firedamp had gone off in the Three Quarter Vein. I ran there with all speed. The first thing I saw was George Bence, led out by John Carpenter, who was showing him a light. I went on and tumbled over the body of a horse. Then I was crawling along, very weak, on my hands and knees, when I found a lamp at the double parting and put it in my pocket. When I was on the ground I reached round with my hands, to try if I could catch hold of my brother, but found the body of Gregory, the haulier. I then tried all I could to bring him out, and in doing so fell over the mare and so became entangled with Gregory. Assistance came and his body was taken out. I then crawled out and got a little fresher where the air was, and when I recovered I went in again. I went to the end of the double parting and tried to close the door there but this was very much injured. I was obliged to go back for fresh air as I was exhausted.

When I recovered I went in again and met two men bringing out my father, Charles Merrifield. I helped them out with him and went back into the work again, and met two bringing out my brother. I helped them and again returned. I met George Taylor’s son, alive, and brought him out part of the way when I was obliged to drop him and have a rest. While resting with him, not liking to leave him, John Carpenter and another man came and I told them I must leave the boy. “Go thee”, they said and I crawled away for fresh air again while they carried the boy out. When I got to the fresh air I was overpowered and fell down on the ground. Some of the parties who were outside found me and took me to purer air once more. I recovered in a quarter of an hour and went in and assisted them to bring out George Taylor. The father of the boy, he was dead. All were then got out and I went up the pit with all the dead bodies.

George Bence, a collier went down the pit with William Wyatt and other men on the day of the disaster. He went to his work leaving Samuel Merrifield with some men. at the inquiry he told the court of the events in the mine:

I went to the double parting and sat down to wait for a light. Then the horse and man came in Samuel Merrifield was walking behind the tram William Wyatt, Thomas Barwell and one of the hauliers were with the tram. I got in with them and went to the top of Wyatt’s deep. Merrifield then went past us with a lighted lamp in his hand without the top. Wyatt jumped out first and Barwell fell out and I went on in the tram to the level without stopping. When I last saw Merrifield he was preceding them with his open lamp. There was no naked candle with them. I went into the level in the dark where I had to work. in about 20 minutes after I went to work I heard the wind which tumbled me about and I knew there was an explosion. Henry Clark, my butty, gave John Mason a light and then we went to the pit and I did not see him again. I then went to the bottom of the heading and met Jonas Brown, George Taylor and his little boy and we agreed to make our way out of the pit. I got on my clothes and was the first to get to the door, the last door but one on the level. It was knocked to pieces. we crawled under it and escaped from there. Brown and Taylor were close after me but finding the sulphur, we turned back. I went on through the sulphur as far as the horse was and fell down insensible. I put my cap in my mouth and kept it there before I fell to save myself from suffocation.

Those who died were:

  • Samuel Merrifield, fireman aged 29 years,
  • Charles Merrifield, collier aged 58 years,
  • William Williams, collier aged 40 years,
  • Jonas Brown, collier aged 52 years,
  • John Hawkins, collier aged 51 years,
  • John Silcox, collier aged 30 years,
  • George Taylor, sinker aged 58 years,
  • William Wyatt, collier aged 58 years,
  • Thomas Barwell, collier aged 18 years,
  • Thomas Parry, collier aged 50 years,
  • John Jones, doorboy aged 12 years,
  • James Gregory, haulier aged 18 years,
  • Henry Clark, collier aged 40 years.

The inquest into the explosion was held at the Bridge End Inn, Cwmtelery was conducted by the deputy coroner for the district Mr. W.H. Brewer. There was some confusion regarding the rules that were in force at the colliery.

Mr. Mackworth questioned John Carpenter about the rules of the colliery. Carpenter said that there were rules posted at the top of the pit and they had been in force at the colliery about twelve months. Every man and boy employed was given a copy when they started work at the pit. He did not know if the Rules had been sanctioned by the Secretary of State.

The manager of the Try Nicholas Colliery, Mr. Ludovick William Rees said that the Secretary of State had given his sanction to the rules of this colliery about 17th June 1856 but the rules to which the assent was given were not the rules that were used in the colliery. The copy of the rules which were approved was not returned by the Secretary of State but a letter was received by the colliery with a copy of them. The original rules were printed and posted at the top of the colliery.

The inquest also had to inquire into the causes of the disaster. Mr. John Carpenter said that he thought the explosion had occurred in Wyatt’s deep heading. He said:

I know this from what I have seen since. I saw that one of the men’s coats was put in that place, Thomas Barwell’s, and that the division of the coal connected with the old loose was blown out. The first door was blown towards the bottom of the shaft, and the other door was blown upwards from the place of explosion. The coal was coked in that place and there the timber was burnt. From those circumstances, I state my belief that the explosion took place there.

The old loose was a stall that had been driven 16 yards from the water level and Carpenter continued:

I have no idea who caused the explosion. It appeared to me that the men had begun to work in this place (Wyatt’s). I believe Barwell was in the act of driving his mandrill into the loose when the explosion happened. I told Wyatt he must get the firemen with lamps because he said he had struck firedamp. I meant that they were to work with safety lamps. It is known that lamps were taken in. it is the custom that after the firemen come out and say all is right, the men go in and work with naked candles. He (Merrifield) must have tried for gas when he went down first and had come back safe to the bottom of the pit to tell the men. Then he must have returned with the naked light, and the act of the man striking the loose produced the gas.

When he examined the explosion area, Joseph Merrifield found a lamp No.33, which he identified as the lamp his brother used. He had warned his brother to be careful in holing in Wyatt’s place but his brother had not listened to him.

George Bence said that he had seen little firedamp in the pit and on the morning of the disaster there was only Merrifield’s lamp. William Smith, a haulier, had seen Samuel Merrifield with an open lamp. He felt the wind of the explosion and was very frightened and ran away. He had been working there for only a week and had not been given a copy of the rules but he had read the rules that were posted at the top of the pit. George Parfitt said he had seen Wyatt with a candle at the bottom of the pit on the day of the explosion.

The engineer of the Risca Colliery, Mr. Charles Anderson Harrison, was called as an expert witness. He inspected the explosion area after the event and thought that there was enough air passing to ventilate the workings and would not have been afraid to work in the colliery with naked lights. As to the cause of the explosion, he thought that when the men had struck through the wall of coal which was very thin and full of breaks, it fell, liberating gas that fired at a naked light. He was in favour of a furnace being installed at the colliery but foresaw difficulties in installing one as there was so much timber in the pit.

The Inspector commented that the owner had made no Special Rules at the colliery and had not carried out a provision of adequate ventilation, doors and locked lamps and the fact that John Carpenter and Samuel Merrifield distinguished themselves in the rescue attempts of their comrades. He concluded his report:

From the evidence which has been given I am induced to attach blame to the fireman, Samuel Merrifield, deceased in so far as he took the top off his safety lamp before being perfectly assured that there was no firedamp in the loose for both sets of rules state that no one shall be allowed to work without a safety lamp in any place where there are signs of firedamp.

The ventilation of the whole colliery is inadequate, even for amine totally without firedamp and this is attributable chiefly to the want of some artificial means of ventilation. The authorised rules imply that a furnace should be employed. Although ventilation is of great importance, in firedamp collieries it cannot be relied upon as security against explosions. The only real safety lies in excluding altogether naked lights although the use of which in the last five years in England 1,187 lives out of 1,200 have been sacrificed, 13 only have lost their lives through defective lamps.

The coroner summed up and the jury retired to consider it’s verdict. They returned the following verdict:

That John Hawkins (one of the 12 deceased) was killed by suffocation consequent upon the explosion of firedamp, occasioned by the recklessness of Samuel Merrifield and the jury recommended that Mr. Russell should restore the furnace or adopt any other plan of adequately ventilating the works, with the double doors referred to in the evidence, and also the observance henceforth of the rules sent by the Secretary of State.

There was a separate verdict on the death of Samuel Merrifield:

Burnt to death by the explosion of firedamp caused by his own negligence and recklessness.

 

REFERENCES
Mines Inspectors Report, 1857. Mr. Herbert Mackworth.

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

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