New Tredegar Colliery Explosion – Bedwelty – 1875

NEW TREDEGAR. Bedwelty, Monmouthshire. 4th. December, 1875.

The colliery was owned by Sir George Elliott, M.P., and Company and Mr. Louie was the manager. Five hundred men worked in the pit and when it was sin full production it produced 3,500 tons per week but at the time of the explosion there was a depressed market for coal and the mine was producing only 1,000 tons per week with the men working a four day week. Discipline at the mine was generally good and it was stated that it was worked with locked lamps. The previous Friday, two men, George Batten and Aaron Williams had been burned when a blower ignited when a shot was fired at the top.

William Strong, the fireman, carried out the inspection before the men went down and told the next fireman, John Morris that all was well. When the explosion occurred there was no shortage of volunteers and Mr., Louie led the first party to go down. A lamp with a hole in the gauze that was large enough to let the flame through was found.

After the disaster, Mr. Brough went to the colliery with Mr. Cadman H.M. Inspector of Mines for the South West District, after meeting him in Newport and made a careful inspection of the Top Ras Las seam where the explosion took place. They found that there was very little damage done by blast other than blown outdoors and stoppings and as soon as the gas cleared they were able to inspect every part of the mine, and they came to the conclusion that there had been two explosions, one on the Friday evening and another the following morning.

They found an old stall road leading to Joel Ancock’s stall that had been partially blocked off at the end but to keep it clear of gas, a small air current was allowed to pass through. Some gas had accumulated in or near this stall and was ignited when a shot was fired by two men in the main roadway near the entrance to the place. Two men were burned in the next roadway and this explosion occurred on the Friday night.

The scene of the explosion consisted of a straight main heading with three working stall roads off it on the right-hand side and four off the left, with the working face all around. The air coming down the road first ventilated Ancock’s old place and the three others on the right, passed around the bottom of the main heading, along the face of the coal on the left and joined another fresh spilt above, ventilated a few more places and passed directly into the main return.

The Inspector thought that the second explosion was caused by the same blower that would have been burning in the goaf or that the gas from the blower had become ignited by some means on the right-hand side of the heading. Gas appeared to be given off more readily on that side although it could not be detected by a lamp after the air had been restored but blowers could be heard. The fact that there was little damage done led him to the conclusion that little gas had exploded. Mr. Cadman and Mr. Brough made a careful inspection and found that the second blast had started on the left-hand side, charred Arthur Thomas’ stall and for then went to Moses Prangley’s where traces of the explosion were most evident. The force of the blast had blown each end of Prangley’s stall out which indicated that this was the point of ignition.

As to how the gas accumulated there, the Inspector found that some men were engaged in making a place for some wooden doors in Moses Prangley’s stall in place of a brattice sheet that was hanging there. The men were at work a few yards from the sheet and in moving backwards and forwards they may have moved it or temporarily removed it for convenience.

Those who died were:

• Llewellyn Jones.
• Thomas Price.
• Roger Williams.
• John Jones.
• John Williams.
• Moses Prangley.
• Ethel Edwards.
• John Davies.
• John Jones.
• Arthur Thomas.
• John Williams.
• William Williams.
• John Thomas.
• Samuel Jenkins.
• Stephen Sellick.
• William Evans.
• George Williams.
• George Sanders.
• Thomas John Williams.
• James James.
• Edwin Hinder.
• Thomas Evans.

The injured:

• John Pugsley escaped though burned,
• Aaron Williams,
• George Batton was injured on the night of the 3rd December.

There were two inquiries held by two Corners, one from Glamorganshire and the other for Monmouthshire. The inquiries we arranged so that one should follow the other with two different juries. At the inquest held by George Overton, Coroner held an inquest at Pontlottyn. John Hancock, the night overman, said that Emmanuel Jacobs was ripping the top by shots and did not consult with him. The shots were fired by the night fireman, John Williams who was assisted by John Morgan. Hancock said that there were usually about 30 shots fired per night.

John Lloyd, the timberman, was with the rescue team that descended the pit with Mr. Louie, the manager. They went down Owen Davies’ slant about two hours after the disaster, to Moses Sprangley’s stall where they found the body of John Jones and Lloyd picked up his lamp and gave it to Samuel Thomas. The party made a complete search and several bodies were found.

William Pickard of Ince, Wigan was allowed to make an inspection of the pit after the explosion and he said that he saw two blowers but could not account for the explosion. He agreed that the mine was well laid out and Sir George Elliott had spared no expense for the safety of the mine. He suggested that the flow of water in the upcast shaft be stopped.

The Coroner summed up and the jury brought in the following verdict:

We find that Samuel Jenkins died from the effect of an explosion of firedamp in the New Tredegar Colliery and we are of the opinion it was caused by an accumulation of gas in Owen Davies’ slant at the entrance to Moses Sprangley’s stall from the blowers in the immediate district but there is no evidence to show how it was ignited.

We recommend that the day fireman inspect the workings and make a report in the book before the day men enter the workings and stricter discipline be insisted on by the manager among his subordinate officials and the work on the ventilation recommended by Her Majesty’s Inspector be completed as soon as possible.

Mr. Brough commented that both the verdicts were in such terms as to be incapable of any other interpretation as “Accidental Death”.

REFERENCES
Mines Inspector Report, 1875. Mr. Lionel Brough.
Colliery Guardian, 10th December, p.873, 24th December, p.954, 21st January 1876, p.96.
”And they worked us to death” Vol.1. Ben Fieldhouse and Jackie Dunn. Gwent Family History Society.

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