Great Mountain Colliery

Tumble 54681197

The Nos. 1 and 2 Slants were driven into the Green Vein in 1887 by the Great Mountain Colliery Company Limited with another two slants being opened in 1906. They were bounded by Pontyberem Colliery to the west, Blaenhirwaun Colliery to the north, Cross Hands Colliery to the east and then by the No.3 Pit to the south. In the 1890s it was working the Big Vein by the pillar & stall method of coal extraction and the Green Vein by the long method using safety lamps in both seams. Ventilation was by a 20 feet diameter Waddle fan. In 1900 the manager was John Davies.

This company was a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. In 1908 they employed 440 men underground and 143 men on the surface with the manager being John Davies. In 1911 the manager was E. Miles, in 1915/6 the manager was W. Jones and in 1918/19 the manager was J. Nicholas.

The sinking of the No.3 Pit started in 1936 but was then suspended until it was sunk between 1939 and 1941 by Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Limited. It was an upcast shaft 18 feet in diameter and 600 yards deep. Due to WW2, the downcast was delayed until it was sunk under the name of Cynheidre No.4 Pit. In 1890 it was owned by John Waddell and Sons, and in 1896 it was owned by the Great Mountain Anthracite Collieries Company of Tumble and employed 238 men underground and 76 men on the surface, the manager was Daniel L Jones.

In September 1893 during a bitter miners’ strike the owners of this colliery imported strikebreaking miners from Scotland and England, this was not taken lightly by the strikers and ‘disturbances’ broke out in the area. Extra police were drafted in but they could not cope with the threats of violence. The strikers attacked the lodgings of the strikebreakers smashed the windows and furniture and surrounded the house of the colliery manager before breaking in and causing extensive damage. Following the riots Tumble (which the Times newspaper consistently called Trimble) had over 500 damaged homes, including the managers which the strikers tried to blow up with gunpowder. The Inniskilling Dragoons were brought in to keep the peace and to escort the strikebreakers back to Scotland and the north of England while special constables went around making arrests. The men returned to work a week later.

In 1924 the AAC prospectus stated that:

“The combined output is at a rate of 435,000 tons per annum, rather over half of which is obtained from Great Mountain. This colliery has not yet reaped the full benefit of extensive underground development expenditure incurred during the past years, due to a shortage of power and shortage of personnel. The latter difficulty can largely be overcome by redistribution of the personnel available at New Dynant, while the former is being met by the installation of a large modern power plant which is almost completed. It is proposed to add to this plant and to install a power line to supply power to New Dynant and Pontyberem and reconstruct the Pontyberem screening plant. The net effect of these features will be to reduce the working cost substantially, and to enable the output to increase to 520,000 tons per annum, for £37,000 capital expenditure spread over two years.”

This anthracite mine was served by the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway, and by 1913 employed 842 men and was managed by William Jones. In 1924 the Great Mountain Colliery Company, along with the Ammanford Colliery Company, was purchased for £500,000 by United Anthracite Collieries Limited, which was merged with Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Limited in 1926 AAC retained control of the colliery until Nationalisation in 1947. In the 1927/30 period the No.1 Pit was managed by D.R. Morgan and the No.2 Pit was managed by David Richards.

In 1935 a collier at this pit suffocated and then six weeks later, and only 500 yards away another collier was trapped by a fall and also suffocated. In 1935 the colliery employed 272 men on the surface and 1,100 men underground working the Big, Green, Braslyd, Grad, Stanllyd and Triquart seams. The No.1 was managed by D.R. Morgan and the No.3 by David J. Evans. In 1943/5 the No.1 was managed by D. Evans and worked the Big, Green and Braslyd seams while the No.2 was managed by Rees Davies and worked the Big, Green, Gras, Stanllyd and Pumpquart seams. On Nationalisation in 1947 the colliery was placed in the National Coal Board’s, South Western Division’s, No.1 (Swansea) Area, No.1 (Pontyberem) Group with the manager being D. Evans. The manager in 1949 was A. Jackson.

On the 9th of January 1948, William King, aged 41 years, and a collier at Great Mountain broke his own record of filling the most coal in a week in the anthracite region. He cut by pick, and loaded by shovel, 71 tons which was 10 tons more than his previous record which was achieved a fortnight earlier. The seam was only 30 inches high.

By 1954 it employed 163 men on the surface and 737 men underground working the Big, Green and Triquart seams. This colliery had its own coal preparation plant (washery) and was the site of a central power station.

A survey into pneumoconiosis carried out by the National Union of Mineworkers between 1948 and 1961 showed that 40% of the miners working at this mine had contracted this disease to some degree or other. It also had a serious problem with the phenomenon of outbursts of coal erupting into the coalface. In 1951 a new Waddle type ventilating fan was installed, it was 7 feet 6 inches in diameter. In 1955 there were 390 men working at the coalfaces at this colliery, there were 400 men at the coalfaces in 1956, and 402 men at the coalfaces in 1958. Great Mountain Colliery encountered difficulties in the inconsistency of the coal seams in its take, as can be illustrated by the ‘P’ Coalface in the Big Vein seam which was working in 1958, along the length of the coalface the thickness of the seam varied dramatically from nine feet to two feet ten inches and back to nine feet again.

On the 25th of February 1958 an outburst of coal killed three men, another two men escaped alive.

In 1961 this colliery was still in the No.1 Area’s, No.1 Group, along with Blaenhirwaun, Cynheidre, Cross hands and Pentremawr collieries. This Group had a total manpower of 2,810 men, while total coal production for that year was 465,801 tons. The Group Manager was A.T. Lomas while the Area Manager was J.G. Tait.

The Slants which had a travelling speed through them of 6 mph for man riding and 12 mph for materials were closed on May 5th 1962 although the No.1 was kept open for pumping purposes for Cynheidre until 1986. The No.3 Pit was deepened in 1955 and became an upcast shaft for the new Cynheidre Colliery. On the 31st of October 1935, two miners died in an “outburst” with three more dying in an “outburst” on the 25th of February 1958.

Just some of those who died at this mine;

• 13/11/1891, David Griffiths, Age: 26: Collier: Fall of a piece of coal and clod.
• 2/03/1892, Thomas Davies, Age: 36: Collier: Fall of roof (clift) at face over two props.
• 25/04/1892, William Thomas, Age: 20: Collier: Fall of side coal and clod at face which was not sufficiently spragged.
• 24/05/1892, Henry Hopkins, Age: 54: Labourer: Crushed by machinery at jigger screen.
• 4/12/1892, William Williams Age: 31: Repairer: Fatally injured by explosion of a shot of gelignite.
• 24/01/1895, John Phillpott, Age: 15: Door boy: Crushed by a journey of water tanks on the slant while attempting to jump on as they were passing a landing.
• 11/03/1895, William Harry, Age: 18: Shackler: Crushed between a seam of coal and the roof on a short incline while acting as rider. Road only 4 feet high at place.
• 24/03/1896, Thomas Threharne, Age: 15: Labourer: Killed by a tram which was being hauled out of a dip and getting off the rails at a junction.
• 29/06/1896, Henry Jones, Age: 36: Collier: Fall at face.
• 25/06/1897, William Griffiths, Age: 25: Trammer: Fall of roof on road.
• 6/07/1897, Daniel Evans, Age: 23, Collier: Fall of side at face.
• 13/01/1898, Thomas Davies Age: 27: Collier: Killed by empty tram running wild on slant owing to a shackle pin coming out while he was waiting for a ride.
• 28/08/1888, David Rees, Age: 49: Labourer: Slipped in front of loaded truck .
• 31/07/1889, Edward Haynes, Age: 40: Fitter: Fell from a beam of 10ft. high while erecting a screen.
• 6/03/1890, John Griffiths, Age: 57: Labourer: Crushed by a runaway tram at bottom of an incline the tram having been pushed over by the incline man before attaching the rope thereto.
• 27/11/1890, Morgan Davies, Age: 31: Collier: Fall of roof (15ft. x 4ft. wide at one end, to a point at other) from a slip running almost parallel to face. No props within 4ft. of coal. Longwall. 2 killed.
• 24/03/1910, M.D. Treharne, Age: 26: Stoneman: The explosion of a shot of Saxonite fired by electric battery, while deceased was close to it at the face of a stone drift, resulted in injuries from which he died on the 1st April, 1910.
• 31/05/1910, Edward Moore, Age: 26: Hardground man, Samuel Morse, age 22, hardground man: Explosion of a charge of rippite which had missed fire while the debris from 15 shots which had been fired by electric battery in volleys of 3 or 4 was being cleared away. Four other men were injured. 2 killed.
• 13/04/1911, Walter Jenkins, Age: 25: Collier: Fall of roof on road. While riding out to the relighting station in a journey of trams drawn by a horse one of the trams got derailed and dislodged some timber, and a quantity of small rubbish fell and suffocated him.
• 11/01/1912, Daniel McLoughlin, Age: 18: Labourer: While employed greasing trams at the bottom of a surface incline, he was killed by runaway trams which had become detached from the rest of the journey.
• 13/02/1912, David J. Morgan, Age: 34: Labourer: He was struck down and run over by a train of colliery railway wagons while attempting to get on a locomotive when in motion.
• 1/05/1912, Jonah Thomas,: Collier: Died of pneumonia
• 26/07/1912, Daniel Bowen, Age: 34: Collier: Fall of roof at face of heading.
• 27/09/1912, James Jones, Age: 22, Labourer: Fall of roof at face. In passing along a road parallel with coal face, a large slab of roof fell from slants and killed him.
• 20/03/1913, Sydney Williams, Age: 27: Repairer: In riding up a main slant on a wagon upon which he had loaded timber, he was crushed between some low collars and the timber on the tram.
• 4/09/1913, James Jenkins, Age: 42: Labourer: As he was writing a label for a wagon in front of some trucks standing on the siding, four other trucks were let down against them; he was knocked down and run over. He died from his injuries the following day.
• 20/04/1914, David Davies, Age: 49: Collier As he was tightening a prop against the roof it sprang out and struck him on the forehead and, as a result of a cut, erysipelas set in, causing his death. 24/07/1914, Daniel Owen, Age: 50: Repairer: Fall of roof on roadway as he was holding light for his comrade to cut out some timber. He died from his injuries on 26th July, 1914.
• 13/11/1914, Frederick Joseph Jackson, Age: 32: Rider: He was riding on a journey down a surface incline when the rope was pulled out of the coupling, and he fell underneath the runaway trams.
• 1/07/1914, James Mitchell, Age: 44: Fitter: He was standing on the top of a vertical cylinder of a gas engine doing repairs when he was struck by the chain of a travelling crane. He fell on to a platform 5 feet 8 inches below and so severely injured his head that he died on June 10th, 1914.
• 23/01/1925, Evan Davies, Age: 37: Collier: Lowered on buffers of empty tram when engineman lost control and tram ran to bottom – fatal skull fractured.
• 27/04/1925, William Howells, Age: 46: Fireman: Tried to rescue Morgan Daniel and was ovecome by gas 26/08/1925, Edwin Roberts, Age: 49: Roadman: Runaway tram.
• 30/09/1925, John Donoghue, Age: 30: Collier: Fall of clod – chest injuries.
• 8/05/1926, Vaughan Redvers, Age: 18: Rider: Taking two empty trams down Barry face and was caught and run over.
• 3/05/1927, Benjamin Rees, Age: 23: Hitcher: Taking tram down with a repairer to a fall when he was run over.

Some statistics:

• 1894: Output: 66,613 tons.
• 1900: Manpower: 442.
• 1901: Manpower: 484.
• 1902: Manpower: 503.
• 1903: Manpower: 549.
• 1905: Manpower: 542.
• 1907: Manpower: 580.
• 1908: Manpower: 583.
• 1909: Manpower: 619.
• 1910: Manpower: 647.
• 1911: Manpower: 504.
• 1912: Manpower: 890.
• 1913: Manpower: 842.
• 1915: Manpower: 942.
• 1916: Manpower: 942.
• 1918: Manpower: No.1: 344. No.2: 320. Surface: 200.
• 1919: Manpower: 920.
• 1920: Manpower: 920.
• 1922: Manpower: 1,220.
• 1923: Manpower: 1,203.
• 1924: Manpower: 1,358.
• 1925: Manpower: 1,340.
• 1926: Manpower: 1,370.
• 1927: Manpower: 1,249.
• 1928: Manpower: 1,045.
• 1929: Manpower: 1,045.
• 1930: Manpower: 1,372.
• 1931: Manpower: 1,025.
• 1933: Manpower: 1,273
• 1935: Manpower: 1,100.
• 1937: Manpower: 1,198
• 1938: Manpower: 955
• 1940: Manpower: 912.
• 1941: Manpower: 941.
• 1942: Manpower: 877.
• 1944: Manpower: 940.
• 1945: Manpower: No.1: 442. No.2: 334. Surface: 195.
• 1947: Manpower: 839.
• 1948: Manpower: 854.
• 1949: Manpower: 842. Output: 120,000 tons.
• 1950: Manpower: 822.
• 1954: Manpower: 879. Output: 169,000 tons.
• 1955: Manpower: 900. Output 172,437 tons.
• 1956: Manpower: 932. Output: 144,095 tons.
• 1957: Manpower: 953. Output: 158,069 tons.
• 1958: Manpower: 923. Output: 134,915 tons.
• 1960: Manpower: 572. Output: 107,406 tons.
• 1961: Manpower: 357. Output: 54,746 tons.
• 1962: Manpower: 229.

Information supplied by Ray Lawrence and used here with his permission.