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	Individual Details		Individual Details

Age:	13
Died:	18th Dec 1876
Accident:	18th Dec 1876
Year Born:	abt. 1863
Colliery:	South Wales
Company:	South Wales Coal Co.
Occupation:
Notes:	Explosion, firedamp, ignition caused by naked light
Buried:	[not known]
Category:

The next case on my list which I have to notice is the most serious of the year — the explosion of fire-damp at the South Wales Colliery, Abertillery, which occurred on the 18th December causing the loss of 23 lives. Perhaps the better way will be for me to transcribe my evidence given at the inquest which will explain the whole matter. It was as follows :—

Upon hearing of the explosion in the South Wales Colliery, I visited the mine with as little delay as possible. I descended the Tillery Pit and made a most careful examination of the workings, more particularly of that part in which the explosion took place, together with the roads and airways leading to and from it. The colliery has four shafts — three in Cwmtillery, and one sunk to the deep of the present workings, in the Blaina Valley, one of those in Cwmtillery being the upcast.

The ventilation is produced by a furnace at the bottom of the upcast pit.

The workings where the explosion occurred are ventilated by a fresh current of wind from the Rose Heyworth Pit — that in the Blaina Valley — and after passing through these workings is conveyed direct into the return to the upcast pit. By referring to the plan produced, you will I think be able clearly to understand me. The arrows marked appear to me to shew the course taken by the air correctly. I was much surprised to find that very little damage had been done to the workings, and with the exception of a few doors being blown down, and some evidences of fire, hardly any thing indicated such a terrible event having occurred. There were really no falls of any importance, and I had no difficulty in making an examination of the whole place. Although the wooden doors had been destroyed, and only temporary sheets hung in their places, I was unable to detect the least sign of the presence of gas in any part of the district. It appeared perfectly free from the least indication of fire-damp at the time of my visit. The coal is worked upon the long wall system, and in passing up the working face I found the effects of the fire were greatest about the centre of Ralph's heading and the working faces on the left side, where the coal and timber were much charred; but from there on to the face of the heading all indications of burning gradually disappeared. After very careful consideration of the effects of the explosion, I am of opinion that the gas was ignited in or near the face of Williams' stall off Ralph's heading shown upon the plan. My next consideration was the cause of any gas accumulating in the workings. I was most distinctly told that a proper examination of the workings had been made before the men went to work on the morning of the 18th, and found the examination duly recorded in a book kept at the mine. This report stated that the workings were free from gas. I further noticed in several places along the face of coal the fireman's mark, the date written in chalk. At my first examination as I said before, I found that with considerable quantities of air escaping through the temporary sheets the places were free from gas, so that with the amount of ventilation produced under ordinary circumstances I felt convinced that some other cause must be found for the explosion than a disarrangement of the ventilation in the working faces and roads. After the explosion when the doors had been blown down for some time, the only place where gas accumulated was in the highest part of the workings at the far end of Ralph's heading, and I have no doubt if the accumulation of gas causing the calamity had taken place through defective ventilation it would have been at the same point, whereas we find no effects of fire at all near there. Again, if the gas had collected in the cavity in the roof over the fall near the face of Goodwin's stall, which has been mentioned in evidence, I cannot think that it could have passed across Ralph's heading in a level course line to the faces A. B. without first filling the heading, which we know it did not do. The fire-damp of mines is very little more than half as heavy as air, and will naturally fill the highest places first; and besides this the drag of the mine was towards the other side of the fall, and not back towards Goodwin's place, so that any gas coming from the fall would be taken towards Stephen's heading. On the morning after the explosion I found a strong current of air passing through the gob in the direction above indicated. I made particular inquiry as to the mode of stowing the waste, and whether any place had been left open which was not ventilated, and where gas might accumulate, and as far as I could learn the only places that had not been carefully packed were the old stall off the chain heading, and the face of Griffith's stall where the roof had fallen. With regard to the stall off the chain heading, that was some distance from the actual scene of the explosion, and a man working near there was not injured by the fire, nor was the place affected by it. As to the fall near Griffiths old stall shut off from the other workings the current of air allowed to pass over it, from the nature of the fall, would probably clear all gas away. This place has since been opened through the gob, and I examined it to the top of the fall, but I do not think that the explosion was the result of any gas collected there, nor could I find indications of the fire having been over the fall. At my second visit I found that the wooden doors had been renewed, and the ventilation was once more in order. I then found 10,725 cubic feet of wind passing along the intake from the Rose Heyworth to this district, and after all leakages through doors, &c. on the return from the end of the district I measured a current of 8,420 cubic feet of air per minute. It was suggested that a door might have been left open, allowing the air to pass direct into the return without ventilating the district, and so allowing gas to collect after the fireman had made his examination. I, however, tested this very carefully. In company with the manager and fireman I first opened the door on the little level heading, and carefully watching the result for a long time, found that sufficient air continued to travel the face to keep it free from any indication of gas, and would have done so, I have no doubt, under the conditions then existing for a very long time. I next closed that door, and opened the one in Ralph's heading, which allowed the whole of the air of the district to pass into the return without entering the face where the explosion occurred. I left this open for over an hour, and was still unable to detect any sign whatever of the presence of firedamp, even in the far end of the heading.

I am satisfied that the explosion was not caused by any doors being left open, but that the gas was suddenly forced out from the top on to the open lights of the colliers in the face at or near the point already referred to. The nature of the roof is such that gas may accumulate in the strata above without being detected after the coal has been worked, and be forced out at any time, and this I believe occurred at the time we refer to. Gas in the strata, as I have described, may not be detected by the fireman making the usual examination, and would be out of the reach of the current of air passing along the faces. Such an accumulation would be liable at any time to be forced out upon the workmen. The engineers of the colliery have admitted the possibility of a recurrence of such an outburst of firedamp at any moment in the future, and in this I agree with them; so that it becomes a most serious matter for consideration how a similar calamity may be guarded against, as well as to inquire strictly into the cause of the late explosion. On the 5th of April 1873 an explosion occurred in this same district, killing six persons, when I believe it was thought that some doors had been left open allowing gas to accumulate, and it was stated at that inquest that the general ventilation of the colliery was good, so that under ordinary circumstances, and with the doors in their places, the explosion could not have occurred. I did not examine the pit upon that occasion, but I simply refer to that matter to show that, according to evidence given by my very able predecessor, the late Mr. Brough, and others fully qualified to judge, the safety of the men in these workings depends to a very great extent upon the doors and sheets being kept closed, and also the non-occurrence of any sudden discharge of gas into the roads and faces such as I believe took place on the 18th December. Over the three-quarter coal there is a clod ranging in thickness from two to four feet which appears often to settle down upon the gob or waste before the rock above it, and so leaving a space where gas might accumulate, and at any time be forced out into the workings. The question of the two furnaces has been very carefully gone into at this inquiry, and I think the facts will speak for themselves. Whereas they only registered in the beginning of last year from 20,000 to 24,000 cubic feet of air passing from the west side per minute with two furnaces, we find 36,000 and 40,000 last month with only one furnace. The position of the furnaces may have caused them to interfere with each other, and improvements have been effected which will account for an increased quantity. I have thought the whole matter over very carefully, and from my own decided opinion of the cause of the explosion, and the nature of the workings, besides the opinions expressed at this inquiry by those who have daily experience in the mine itself, I am convinced that the only means of working the three-quarter seam in this colliery with any degree of safety, is by means of locked safety lamps, which I feel it my duty to recommend in future. With the best ventilation constantly produced, and open lights, a sudden discharge of gas would probably at any moment cause another explosion, which we are in duty bound to do all in our power to guard against. We cannot be too strict in the discipline of the mine, and if safety lamps are adopted in the colliery, it must not be taken as a reason for the ventilation to be neglected in any way, but with every thing well attended to, I trust we may thus at least prevent a similar occurrence in the future.

After a very careful inquiry, occupying several days, the jury returned the following verdict:—

We have carefully considered the evidence, practical and scientific, and have come to the unanimous opinion that the occurrence was totally accidental, and that the deaths were consequent upon burning and after-damp.

I may observe that locked safety lamps are now used in accordance with my recommendation.

Pub. Date	Article (Newspaper)
19 Dec 1876	Fearful Colliery Explosion At Abertillery, Loss Of Nineteen Lives, Fourteen Persons Injured (South Wales Daily News)
20 Dec 1876	Fearful Colliery Explosion At Abertillery, Another Death (South Wales Daily News)
22 Dec 1876	The Abertillery Explosion, Funerals Of The Victims, Correct List Of The Killed And Injured (South Wales Daily News)
22 Dec 1876	Terrible Colliery Explosion Near Abertillery, Eighteen Men Killed, And A Great Number Injured (The Merthyr Telegraph)

• 1876 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 1734), South-Western District by Thomas Cadman, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 333 Where to find this report
• 1876 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 1734), South-Western District by Thomas Cadman, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 338, Accident Number: 44 Where to find this report

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