When was the senghenydd mining disaster

There had been occasions when there had been large, sudden outbursts of gas when the men had had to be withdrawn. Cambrian safety lamps made by Messrs Thomas and Williams, with a lead rivet lock, were supplied for used throughout the mine. The manager was under the impression that these lamps were approved under the Act. In this he was mistaken, the lamp had been approved but the lamps were fitted with an unapproved glass. These were cabins on the West and East side, situated a little distance from the shaft and just off the main intake airway.

There was no written authority from the management as was required by the Act. The screens were about 80 yards from the top of the downcast shaft and there was little coal dust carried down the shaft from the surface but some would have blown off the ascending full tubs. The open ends of the trams and the fact that they were piled high with coal were sources from which coal dust could arise and sets of tubs coming from the Kimberly, Ladysmith and No. There was only one wet stretch on the haulage road, which was outbye of the Ladysmith and the workings were generally dry and dusty.

To deal with the dust problem, every afternoon and eight men were engaged in shovelling up the dust from the floor. As far as the manager could remember there were eight men engaged in this work, two in the Lancaster level from the shaft to the Kimberley face, and two in each of the Pretoria, Ladysmith and Mafeking districts.

The whole length of the roads were not cleared every twenty-four hours, only the floor and the roof sides were not touched. Efforts had been made to clean the roof and sides but it was found impractical to remove the dust.

When it was got down, either by brushing or comprised air, it was blown away by the air current and deposited elsewhere. Redmayne did not think that there had been enough effort to overcome the problem and there was yet another breach of the Act. There were arrangements to water the mine and water was conveyed down each of the shafts in two-inch pipes. These were joined to one and a half inch pipes laid along the main haulage roads, fitted every 30 to 40 yards with a tap to which hose pipes were connected and the floors watered every night.

The roof and sides were not watered and the watering of the floor beyond the end of the water pipes was done by water carts which were brought in on the haulage.

As well as these efforts the tubs were sprinkled with water at the double parting in the Ladysmith, one at the entrance to the storage in Mafeking and one by the double parting in No. At the top, there was a right angle piece who passed across the roadway. This was perforated to allow jets of water to play on the trams as they passed.

In the Ladysmith trams had to pass yards before they passed the water and, in the opinion of Mr. Redmayne, did little to suppress dust. There was not a great deal of water available. The water was drawn from the Lancaster Pit at 60 gallons per hour, from the York Pit at 80 gallons per hour and from the sump at gallons per hour. The latter was pumped to a wooden tank on the surface which also contained the water for the water jackets and the coolers for the air compressors.

A pipe connected to the Caermoil Reservoir gave an additional 1, gallons an hour and the water along the roadways worked from the presser of this water. The last inspection of the mine to be made and reported by the representatives of the workmen was made on 18th.

August, They reported as follows:. We, the undersigned, examined the new 6 feet, York East. Found these districts free from gas and headings manholes in good order engines well fenced airways in good condition. Airways in good condition, also manholes and engines well fenced main wants dusting and watering.

Aberystwyth District. East Mafeking. Diluted blower in old road on right-hand side, also in the road near Ben Davies Barry but we all stopped until Ben Hill gets hole from No. York West. Examined this district all in perfect condition, airways and returns in good condition, also manholes and engines well fenced. Glawnant and East Side. Examined this district found diluted blower in Dd.

Examined this district found everything in good order. Lower 9 feet left hand. Found the district in very good condition, free from gas, also roads very good except one part of the straight wanted watering and cleaning.

Found this district very good with the exception of Pikes Road diluted blower on this road, also in dd. District No. Examined this district found everything in perfect condition, airways and returns also manholes. Pretoria 4 feet. We examined this district found every place free from gas, well-ventilated airways, and returns in good condition.

When the explosion occurred on the morning of Tuesday the 14th. October, Mr. Shaw, the manager, was in the lamp room at the surface. Shaw found that the fan was still working and gave orders to a mechanic to set about taking the broken cage from the top of the downcast shaft and repairing the planking over the pit head.

When this was done, Mr. Shaw and D. Thomas, the overman got into the cage n the upcast shaft. They examined the air for 50 yards and found that it was full of smoke and fumes. Signals were coming from below ground and when others had arrived they went down the shaft. The man had been blown into the tub at the pit bottom. They signalled to stop the cage and crossed into the other, pulled the body with them and continued their perilous journey. At the Six Feet Landing the cage jammed on bent girders.

They shouted down to the Nine Feet landing where they found that the men from the East Side were all right. They eventually got the bottom and they found a lot of smoke coming out of the return.

There again there was arranging fire in the cross cut, the doors were blown towards the return and the timbering was burning but there was less woodwork on this side and the fire was not a fierce. They managed to put out the fire and got round to the Lancaster Pit where they found Ernest Moss, a shackler, alive behind some empty trams about four yards to the West of the shaft.

Crossing the pit, they found five or six men lying down full length, but all of them later died. Redmayne commented that it was odd that these men should have died and the banksman killed when Moses had lived. It was concluded that he must have been protected from the full effect of the blast and the explosion would have gained momentum in going up the shaft from the considerable quantities of dust that would have been blowing off the tubs. The overman, D. Thomas, gave a clear and graphic account of his movement to the inquiry.

Shaw went along the Main West Level for about 40 yards to the hauling engine found the planking of the engine starting to blaze. He and others knocked down the planking and extinguished the fire. They went on to the crab engine and the timber there was on fire and every collar that I could see ahead was blazing. There had been no falls but the laggings just behind them were starting to give way.

Shaw retraced his steps and joined Thomas and his party and helped them to put out the fire in the East side crosscut. He then tried to get into the Six feet seam but was stopped by a fall so he came back to the East York Level where he found some men from the East side who had not been affected by the explosion.

The overman informed him that he had withdrawn all the men from the East side workings. Shaw said:. I told him to keep them where they were and to bring them within yards of the pit, and that as soon as I had the York Pit right for travelling in I would send for the men and let them up.

The ventilation was now short-circuiting and there was a strong current passing from the intake to the return through the West side crosscut. The East side also sent men up in the cage, 28 at a time. There was only one who survived the explosion, W.

Lasbury, an assistant timberman. He went down the York shaft on the morning of the explosion at about 7. He then went to the about 20 to 30 yards below the engine on the York West incline when he heard a dull report. He was enveloped in a cloud of dust, which travelled from behind him and he lost his light.

He fell forwards and he called to the engineman asking if he was all right to which he replied that he was. He turned back to the pit and groped his way out. This gave an indication that there had been two explosions. Meanwhile, Shaw had gone to the surface with his party to get further assistance.

He had been down the pit for an hour before work started to repair the water pipes in the shaft with which to fight the fires in the West Main Level.

The fire in the East side crosscut was controlled by breaking a pipe on the East side leading from the column in the upcast shaft although it was damaged. The column in the downcast was completely cut off. Shaw started work within the hour to connect the pipes in the downcast shaft and bring water through the first cross-cut to the West side but he was greatly hindered with the fumes and smoke which affected his eyes very badly.

It was not until the Porth Rescue Station arrived with breathing apparatus that a proper connection was made at. There was a mix up with the message that called them out and much valuable time had been lost. There was a trained Rescue brigade at the colliery but there was no breathing apparatus kept at the colliery. In my opinion, the efficiency of the water supply was a most regrettable incident.

Of course there is always the risk of broken pipes in shafts or underground being broken by the force of on explosion, but the time lost in repairing them would be much less than that absorbed by having to install a complete column. When Dr. Atkinson and Mr. Redmayne arrived at the colliery on Tuesday afternoon at 5.

There was no actual fire visible. It was buried under falls and it was arranged to fill and remove as much of the burning debris as possible with the object of advancing against the fire. Shifts were arranged to carry out the work. Each shift lasting six hours and acting under the direction of a colliery official or mining engineer. The speed of the fan was slackened on the day of the explosion an a committee of mining engineers and others were appointed on Wednesday midday to control the rescue operations.

It was suggested that sand would do the job but this was overruled as unnecessary. It was not until October, 17th. At the Inquiry Mr. He was asked:. I think you were present at an earlier stage when the Chief Inspector considered the question of using sand, and Mr. Leonard Llewellyn said it was not a sandy district, and I said if it were a question of sand I could get a hundred volunteers, get the railway company to run a train, and we would have sand within a few hours from Penarth and Mr.

Llewellyn said they would have the fire out before they could get back. It was not until stoppings were constructed to control the fire, problems with gas had been overcome and the ventilation restored that the exploration of the workings was undertaken. It was not until 10 p. When the Inspector arrived at the at 5. Davies and P. Jenkins, Inspectors of Mines and two others did this about 9 p.

With this knowledge, an exploring party was sent into the Bottanic District at 10 p. It was By the early hours of Wednesday morning 18 men had been rescued alive. Work continued until all the bodies were recovered from the mine. The official report into the disaster refrains from listing the victims by name and gives only a number, job and the cause of death. Four hundred and twenty-one were identified and eight were not. The larger number included seven who were brought from the pit alive and later died at home or in hospital.

Eleven bodies were left in the mine buried under falls which brought the total death toll to Charles Brown who had two illegitimate children Albert Button who supported his old mother George Davies who supported his old mother with his brother John Davies who supported his old mother with his brother George Davies who supported his old mother with his brother Ellis Davies who supported his old mother with his brother David J.

Their's were not the only widows and orphans left in Stanley Street; John Thomas left a widow and five children, aged between 4 and Many of the bodies were mutilated and burnt beyond recognition; many families were advised to bury their dead unseen.

The South Wales Daily News reported that 'included among the victims are some of the brightest characters in the neighbourhood. Deacons, musicians, temperance workers are found amongst them. The subsequent official enquiry blamed the disaster on coal-dust and on the failure to keep it watered down, speculating that a blasting shot prepared by Thomas and Joseph Fullalove had sparked the explosion off.

The enquiry painted a horrific picture of the speed at which the mine workings were engulfed:. The flame followed closely behind the airwave, rapidly increasing the volume of heated air and, consequently, the pressure that was driving it forward from behind. Despite recommendations made by the enquiry and evidence that the Senghenyyd pit was a dangerously dry, dusty and gassy mine, production there continued to expand, reaching 1, tons a day by New safety legislation laid down in the Coal Mines Act was not fully implemented.

On 14 October , Senghenydd pit saw the worst pit disaster in British mining history in which men and boys were killed, including eight 14 year olds. Prof Mills, who has worked in Cheshire for the last 30 years, says he was surprised at how little his English friends knew about the explosion until he showed them photos taken on the day, which he inherited from a family friend.

Service remembers pit tragedies. Major mining disasters in Britain. A double-page newspaper spread, reporting on Britain's worst-ever mining disaster in Senghenydd. An earlier explosion at Universal Colliery in Senghenydd killed 81 men in May Only a single worker survived.