Tales from the Valleys 1

In research for a book I have planned I have been researching the South Wales coal fields, more specifically the coal mines of the Rhonnda Valleys and its immediate environs. This is my home turf and I've more than a reasonable knowledge of the general history, but when you start delving into specific areas of history you come up with many colourful stories, some joyous but many more heartbreaking.

This post, the first in an occasional series, will look at the disaster at the Great Western Colliery in April 1893 in which 63 men lost their lives. The first photograph on this page shows the colliery as it is today,derelict, unloved, but at least still standing unlike so many of the collieries in the area which have been demolished long ago, taking their history with them.
The second picture shows the same colliery in the year 1910, when it was the third biggest employer in the general area. Much of the workforce came from the nearby communities of Hopkinstown, Pontypridd, Trehafod and Porth.

The extensive sprawl of the Great Western must have looked impressive to travellers going past the buildings on the Taff Vale line. The most striking features of the colliery where the towers of No 1 and No 2 pits, situated seventy yards apart. It was here that a terrible disaster occured when a fire broke out beneath ground. The death of 63 men in one event would make worldwide news and cast a grim shadow over the entire valleys.

The initial reports were that a terrible explosion had taken place and that 40 men had already been brought out dead but as people filled the single highway towards the colliery, coming from all directions, it was found that the truth was worse...much worse.

It was soon ascertained that a terrible fire was raging in the four foot seam, some five hundred yards beneath ground, where over 170 men were working.The fire had originated close by and there was no word as to the condition of the men still trapped in what must have resembled the bowels of Hell itself.

A rescue party were formed, led by W.R.Beith a man who had led the party that had rescued the entombed men in the Tynewydd disaster sixteen years previously. He held out strong hopes for the trapped men, sayin g that the men had probably moved back towards the face of the working where they would be able to divert the smoke and noxious vapours. If the fire could

be brought under control there was every chance of reaching the trapped men.

There follows an excerpt from The POntypridd Chronicle:

MIRACULOUS ESCAPES

A terrible calamity occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the Great Western Colliery, Pontypridd. About 3 O’clock news arrived at Pontypridd that the pit had caught fire, and that about two hundred men were lost, and consequently a large number of people wended their way to the pit’s mouth, where however, it was ascertained that although a most calamitous accident had occurred, the number of lives lost was somewhat exaggerated. For several hours the crowds around the pit remained in painful suspense, awaiting for

news from below, and the officials and others were busily engaged in finding out what the real state of affairs.

THE FIRST ALARM

Mr W.M. Jones, surveyor, and Mr Morgan Thomas were down the Five-foot seam when the fire started, and a report was made to them that two men had fallen down the Tymawr Pit. As this was an unusual circumstance they came to the conclusion that something was wrong, and at once hastened to the spot where they found the body of James Titley fearfully mangled by the fall. It subsequently appeared that Titley and his brother Jesse were making their escape from the fire in No 4 seam, and in the excitement of the moment the former stepped into the shaft, and was precipated a depth of something like 90ft. Jesse who saw the danger too late to save his brother, caught hold of him by the clothing, but failed to prevent the fatal fall. The narrow escape which he had of a terrible death and the loss of his brother affected the poor man seriously, and he was taken home in a very exhausted condition. By this time the crowd around the pit’s mouth had become so great that it was thought necessary to obtain police assistance to keep them away, and consequently Superintendent Jones with a strong force of constables arrived on the scene. The managers and officials of the neighbouring pits together with a number of medical gentlemen were early on the scene of disaster ready to render what aid they possibly could.

It was about half past two in the afternoon when there were about 800 men employed in the various workings, when the officials on the surface became aware of the fact that a fire had broken out at No 4 Seam. The news spread with extraordinary rapidity throughout the district, and within a very short time hundreds of people made their way to the colliery, amoung them the relatives of the men who were down the pit. Those who were working on seams other than No 4 had no difficulty in escaping, but there still remained about 150 men, for whose safety the very gravest fears were entertained.

THE PIT ON FIRE

In the meantime efforts were being made to rescue the men who were still in the pit, and these on the surface were able to gain some information as to the extent of the accident. Between the Hetty and the Tymawr Pits was fixed an engine for winding purposes. In one direction from this engine extends what is called the East Main Dip, and almost at right angles is the East Far End. It was at this point that the fire originated. It is supposed by some of those who were down at the time that a spark must have ignited some oil, cotton and tar which was in the vicinity. Once the fire started, it had plenty to feed upon in the shape of woodwork, and the flames were carried through the intake in to the workings.

THE RESCUE

Several rescue parties now endeavoured to descend the Tymawr Pit, the first of these being lead by Mr W.M. Jones.

On stepping out of the cage into the opening of the level they noticed a few men jammed up against a barrier which had been placed there to prevent men from going out that way, it being an unusual exit. Mr Jones and Mr Thomas attempted to face these men, and made violent efforts to pull them out. These were ineffectual, and they were soon so exhausted by the smoke that they were compelled to leave them; and when they were subsequently recovered it was found that four of them – Phillip Jones, Lewis Williams, William Williams and Charles Cavill – were dead, having been overcome by the “choke damp.” The surveyor and overman returned to the top of the pit, and it was with the utmost difficulty that they were able to bear the journey. They were compelled to sit down on the bottom of the cage, having nearly exhausted themselves. After getting up Mr Jones went rapidly to No 2 Pit. He descended here and met Mr James, the manager, and they decided to stop the Tymawr fan for a short time, intending by that means to enable the rescue party to get out the few men who had been jammed up against the barrier. The rescue party got down in about half an hour and brought the men out, but as has already been stated, they were dead. One of them, it is true, was believed to have breathed after he was moved, but this could not be verified.

The main efforts of the rescuers, however were devoted to making some progress into the east far end by going along the return air-way from the Tymawr shaft, but they got on only about 100 yards when the air became so foul that they were compelled to return. Finding that there was no further probability of more men being found in the No 4 east far end return, The Tymawr fan was restarted so that the air would blow with more than its usual force. It may here to be stated that by the Tymawr fan and the larger fan at No 1 Pit 280,000 cubic feet of air per minute are supplied to the colliery. Mr Jones came up to the surface and went down again at the No 2 or “Hetty” Pit.

FIGHTING WITH FIRE

The manager (Mr James) was still there working hard at the fire, was doing all he could to get it under control. A good supply of water was obtainable by pipes from the surface, large barrels full being also sent rapidly down the pit and used as buckets. Portable fire engines and hand grenades were also called into requisition with the result as already stated, that the fire in the East Main Dip was got under with reasonable rapidity.

But little could be done to check the progress of the flames in the east level leading to the east far end, where about 50 miners were known to entombed. The fall of earth we have described offered a more serious obstacle, and at midnight the woodwork beyond was still burning fiercely. As the news of the disaster spread into Pontypridd and the surrounding district large crowds of people hurried to the scene, and awaited news from the bottom of the pit. The arrival of 80 men from the East Main Dip created intense excitement. There were few of those harrowing scenes so often witnessed at a pit mouth during a great disaster. There were two reasons for this. In the first place the exact nature of the calamity was not known, nor could it be ascertained what men were closed in the workings, either in number or identity.

A descent was made at 8.40pm and had for its object the exploration of the airway leading from the East Far End working to the up-cast. As in the case of earlier efforts, this was found to be utterly impracticable. Yet another trial was made in this direction at 9 o’clock. They hoped if only able to pass the barrier of foul air, to reach the fire beyond the fall, and thus to get in front of it. But their endeavours were to no avail. The presence of the warning, “blue cap” in their lamps showed that it would be folly to proceed. At the latest hour intelligence was available that a fresh danger was dreaded by all experienced in the mines in the Rhondda. The presence of a raging fire in a pit might at any moment cause a terrible explosion.

Up to four o’clock in the morning only a single jet played on the fire, but this was supplemented by buckets of water conveyed from hand to hand all night long, the water being obtained from water barrels which were sent down incessantly from above, and conveyed upon trams as near as possible to the scene of the action. The work had to be conducted under the most trying conditions, for the workers were confined in a heated heading, through which the fire had recently passed. The heading all along was strewn with debris from above, the falls in one place being fully eight feet deep and 30 yards long, while the debris itself was hot and most painful and difficult to tread upon. During the night fitters and others were engaged in fixing a new range of pipes, which when completed, were connected to a 400ft hose brought in by the Pontypridd Fire Brigade, thus enabling a second jet of water to be applied to the fire. The pressure of water however was ridiculously small, though the best that could be possibly obtained under the circumstances.

FINDING THE DEAD

Three exploring parties came to the bank shortly after two o’clock on Thursday morning and reported that in the pit they had found 54 bodies. They were huddled together mostly in groups and appeared to have died from suffocation. The news was received by the crowd around the gates in a most solemn manner, and having heard the worst, dispersed to their homes. Early on Thursday morning the bodies were brought out and laid out for identification at the Tymawr House, which had been converted into a temporary mortuary. The scenes witnessed here were of a most solemn and agonising character. The town of Pontypridd also wore a solemn look, and as procession after procession wended their way with bodies through the town, the tears of sympathy could be seen trickling down the cheeks of the crowd that lined the roads.