CAE. Llanlley, Glamorganshire. 3rd. November, 1858

The colliery was owned by Francis Davis and Company and ten men and boys were killed in the accident. On Wednesday at 4 p.m. when there were fifteen men working in the mine when one man struck an old working and the pit started to fill with water. In a short time, it had reached eighteen feet.

It took some time to recover the bodies and a large engine was set to work to pump out the water. There was a rumour that the manager thought that there were old workings close at hand. On the Saturday before the disaster, the manager and part-owner Mr. Francis, had a conversation with the Inspector and when he was asked about the presence of old workings, he said, “Oh there is work for twelve months before we get some water from the California old workings.”

Those who lost their lives were

  • David Francis manager and part-owner,
  • John Thomas,
  • John Lloyd,
  • Daniel Samuel,
  • Joseph Williams,
  • William Treherne,
  • David John,
  • Benjamin Samuel,
  • Thomas Johns,
  • William Harry.

Work went on pumping the water out of the pit for several weeks before the bodies were recovered. The inquest was held at the Ship and Castle Inn, Llanelly before Mr. W. Bonville, Coroner.

John Bowen was working at the colliery at the time of the disaster. He told the court:

I was on the pit top when the accident happened repairing carts which are used to convey coal underground. The accident happened at four o’clock. When the accident happened I ran as fast as I could to the air-pit. I saw nothing but water. The water was choked up the airway on the west side. I came back to the shaft and found two boys, John Samuel and David Thomas who had been working in the colliery that morning. I then came out and brought the two boys with me. John Samuel is partially blind. Then I went to Mr. Williams for some barrels to draw the water out of the pit. The pumping engine was working as much as it could. There were seven or eight yards of water in the shaft that evening.

We kept both engines and some of the barrels raising water; one engine was working the pumps and one lifting the barrels. The pumps failed and another box was put to them and subsequently a new set of pumps altogether. The first box was six inches and the last eight and a quarter inches. With new pumps we got the water out. This was on the 16th at six or seven o’clock in the evening.

I then went through the air road to repair the “stoppages” but we could not get to the bodies for the consequence of foul air. We went down again the next morning and then found the bodies, six of whom were found on the west side. Two others were found an hour and a half later on the same side of the pit. Two of the six were found on the main level and anther lying across these two bodies. this was near the fourth top hole. Another body was found with his head in a basket, lying on his chest. Two more were found at the end of the stage and another was found near the airway.

Mr. Thomas Evans, H.M. Inspector of Mines then gave his conclusions:

The Cae colliery is one of those numerous little works carried on to supply the immediate neighbourhood. It is about twenty-eight and a quarter fathoms deep ad works about eleven tons per day. On each side of the shaft, levels extend to the east and in a westward direction and upon the levels the coal is worked almost to the outcrop.

Some few years since the owners of the colliery had worked a small colliery to the east of their present pit and in the course of time it filled with water. The eastern level of the present works was supposed to be about the same line of level as the western level of the old works and in extending the level,, the owner or person who was a supposed to manager the underground works, must have known that to approach these old workings was a dangerous operation without proper boreholes. The near working of the level had actually worked within eight inches of the water!

Mr. Evans added that the rules seemed to have been totally disregarded and there were no plans whatever by which the colliery had to work and so it was impossible for any man to say where he was working.

The Coroner summed up the jury brought in the verdict of:

Accidental Death caused by the ignorance of Daniel Francis, one of the deceased for not practising means of boring and keeping plans of the workings.

The jury gave their fees to the relief of the widows and children and Mr. Evans donated £1 1s.

 

REFERENCES
Mines Inspectors Report, 1858. Mr. Thomas Evans.
The Colliery Guardian, 3rd November 1858. p.310.
The Cambrian.

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

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