Near Llanharan (ST 0040 8400)

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There was a Meiros drift opened in 1826 which appears to have closed when the Meiros Pits were sunk.

In March 1886 the No.3 Rhondda seam was struck and consisted of four feet of coal. The lease was for almost 60 years. In November 1887, at the Royal Hotel, Cardiff, this colliery was put up for sale and was purchased for £9,600 by a Mr. Nance a coal merchant of Bute docks, Cardiff. The advertisement for the sale stated that there were two shafts, both lined and elliptical,18 feet 6 inches by 11 feet. In October 1889 this company was admitted into the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. In November 1890 Daniel Lloyd Loughor trading as the Meiros Colliery Company was declared bankrupt.

The two shafts of this mine were sunk in 1880 with a new drift driven into the Lower Pentre seam in 1913 that reached a length of 820 yards by 1923. The original method of ventilation was by a furnace that was 8 feet long and 6 feet wide and produced 32,300 cubic feet of air per minute.

It was worked in the early part of the 20th Century by the Gas Coal Colliery Company, then G. & I. Collieries Limited, and then by Meiros Collieries Limited. This last company was a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. It was sunk to a depth of 332 yards to the Six-Feet seam level and was flanked to the south by Llanharan Colliery, to the east by Ynys Maerdy Colliery, to the north by the South Rhondda Colliery and to the west by Raglan Colliery. Meiros Colliery employed 278 men underground and 36 men on the surface in 1896 when managed by T.H. Hopkins.

By 1907 the Nos. 2 & 3 were working with the manager of both being Ernest H. Thomas. The No.2 employed 82 men, the No.3, 274 men, with 53 men on the surface in 1908 when it was still managed by E.H. Thomas, and 300 men in 1913 when it was still managed by T.H. Hopkins. In 1915 it employed 200 men, in 1916 it employed 440 men, in 1918 James Lewis was manager and it employed 508 men underground and 114 men on the surface, and in 1919 it employed 660 men. It was working in the 1920s and employed 203 men working underground and 122 men on the surface in 1923 with J. Lewis still the manager. In 1927 it employed 450 men but is not listed in 1932. It was purchased in 1937 by the Coalite Company and by 1938 it had been modernised and electrified.

Generally, this colliery produced types 401 to 701 High Volatile Coals, which varied from medium to strong to very strongly caking and were used for gas making, coke ovens and coking blends.

Meiros Colliery worked the following seams over the following area:

  • No.2 Rhondda: 400 yards by 600 yards.
  • No.3 Rhondda: 1,800 yards by 2,200 yards.
  • Hafod: 400 yards by 400 yards.
  • Pentre: 1,200 yards by 2,000 yards.
  • Two-Feet-Nine: 300 yards by 400 yards.
  • Six-Feet 300 yards by 400 yards.

Meiros Colliery was worked near the southern outcrop of the Coalfield where the seams are severely fractured and in places vertical, making them very difficult to mine.  Very few, if any collieries worked them successfully, later attempts by the NCB to work the Meiros take from Llanharan Colliery proved to be a failure.

Some of those that died in this mine:

  • 14/01/1888, David Morgan, Age: 26: Collier: Explosion of a shot of dynamite in a level.
  • 14/01/1888, Lewis Jenkins, Collier: Crushed by four runaway trams which had been knocked away by a journey bumping against them owing to delay in signalling.
  • 29/01/1891, John Barker, Age: 13: Pumper: Fall of the roof.
  • 5/03/1891 John Roberts, Age: 46: Ostler: Found drowned in the sump, 3ft. deep. He had descended on the Sunday morning and signalled all-right.
  • 11/11/1891, John Parsons, Age: 30, Collier, Thomas Davies, Age: 40, collier, Daniel Lewis, Age: 15, collier boy: Explosion firedamp. 3 killed.
  • 9/03/1893, John Sheppard, Age: 38: Ostler: He was assisting to move a loaded waggon on a siding using a level when he slipped and fell with his head against the axle box.
  • 8/01/1895 Walter Rue, Age: 38: Collier: Died 31st July from injuries received by fall of rock roof
  • 28/03/1896, Frederick Ridditch, Age: 19: Collier, John Hale, Age: 44: Fireman, Ernest Jones, Age: 19, fanman: Explosion of firedamp. 3 killed.
  • 17/04/1899, W.J. Dew, Age: 16: Fan boy: Fall of the roof at face rock 4ft. x 6ft. x 12ins thick in the middle while holing under the seam.

 

Some statistics:

  • 1889: Output: 41,273 tons.
  • 1894: Output: 89,401 tons.
  • 1896: Manpower: 314.
  • 1899: Manpower: 288.
  • 1900: Manpower: 300.
  • 1901: Manpower: 340.
  • 1902: Manpower: 373.
  • 1903: Manpower: 380.
  • 1905: Manpower: 325.
  • 1907: Manpower: 402.
  • 1908: Manpower: 409.
  • 1909: Manpower: 365.
  • 1910: Manpower: 300.
  • 1911: Manpower: 335.
  • 1912: Manpower: 287.
  • 1913: Manpower: 300.
  • 1915: Manpower: 200.
  • 1916: Manpower: 440.
  • 1918: Manpower: 622.
  • 1919: Manpower: 660.
  • 1920: Manpower: 700.
  • 1921: Manpower: 700.
  • 1922: Manpower: 700.
  • 1923: Manpower: 325.
  • 1924: Manpower: 701 with Pentre.
  • 1927: Manpower: 319.
  • 1928: Manpower: 220.
  • 1929: Manpower: 450.
  • 1930: Manpower: 203 underground only.

This information has been provided by Ray Lawrence, from books he has written, which contain much more information, including many photographs, maps and plans. Please contact him at welshminingbooks@gmail.com for availability.

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