162:
reached this conclusion. They did unanimously agree that shotfiring without sufficient precautions and contrary to the rules meant that that under manager had neglected his duties. The jury made recommendations to improve safety conditions. These recommendations included that shotfiring in timber should be prohibited, old working should be properly stowed and that the number of men in the mines should be kept at all times. The jury also suggested that more thorough inspections should be carried out and that they should be carried out by Her
Majesty's inspectors as the present workmen representatives were deemed worthless. The inspectors responded by saying that apart from disagreeing on the origin of the explosion, their view were in accord with the jury. The inspectors insisted however that the inspections were not worthless or useless and were in fact a good thing when carried out properly, like they generally are carried out in South Wales and Monmouthshire. One of the few survivors, George Bamford, gave his account of the explosion to help the inquest.
132:, and resulted in the deaths of 290 men and boys. Of the 125 horses underground, only two survived. Despite 16 men emerging from the disaster with their lives, only five of these survived. There were no female victims as it had been made illegal for women and children under the age of 12 to work underground in the mines, with the pit ponies replacing them to haul coal, which is why so many horses died alongside the workers. The youngest victim was only 13 and the oldest victim was 60, with the average age being 28 years old.
80:
muscles were evident due to the heavy loads and cramped conditions. Miners also suffered with lung diseases from the amount of dust they were inhaling and the coal had to be cut by hand with a pick axe. Trade unions were difficult to join as the miners usually had to sign an agreement not to join them and if anyone did join a union, they would be sacked and blacklisted by all surrounding coal mines. The miners lived in poverty and could not afford to risk it.
161:
opened in
Pontypridd in August 1894. The differences of opinion between the owners, the inspectors and the professional witnesses led the jury to conclude that the explosion of gas was accelerated by coal dust, but it failed to agree on the cause. Because of this, the inquest lasted 9 days before it
79:
were seen as far more valuable. If human life was lost, it could easily be replaced. Explosions and accidents were only a small part of the problem, many more people were affected by the working conditions and the exhausting jobs that they had to carry out. Long term physical damage of the bones and
74:
Coal mines in South Wales were the number one employers with collieries like the Albion
Colliery dominating the landscape. The miners worked extremely hard for not much money at all as the majority of the profit went to the landowners and the shareholders. There was little regard to the poor working
62:
The Albion Steam Coal Co. began sinking in 1884 at
Ynyscaedudwg Farm. Its two shafts opened in August 1887; 19 feet in diameter, they were sunk 33 yards apart to a depth of 646 yards. Production at the colliery quickly flourished and its average weekly output soon reached 12,000 tonnes. This was the
173:
was of the opinion that the explosion was caused by the blasting of timbers which ignited an accumulation of gas, which ignited the coal dust. Roskill concluded the risk was increased by dangerous working practices, including blasting of timbers during shifts, inadequate watering of the mine to lay
146:. Many were so badly mutilated that identification was virtually impossible, and there were several instances of corpses being carried to the wrong houses. Another cause of confusion was that no-one knew how many men were below ground when the explosion occurred.
174:
dust and new
Saturday shift patterns, so that there was no interval for clearing dust between shifts. Roskill recommended prosecuting the Albion Coal Company, but eventually only fines of £10 and £2 were imposed against manager Phillip Jones and
123:
At 4 o'clock on
Saturday 23 June 1894, the night shift had just begun and the workers were clearing dust and repairing underground roadways when a massive explosion on the Groves level occurred. It was caused by the ignition of
564:
475:
149:
Almost everyone in the community lost someone in the disaster. One household in Howell Street lost 11 members: the father, his four sons, and six lodgers.
559:
54:, whose students commemorated the 120th anniversary of the disaster by participating in a project, recreating the events in the form of a film.
500:
544:
385:
549:
539:
554:
436:
220:
in 1947. At that time there were 991 men employed, reaching an output of 231,639 tons; this reached 620,000 tons after the
200:
In 1908 2,589 worked at the colliery, with the colliery reaching a maximum output of 325,000 tons in 1934. Following the
479:
406:
251:
221:
569:
66:
The colliery brought immigration from
England, Scotland and Ireland for the work opportunities available.
51:
109:
360:
217:
27:
310:
113:
175:
169:
Mr J Roskill to scrutinise the evidence. Roskill in his
September 1894 report submitted to the
194:
187:
89:
205:
170:
135:
The bodies brought to the surface were initially assessed and stored in the colliery's
285:
533:
213:
209:
447:
201:
190:
117:
35:
515:
502:
255:
166:
125:
47:
31:
23:
50:, a long-distance road from Cardiff to Llandudno. The site is now home to
129:
76:
63:
largest tonnage for a single shaft colliery in the whole of South Wales.
108:
Albion was the scene of one of the worst disasters ever to occur in the
158:
139:
143:
136:
157:
The colliery was reopened within two weeks of the explosion, and an
96:
2 men were killed on 24 March 1886, during the sinking of the shafts
335:
361:"Coal Mines Industrial Revolution - Conditions & Key Facts"
336:"Coal Mines, collieries, drifts, welsh mining disasters"
197:, which enabled it to reach maximum production quickly.
204:
of the Albion Co in 1928, the assets were purchased by
186:
Albion was served throughout its entire life by the
386:"BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Working conditions in mines"
311:"Coal Mining in South Wales - Ancestry Insights"
99:4 killed in November 1886, as production started
46:The Colliery was located along the well known
565:Buildings and structures in Rhondda Cynon Taf
437:"Pontypridd, Glamorganshire. 23rd. June 1894"
88:Tragedy struck the colliery with three fatal
8:
478:. rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk. Archived from
112:, second only to the later disaster at the
224:had been added to the production group.
236:
165:Consequently, the Government appointed
470:
468:
466:
464:
462:
460:
280:
278:
276:
274:
272:
246:
244:
242:
240:
75:conditions or the safety of workers.
7:
431:
429:
427:
305:
303:
227:The mine closed in September 1966.
14:
560:Coal mining disasters in Wales
1:
30:, located in the village of
545:History of Rhondda Cynon Taf
142:, that acted as a temporary
407:"Albion Colliery explosion"
586:
550:Underground mines in Wales
128:following an explosion of
540:Collieries in South Wales
340:www.welshcoalmines.co.uk
222:Penrhiwceiber Colliery
216:to become part of the
52:Pontypridd High School
555:1894 mining disasters
365:Industrial Revolution
110:South Wales Coalfield
516:51.62528°N 3.32167°W
70:Life in the Colliery
34:, one mile north of
512: /
218:National Coal Board
28:South Wales Valleys
521:51.62528; -3.32167
315:www.ancestry.co.uk
288:. Welsh Coal Mines
114:Universal Colliery
16:Coal mine in Wales
286:"Albion Colliery"
252:"Albion Colliery"
195:Taff Vale Railway
188:Llancaiach Branch
577:
527:
526:
524:
523:
522:
517:
513:
510:
509:
508:
505:
492:
491:
489:
487:
472:
455:
454:
453:on 13 June 2010.
452:
446:. Archived from
441:
433:
422:
421:
419:
417:
403:
397:
396:
394:
392:
382:
376:
375:
373:
371:
357:
351:
350:
348:
346:
332:
326:
325:
323:
321:
307:
298:
297:
295:
293:
282:
267:
266:
264:
262:
248:
208:, before it was
178:William Anstes.
90:mining accidents
585:
584:
580:
579:
578:
576:
575:
574:
530:
529:
520:
518:
514:
511:
506:
503:
501:
499:
498:
496:
495:
485:
483:
482:on 18 July 2011
474:
473:
458:
450:
439:
435:
434:
425:
415:
413:
405:
404:
400:
390:
388:
384:
383:
379:
369:
367:
359:
358:
354:
344:
342:
334:
333:
329:
319:
317:
309:
308:
301:
291:
289:
284:
283:
270:
260:
258:
250:
249:
238:
233:
184:
155:
106:
86:
72:
60:
44:
20:Albion Colliery
17:
12:
11:
5:
583:
581:
573:
572:
567:
562:
557:
552:
547:
542:
532:
531:
494:
493:
456:
423:
398:
377:
352:
327:
299:
268:
235:
234:
232:
229:
206:Powell Duffryn
183:
180:
171:Home Secretary
154:
151:
105:
102:
101:
100:
97:
92:in ten years:
85:
82:
71:
68:
59:
56:
43:
40:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
582:
571:
570:1894 in Wales
568:
566:
563:
561:
558:
556:
553:
551:
548:
546:
543:
541:
538:
537:
535:
528:
525:
481:
477:
471:
469:
467:
465:
463:
461:
457:
449:
445:
438:
432:
430:
428:
424:
412:
408:
402:
399:
387:
381:
378:
366:
362:
356:
353:
341:
337:
331:
328:
316:
312:
306:
304:
300:
287:
281:
279:
277:
275:
273:
269:
257:
253:
247:
245:
243:
241:
237:
230:
228:
225:
223:
219:
215:
211:
207:
203:
198:
196:
192:
189:
181:
179:
177:
172:
168:
163:
160:
152:
150:
147:
145:
141:
138:
133:
131:
127:
121:
119:
115:
111:
104:1894 disaster
103:
98:
95:
94:
93:
91:
83:
81:
78:
69:
67:
64:
57:
55:
53:
49:
41:
39:
37:
33:
29:
25:
21:
497:
484:. Retrieved
480:the original
448:the original
443:
414:. Retrieved
410:
401:
389:. Retrieved
380:
368:. Retrieved
364:
355:
343:. Retrieved
339:
330:
318:. Retrieved
314:
290:. Retrieved
259:. Retrieved
226:
214:World War II
210:nationalised
199:
185:
164:
156:
153:1894 inquest
148:
134:
122:
107:
87:
73:
65:
61:
45:
19:
18:
519: /
476:"Cilfynydd"
416:10 February
391:17 February
370:17 February
345:17 February
320:10 February
202:liquidation
58:Development
534:Categories
504:51°37′31″N
444:THE ALBION
231:References
182:Production
118:Senghenydd
77:Pit ponies
36:Pontypridd
507:3°19′18″W
256:BBC Wales
176:chargeman
167:barrister
126:coal dust
120:in 1913.
84:Accidents
48:A470 road
32:Cilfynydd
24:coal mine
486:14 March
292:14 March
261:14 March
130:firedamp
42:Location
193:of the
159:inquest
140:hayloft
212:after
144:morgue
137:stable
22:was a
451:(PDF)
440:(PDF)
411:Wales
488:2009
418:2016
393:2016
372:2016
347:2016
322:2016
294:2009
263:2009
191:line
116:at
26:in
536::
459:^
442:.
426:^
409:.
363:.
338:.
313:.
302:^
271:^
254:.
239:^
38:.
490:.
420:.
395:.
374:.
349:.
324:.
296:.
265:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.