Abercarn Colliery shaft explosion, 1876

An explosion of firedamp in the shaft being sunk at Cwmcarn for the Abercarn colliery killed three sinkers on 24 July 1876, two years before the Prince of Wales disaster.

Cause

The foreman took a naked light down as well as a locked safety lamp after blasting, instead of having the bottom examined with a safety lamp first, and fired the gas.

What happened

In 1876 a new shaft was being sunk at Cwmcarn for the Ebbw Vale Company's Abercarn colliery, by the contractor Thomas Brown, whose manager was William Ollister. It had gone down 152 yards without accident. Three shifts worked it, each a leader and nine sinkers.

At six o'clock on the evening of Monday 24 July, after firing a shot, the men came up for food. The leader, Henry Atkins of Risca, then went back down with three sinkers, Thomas Jones of Risca, William Williams of Cwmcarn and Thomas Davies, known as Tom Penrhiwbica, of Abercarn. Some eighty to a hundred yards down there was a violent explosion; the planking over the pit mouth was blown up. Three were killed and others injured.

Rescue & recovery

It was two and a half hours before the company's surveyor, D. Evans, could be lowered, and gas drove him back. Attempts were made every half hour; at four in the morning J. T. Green of Celynen Colliery, C. Pond, the Abercarn manager, and a Mr Howells, a contractor sinking at Risca, reached the men and brought up the bodies.

Investigation & inquiry

The Inspector, Mr Cadman, reported that the foreman should have had the bottom examined with a safety lamp before open lights went down. The inquest found that the explosion was caused by Henry Atkins going down the pit with naked lights and that the Ebbw Vale Company and its resident manager, Mr Pond, had taken every precaution.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Three sinkers were killed by an explosion in the shaft being sunk at Cwmcarn on the evening of Monday 24 July 1876. ¹
• Three men were killed at Abercarn in an explosion in 1876. ²
• The foreman took a naked light down after blasting instead of first examining the bottom with a safety lamp. ¹
• The inquest found the explosion was caused by Henry Atkins going down with naked lights, and that the Ebbw Vale Company had taken every precaution. ¹

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “An explosion of firedamp in the shaft being sunk at Cwmcarn for the Abercarn colliery killed…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “The foreman took a naked light down as well as a locked safety lamp after blasting, instead of…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “The foreman took a naked light down as well as a locked safety lamp after blasting, instead of having the bottom examined with a safety…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…shaft being sunk at Cwmcarn for the Abercarn colliery killed three sinkers on 24 July 1876, two years before the Prince of Wales disaster.”
• Shot-firing (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “…took a naked light down as well as a locked safety lamp after blasting, instead of having the bottom examined with a safety lamp first, and…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Abercarn Colliery Explosion 1876 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Abercarn Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines

Record created: 7 October 2026 · Last researched: 7 October 2026