Birchgrove Colliery sinking accident, 1896

On the evening of Wednesday 20 May 1896 a stone of about a ton and a half fell from the unwalled side of the Brothers Pit at Birchgrove, near Swansea, while it was being deepened to the Four-Feet seam, killing two sinkers outright and fatally injuring a third.

Cause

A large stone fell from the unwalled side of the shaft, probably loosened by the round of shots fired on the previous shift.

What happened

The Birchgrove Graigola Company was sinking one of its pits below the Drew's seam to work the Four-Feet, which a drift through the fault had proved the year before. The new sinking was about thirteen yards deep, twelve feet across and not yet walled. A shift of seven or eight men was at work, three boring shot-holes and the rest sending rubbish up in the bucket, when at about ten past eight a stone a yard long, eighteen inches wide and two feet thick fell from the side without warning.

William Lewis, about fifty, who left a widow and seven children, and George Rogers, 27, who left a widow and two infants, both of Glais, were killed instantly. Thomas Davies of Skewen was critically hurt and died the next day; John Dance and Thomas Rees of Birchgrove were less badly injured. The two men left unhurt cleared the fall, freed their comrades and sent the dead and injured up in the bowk before signalling to the surface.

Rescue & recovery

The two uninjured sinkers dug the others out and sent them up in the bowk. Doctors Elias of Skewen and Jones and Jenkins of Clydach were soon at the pit, where a large crowd gathered.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest before the coroners Strick and Cuthbertson the sinking contractor, David Morgan of Skewen, said it was the first such accident in his 32 years' experience and that the shaft had been examined before the shift; unwalled sections of a hundred yards were not unusual. H.M. Inspector Robson found no breach of the Mines Act, and the jury returned accidental death.

Recorded claims

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

• A fall of stone in the Brothers Pit sinking at Birchgrove on 20 May 1896 killed William Lewis and George Rogers outright. ^1,2,3
• Thomas Davies of Skewen died of his injuries the next day. ^1,4
• A stone of about a ton and a half fell from the unwalled side of the shaft, which was being deepened to the Four-Feet seam. ^1,3
• The inspector found no breach of the Mines Act and the jury returned accidental death. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Drift (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…one of its pits below the Drew's seam to work the Four-Feet, which a drift through the fault had proved the year before. The new sinking was…”
• Kibble (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…fall, freed their comrades and sent the dead and injured up in the bowk before signalling to the surface.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “A large stone fell from the unwalled side of the shaft, probably loosened by the round of shots fired on the previous shift.”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…while it was being deepened to the Four-Feet seam, killing two sinkers outright and fatally injuring a third.”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (primary) Welsh Coal Mines fatalities 1896 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Birchgrove Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) South Wales Daily News, 22 May 1896: Colliery accident at Birchgrove. Two men killed — National Library of Wales, Welsh Newspapers
4. (primary) South Wales Daily News, 23 May 1896: Birchgrove Colliery fatality. Death of another victim — National Library of Wales, Welsh Newspapers

Record created: 10 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026