Birchrock Colliery explosion, 1909

At about 3.30 a.m. on 1 October 1909 a naked light left in No. 4 heading at Birchrock Colliery, Pontardulais, ignited gas that had built up after brattice sheeting was knocked down, and the explosion killed five men. The jury found the deaths accidental, due to an open lamp, and exonerated the fireman.

Cause

An explosion of gas ignited by a naked light, in No. 4 heading near the No. 10 gate. Tubs rubbing against timbers had knocked down the brattice sheet that ventilated the bottom of the No. 9 gate, and gas accumulated before it was repaired.

Contributing factors

The pit was worked with naked lights except in certain headings, where safety lamps were used but were not locked. There had been slight outbursts of gas over the previous eleven years although this was the first accident from gas since 1869, and the men thought naked lights were all right in the banks but that safety lamps should be used in the headings. The fireman said that if safety lamps had been used the explosion would not have occurred.

What happened

Birchrock Colliery, at Pontardulais, belonged to Graigola Merthyr and Company of Swansea. The pit worked a double shift and the explosion came on the night shift. Air measured at the foot of the return shaft was 31,600 cubic feet a minute and 22,000 in No. 4 heading on No. 6 level where the explosion occurred, and the men thought the ventilation adequate.

About an hour before the explosion a haulier complained to the fireman that tubs were rubbing against a pair of timbers close to a brattice sheet. The timbers were knocked down and the sheet displaced, which the haulier reported at once. The fireman called out the five men working in No. 4 heading at the No. 10 stall and told them to repair the sheet and reset the timber at the bottom of the No. 9 gate. It took about an hour to restore the ventilation. The fireman went into the heading to see that all was right, passed two loaded tubs, and found a naked light that had been left in No. 4 heading; it ignited the gas that had collected.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest took place at the Institute, Pontardulais, before the coroner, Mr Glyn Price, with H.M. Inspectors of Mines Atkinson and Dyer Lewis present, and the Federation, the Welsh miners and the colliery company all represented. Dr R. J. Isaacs gave evidence that the men had died of injuries and shock. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death due to an explosion of gas caused by an open lamp, and exonerated the fireman from all blame.

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion at Birchrock Colliery, Pontardulais, on 1 October 1909 killed five colliers, at about 3.30 a.m. ^1,2
• Gas that collected in No. 4 heading after brattice was knocked down was ignited by a naked light left in the heading. ¹
• The pit was worked with naked lights except in certain headings, where safety lamps were used but were not locked. ¹
• The jury returned a verdict of accidental death due to an explosion of gas caused by an open lamp, and exonerated the fireman from all blame. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Brattice (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Colliery, Pontardulais, ignited gas that had built up after brattice sheeting was knocked down, and the explosion killed five men. The…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “…found the deaths accidental, due to an open lamp, and exonerated the fireman.”
• Haulier (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…the ventilation adequate. About an hour before the explosion a haulier complained to the fireman that tubs were rubbing against a pair of…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “At about 3.30 a.m. on 1 October 1909 a naked light left in No. 4 heading at Birchrock Colliery, Pontardulais, ignited…”
• Outburst (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s contributing factors: “…safety lamps were used but were not locked. There had been slight outbursts of gas over the previous eleven years although this was the first…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Birchrock Colliery Explosion - Pontardulais - 1909 (NMRS) — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Birchrock Colliery, Glamorgan — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 30 September 2026 · Last researched: 30 September 2026