MineArchiveBishwell Colliery locomotive collision, 1883
On the afternoon of 5 May 1883 the Bishwell Colliery locomotive, coming down from the pit to the Great Western line at Gower Road with loaded wagons behind it, ran into wagons on the siding at a blind curve. The driver, Thomas Lewis, and Edward Davies were killed outright, and one of two boys riding home on the engine was badly injured.
| Date | 5 May 1883 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Bishwell Colliery |
| Region | Swansea |
| Type | Haulage / Transport |
| Fatalities | 2 (Thomas Lewis, 40 or 44, engine driver, who left a widow and five children; Edward Davies, 50, weighman or shunter.) |
| Injuries | Two colliery boys were on the engine: William Williams, son of the Waunarlwydd postmaster, got away with minor injuries; a boy named Hughes was seriously hurt. |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The engine, pushed along too fast by the loaded wagons behind it, could not stop on the sharp curve into the siding, where the tips hid the line ahead, and ran into standing wagons near a Great Western engine.
What happened
The Bishwell line fell steeply from the colliery to the Great Western Railway about 200 yards from the station. The engine was almost totally wrecked and thrown down the embankment and its tender smashed. Lewis was found between the handrails as if jumping clear, Davies hanging from the other side.
Investigation & inquiry
The inquest was resumed at the Commercial Inn, Gower Road, before J. Gaskoin, deputy coroner, with the railway company and the Bishwell Colliery and Coke Company represented. The evidence conflicted over who had left two trucks on the Bishwell siding: the railway's men said the colliery men had put them there.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- The Bishwell Colliery engine driver Thomas Lewis and Edward Davies were killed when the colliery locomotive collided at the Gower Road sidings. 1,2,3
- The collision happened between three and four on the afternoon of Saturday 5 May 1883. 1,3
- Coming down from the colliery with loaded wagons behind, the engine was pushed too fast and on a sharp curve, where the tips blocked the view, ran into wagons or a Great Western engine at the siding. 1,2,3
- Two colliery boys were riding on the engine; one escaped with minor injuries and the other was badly hurt. 1,3
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On the afternoon of 5 May 1883 the Bishwell Colliery locomotive, coming down from the pit to the Great Western line at…” - Deputy (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s investigation: “…was resumed at the Commercial Inn, Gower Road, before J. Gaskoin, deputy coroner, with the railway company and the Bishwell Colliery and Coke…”
Sources
- (secondary) Fatalities 1883 — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) South Wales Daily News, 10 May 1883: The fatal collision at Gower-road — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
- (primary) Y Goleuad, 12 May 1883: Gower Road, damwain angeuol — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026