MineArchiveBlaenrhondda Colliery roof fall, 1874
Around midday at the end of April 1874 a fall of seven or eight tons of roof killed a collier, James Lewis, and the boy Evan Evans who worked with him at Blaenrhondda Colliery, at the head of the Rhondda Fawr. They had just fired a shot to widen their stall for a horse road.
| Date | 30 April 1874 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Blaenrhondda Colliery |
| Region | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 2 (James Lewis, 26, collier, and Evan Evans, 14, his boy (Welsh Coal Mines, Western Mail). Y Gwladgarwr names the collier John Lewis and calls the boy his son.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A fall of roof as the men returned to their stall after blasting.
What happened
Where a seam is thin, a roadway is made through one side of the stall so that horses can bring in the trams. The man and boy had spent the morning cutting a continuation of the horse road and had drilled and fired a hole charged with blasting powder. They were coming back from the shelter of another road, through the powder smoke, into their stall when the roof gave way. Men working near by heard the fall and ran to them, and found seven or eight tons of stone on them; both had been killed instantly.
Investigation & inquiry
An inquest was held the same day at the Bute Arms, and the jury returned a verdict of 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 roof at Blaenrhondda Colliery around midday at the end of April 1874 killed a collier and the boy who worked with him. 1,2,3
- The two had fired a shot to cut a horse road through the side of their stall and were returning through the powder smoke when seven or eight tons of roof fell on them. 2
- An inquest held the same day at the Bute Arms returned a verdict of accidental death. 2
- The collier left a wife and three children. 2,3
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…Lewis, and the boy Evan Evans who worked with him at Blaenrhondda Colliery, at the head of the Rhondda Fawr. They had just fired a shot to…” - Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s cause: “A fall of roof as the men returned to their stall after blasting.” - Shot-firing (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “A fall of roof as the men returned to their stall after blasting.” - Stall (contextual relationship)
Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…head of the Rhondda Fawr. They had just fired a shot to widen their stall for a horse road.” - Tub (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…made through one side of the stall so that horses can bring in the trams. The man and boy had spent the morning cutting a continuation of the…”
Sources
- (secondary) 1874 fatalities — welshcoalmines.co.uk
- (primary) The Western Mail, 6 May 1874: Blaenrhondda: fatal accident — The Western Mail (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
- (primary) Y Gwladgarwr, 9 May 1874: Damwain ofidus mewn glofa — Y Gwladgarwr (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
Record created: 19 October 2026 · Last researched: 19 October 2026