Buxtons Colliery explosion, 1865

Gas exploded in the Four Feet vein of Buxton's Pit, Dowlais, on 29 May 1865, killing between two and four of the Dowlais Iron Company's workers, among them a door boy of twelve.

Cause

Firedamp, attributed by the jury to insufficient ventilation or an air door left open.

What happened

At about five in the afternoon of Monday 29 May 1865 gas exploded in the Four Feet vein of Buxton's Pit, one of the Dowlais Iron Company's pits. The haulier John Evans and Thomas Hill, a door boy of twelve, were only slightly burned but were overtaken by the afterdamp before they could get away. Evan Evans, 19, was badly burned about the head, arms and body and died on 7 June, and William Davies, 18, also died of his burns. The Welsh weekly Y Gwladgarwr, reporting two dead and three hurt, noted that it was the third accident of the kind there in a fortnight and called for a proper inquiry.

No gas had been seen in the stall beforehand. The inquest jury in July found the explosion had been caused either by insufficient ventilation or by an air door being opened, and recommended that the company pay more attention to ventilating the pit.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest jury recommended that the company pay more attention to the pit's ventilation.

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion of gas in Buxton's Pit, Dowlais, on the afternoon of 29 May 1865 killed a haulier and a young man and injured three more. ^1,2
• Welsh Coal Mines lists four dead: John Evans, a haulier, and Thomas Hill, a door boy of 12, suffocated by afterdamp, and Evan Evans and William Davies, who died of burns. ¹
• The inquest jury found the explosion was caused either by insufficient ventilation or by the opening of an air door, and urged the company to attend to the ventilation. ¹
• It was the third such accident at the place within a fortnight. ²

Related terminology

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

• Afterdamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…boy of twelve, were only slightly burned but were overtaken by the afterdamp before they could get away. Evan Evans, 19, was badly burned about…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “Firedamp, attributed by the jury to insufficient ventilation or an air door…”
• Haulier (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…vein of Buxton's Pit, one of the Dowlais Iron Company's pits. The haulier John Evans and Thomas Hill, a door boy of twelve, were only slightly…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…and called for a proper inquiry. No gas had been seen in the stall beforehand. The inquest jury in July found the explosion had been…”
• Vein (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Gas exploded in the Four Feet vein of Buxton's Pit, Dowlais, on 29 May 1865, killing between two and…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines fatalities, 1865 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Dowlais: explosion in Buxton pit (Y Gwladgarwr, 3 June 1865) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026