Cambrian Colliery runaway journey, 1916

Early on 18 May 1916 a shackle broke on a journey in the No. 1 Bute seam of the Cambrian Collieries, Clydach Vale, and five trams ran wild down a steep gradient, knocking out timber and bringing down two falls. Henry Williams was killed outright and Jacob Edwards died soon after.

Cause

A defective shackle broke and five trams ran away down a steep incline, knocking out the roof supports in two places.

What happened

The runaway trams tore down the incline at great speed and struck the timbering at two points, and the roof fell at both. Henry Williams was killed instantly; Jacob Edwards was so badly injured that he died very shortly afterwards. Another man was hurt. The first report spoke of a third man killed whose name was not known, but the inquest was held on two.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest before the coroner R. J. Rhys, the inspector of mines, Dyer Lewis, described how the runaway trams had knocked out the timber in two places. The colliery agent said all shackles were annealed periodically but that this one, which bore no mark, had probably been overlooked, and that 65 shackles of a recent consignment of 120 had had to be returned as defective; the coroner called that a serious state of things. The jury returned accidental death and recommended that shackles carry the maker's mark and another showing they had been annealed.

Recorded claims

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

• Early on Thursday 18 May 1916 a runaway journey of trams in the No. 1 Bute seam of the Cambrian Collieries, Clydach Vale, brought down falls that killed Jacob Edwards and Henry Williams. ^1,2,3
• A broken shackle let five trams run wild down a steep gradient; the inspector thought they knocked out the timber in two places, bringing two falls. ^1,3
• The colliery agent said the shackles were annealed periodically but this one had probably been missed, as it bore no mark, and that 65 of a recent consignment of 120 shackles had been returned as defective. ³
• The inquest jury returned accidental death and recommended that shackles should carry the maker's mark and a mark showing they had been annealed. ³

Related terminology

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

• Borehole (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…all shackles were annealed periodically but that this one, which bore no mark, had probably been overlooked, and that 65 shackles of a…”
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “At the inquest before the coroner R. J. Rhys, the inspector of mines, Dyer Lewis, described how the runaway trams had knocked out the…”
• Incline (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “A defective shackle broke and five trams ran away down a steep incline, knocking out the roof supports in two places.”
• Journey (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “Early on 18 May 1916 a shackle broke on a journey in the No. 1 Bute seam of the Cambrian Collieries, Clydach Vale, and…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…No. 1 Bute seam of the Cambrian Collieries, Clydach Vale, and five trams ran wild down a steep gradient, knocking out timber and bringing…”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1916 fatalities — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) The Rhondda Leader, 20 May 1916: Fatality at the Cambrian Collieries — The Rhondda Leader (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) The Rhondda Leader, 3 June 1916: Clydach Vale fatality: two colliers killed; broken shackle causes fall — The Rhondda Leader (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

Record created: 21 October 2026 · Last researched: 21 October 2026