Cribbwr Fawr Colliery electrocution, 1909

On 12 August 1909 two colliers at Cribbwr Fawr Colliery, near Porthcawl, were killed by a live power cable on the main slant. The younger, stepping off the carriage that had carried the men down, steadied himself on the cable and was fatally shocked; David Thomas, walking down afterwards, was found dead further up. The cable's armour had been made live by damage from runaway trams and poor earthing.

Cause

Electric shock from the armouring of a power cable on the main slant, made live by damage from runaway trams and by inefficient earthing.

Contributing factors

The cable's armour had apparently been live for a considerable time. It had been damaged by runaway trams, and its earthing was inefficient; men used it as a handrail on the slant.

What happened

Owen David, getting off a carriage on which he and others had ridden down the slant, took hold of a power cable to help himself down and received a shock from which he did not recover, though artificial respiration was kept up until a doctor came. David Thomas, who walked down the slant after David had been taken to the surface, was found dead a considerable distance higher up. Joseph Llewellyn saw Thomas clasping the cable, ran forward and dragged him away by the waist, and was himself knocked unconscious.

Rescue & recovery

Artificial respiration was kept up on Owen David until a doctor arrived.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest Robert Nelson, the Home Office electrical expert, said the accident had been caused by inefficient earthing and suggested an improvement. H.M. Inspector J. Dyer Lewis reported the accident in his 1909 report for the Swansea District.

Recorded claims

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

• Two colliers were electrocuted on the main slant at Cribbwr Fawr Colliery on 12 August 1909: David Thomas, 46, and a younger man given as Owen Davies, 24 (Welsh Coal Mines) or Owen David, 28 (Durham Mining Museum). ^1,2
• Welsh Coal Mines names the younger man Owen Davies, 24, a single man; the Durham Mining Museum, from the Inspector's report, names him Owen David, 28. (disputed) ^1,2
• Getting off a carriage on which men had ridden down the slant, Owen David used a power cable as a handrail and received a fatal shock; David Thomas, walking down the slant after David had been taken out, was found dead a considerable distance higher up. The cable's armouring had been live for some time, damaged by runaway trams and inefficiently earthed. ²
• At the inquest the Home Office expert Robert Nelson said the accident was caused by inefficient earthing; Joseph Llewellyn, who dragged Thomas off the cable, was knocked unconscious when their faces touched. ¹

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: “On 12 August 1909 two colliers at Cribbwr Fawr Colliery, near Porthcawl, were killed by a live power cable on the main…”
• Man-riding (contextual relationship)
  The men had ridden a carriage down the slant.
• Slant (contextual relationship)
  The cable ran along the main slant.
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…up. The cable's armour had been made live by damage from runaway trams and poor earthing.”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1909 fatalities — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Cribbwr Fawr Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 10 September 2026 · Last researched: 14 September 2026