Cwm Capel Colliery inrush, 1907

At 7.45 on the morning of Saturday 7 December 1907 a heading in Jones's slant at Cwm Capel Colliery, Burry Port, broke into flooded old workings through a barrier of only six inches of coal; a boy of fifteen was drowned and a young collier died of his injuries eleven days later.

Cause

The slant was driven to within six inches of an old slant full of water, about twenty yards from the surface, without boring ahead; the old working ran from Rhiwlas farm, whose farmer had seen it full of water weeks before but had not been asked.

What happened

The seam at Cwm Capel was a very wet one, and the colliers knew of old workings nearby. Joseph Jones, working the top hole of the slant with his younger brother Oliver as his carter, had noticed water dripping through the coal and told the fireman on 5 December; on the 6th the fireman passed the complaint to the manager, who said he would visit the next day. At 7.45 on the 7th there was a noise like thunder and the water rushed down the slant. Joseph lost hold of his brother in the knee-deep water and his lamp went out. In a heading forty yards away Thomas Williams heard what sounded like a gunshot and saw a wave coming at him; he and the boy Freddy Roberts waded out to the stage, then turned back and found Oliver's body against a post. Most of the men ran clear.

Oliver Jones, of Erw Terrace, Burry Port, was fifteen (seventeen in the inquest report). Sydney Gower, 23, found injured after the flood, died on 18 December; he was to have been married at Christmas.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest on Oliver Jones was held by W. Buckley Roderick at the Jerusalem Schoolroom, with H.M. Inspector J. Dwyer Lewis present. The mining engineer David Davies confirmed the six-inch barrier; the fireman, William John, said he had thought the place safe and had not thought boring necessary; the manager, John Hewitt, said he had found nothing unusual on 3 December. Gower's death required a second inquiry.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

In February 1908 the owner, John Rowlands, and the manager, John Hewitt, were charged under the Mines Regulation Act with failing to take the necessary precautions in boring.

Recorded claims

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

• An inrush of water at Cwm Capel Colliery on 7 December 1907 drowned Oliver Jones; Sydney Gower died of his injuries on 18 December. ^1,2,3
• Only six inches of coal separated the slant from the flooded old workings. ^1,2
• Joseph Jones had reported water coming through the coal to the fireman before the inrush. ^1,2
• The owner John Rowlands and the manager John Hewitt were charged under the Mines Regulation Act in February 1908. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…into flooded old workings through a barrier of only six inches of coal; a boy of fifteen was drowned and a young collier died of his…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…of Saturday 7 December 1907 a heading in Jones's slant at Cwm Capel Colliery, Burry Port, broke into flooded old workings through a barrier of…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the narrative: “…his carter, had noticed water dripping through the coal and told the fireman on 5 December; on the 6th the fireman passed the complaint to the…”
• Slant (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…7.45 on the morning of Saturday 7 December 1907 a heading in Jones's slant at Cwm Capel Colliery, Burry Port, broke into flooded old workings…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (secondary) Mining fatalities, 1907 - Welsh Coal Mines — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Cardiff Times, 21 December 1907: Flooded Cwmcapel slant. Some unknown old workings — National Library of Wales, Welsh Newspapers
3. (primary) Cardiff Times, 21 December 1907: Cwm Capel mine mishap. Second death — National Library of Wales, Welsh Newspapers

Record created: 10 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026