Cwm Colliery roof fall, Merthyr, 1886

On the morning of Thursday 28 January 1886 two falls of roof in a stall of the Seven Foot vein at Crawshay Brothers' Cwm Pit, Merthyr Tydfil, killed three men, including the fireman sent to clear the first fall, and injured a fourth. The inquest returned accidental death.

Cause

A sudden fall of a strong rock roof from two slips that could not be seen beforehand, followed by a second fall while the first was being cleared.

Contributing factors

Only one post stood between the two roads of the stall, and the fireman began clearing the first fall without setting the spare post when a break in the roof was pointed out to him.

What happened

The Cwm Pit worked the Seven Foot vein on the double-stall road system. At about nine in the morning ten to twelve yards of roof came down over the face and into the road of a stall where a collier named Harris was working alone, cutting rotten coal. The fireman, William Hughes, and a collier, Thomas Watkins, came to clear it. Hughes tried the top with a coal sledge and began work in the cut. Another collier, John Anthony Lewis, pointed out a jump of about six inches in the roof and urged him to set the post that lay beside the road. A second fall then overwhelmed Hughes and Watkins, bringing the total to some 40 or 50 tons of rock.

Robert Roberts was injured and treated by the Cyfarthfa Works surgeons. The three dead were Harris, given as John Harris (54) of Penrheolgerrig at the adjourned inquest, William Hughes (59), fireman, of Lower Colliers' Row, and Thomas Watkins (50) of Canal Row, Abercanaid.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner, Thomas Williams, opened the inquest at the Miners' Arms, Merthyr, on 30 January and adjourned it so the inspector of mines could examine the place. At the adjourned hearing on 8 February the assistant inspector, E. W. Randall, found the work properly carried on and the two slips undetectable. The miners' agent, David Morgan, walked out after the coroner refused his questions about knocking out timber, saying he would ask them elsewhere. The jury returned accidental death in each case.

Recorded claims

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

• On 28 January 1886 a fall of roof at the Cwm Pit killed three men and injured a fourth. ^1,2
• Ten to twelve yards of roof fell in a Seven Foot vein stall, and a second fall buried the fireman and a collier who had come to clear it. ³
• The assistant inspector found the work properly carried on and the two slips in the roof undetectable; the jury returned accidental death. ³
• The dead were named at the adjourned inquest as John Harris, William Hughes and Thomas Watkins. ^4,3

Related terminology

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

• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Brothers' Cwm Pit, Merthyr Tydfil, killed three men, including the fireman sent to clear the first fall, and injured a fourth. The inquest…”
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…at the Miners' Arms, Merthyr, on 30 January and adjourned it so the inspector of mines could examine the place. At the adjourned hearing on 8 February the…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “On the morning of Thursday 28 January 1886 two falls of roof in a stall of the Seven Foot vein at Crawshay Brothers' Cwm Pit,…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On the morning of Thursday 28 January 1886 two falls of roof in a stall of the Seven Foot vein at Crawshay Brothers' Cwm Pit, Merthyr…”
• Vein (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…28 January 1886 two falls of roof in a stall of the Seven Foot vein at Crawshay Brothers' Cwm Pit, Merthyr Tydfil, killed three men,…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Waun Wyllt Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Colliery accident at Merthyr: three men killed (South Wales Echo, 28 January 1886) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) The disaster at the Cwm Pit, Merthyr (Weekly Mail, 13 February 1886) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
4. (primary) The disaster at a Cyfarthfa colliery: opening of the inquest (Weekly Mail, 6 February 1886) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)

Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 2 October 2026