MineArchiveCwmbran Colliery scalding, 1866
| Date | 26 April 1866 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Cwmbran Colliery |
| Region | Torfaen |
| Primary type | Machinery |
| Associated types | Haulage / Transport |
| Fatalities | 3 (John Morgan, 22; Isaac Maynard, 39, mason; Robert Allen, 23. The sources disagree over which of Morgan and Allen was the stoker and which the haulier.) |
| Context | During active mining (The underground boilers of Cwmbran Colliery, set beside the main horse road to drive a steam engine for the deep workings.) |
At about half past two in the morning of 26 April 1866 a haulier bringing trams along the main horse road at Cwmbran Colliery came past the underground boilers too fast. The trams flew off the plates and knocked down the upright pipe carrying the cock used to blow the boilers through, and live steam poured out so fiercely that none of the three men there escaped. The Inspector had double cocks fitted afterwards.
Cause
Runaway trams knocked down the upright steam pipe and blow-through cock of the underground boilers, releasing live steam.
Contributing factors
The water used to raise steam was so bad that the boilers often had to be blown right through, and the large cock for doing so stood unavoidably close to the main horse road. The haulier's horse either ran away or was driven too fast.
Investigation & inquiry
The Inspector of Mines described the accident in his report, saying he had since had double cocks fitted so that there was little possibility of a repetition.
Changes to practice & legislation
Double cocks were fitted to the underground boilers.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Three men were scalded to death on 26 April 1866 when runaway trams left the rails and burst a steam pipe feeding a haulage engine: John Morgan, a stoker of twenty-two, Isaac Maynard, a mason of thirty-nine, and Robert Allen, a haulier of twenty-three. 1
- The Inspector wrote that the water for the underground engine's boilers was so bad they had often to be blown through by a large cock unavoidably close to the main horse road; about 2.30 a.m. the haulier's horse ran away or was driven too fast, the trams flew off the plates at the boilers and knocked down the upright pipe carrying the cock, and none of the three men escaped the steam. Double cocks were fitted afterwards. 1
- Welsh Coal Mines gives John Morgan as the stoker and Robert Allen as the haulier; the Durham Mining Museum gives Allen as the stoker and Morgan as the haulier, recording all three deaths as 'boiler explosion'. (disputed) 1,2
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: “…1866 a haulier bringing trams along the main horse road at Cwmbran Colliery came past the underground boilers too fast. The trams flew off the…” - HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s investigation: “The Inspector of Mines described the accident in his report, saying he had since had double…” - Haulier (contributing factor)
The haulier's horse ran away or was driven too fast. - Tub (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…half past two in the morning of 26 April 1866 a haulier bringing trams along the main horse road at Cwmbran Colliery came past the…”
Sources
- (secondary) Cwmbran Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) Cwmbran Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 10 September 2026 · Last researched: 14 September 2026