Cwmneol Colliery electrocution, 1906

A colliery mechanic and his son-in-law were electrocuted at Cwmneol Colliery on 18 July 1906 when the old winder's flywheel they were hoisting swung into live wires.

Cause

The flywheel being hoisted touched live electric wires running through the engine room.

What happened

About a year after the steam winder at Cwmneol Colliery, Cwmaman, had been replaced by an electric one, the mechanic Daniel Williams and his son-in-law James Hunter, 32, were taking up the old machinery in the engine house. On 18 July 1906, as they hoisted the flywheel with pulley blocks and chains, it jerked and touched the electric wires running through the engine room. The current passed through both men and killed them almost at once; artificial respiration was tried without success.

Rescue & recovery

Artificial respiration was attempted without success.

Recorded claims

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

• On 18 July 1906 the mechanic Daniel Williams and his son-in-law James Hunter, 32, were electrocuted in the engine house at Cwmneol Colliery, Cwmaman. ^1,2,3
• They were lifting the flywheel of the old steam winder with pulley blocks and chains when it jerked and touched the electric wires that ran through the engine room. ¹
• The steam winder had been replaced by an electric one about a year before. ¹
• The colliery belonged to the Powell Duffryn Steam Coal Co. Ltd. ^2,3

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A colliery mechanic and his son-in-law were electrocuted at Cwmneol Colliery on…”
• Engine House (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…son-in-law James Hunter, 32, were taking up the old machinery in the engine house. On 18 July 1906, as they hoisted the flywheel with pulley blocks…”
• Winding Engine (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…were electrocuted at Cwmneol Colliery on 18 July 1906 when the old winder's flywheel they were hoisting swung into live wires.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1906 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Accident record: Daniel Williams, Cwmneol, 1906 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (secondary) Accident record: James Hunter, Cwmneol, 1906 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026