Cwmneol Colliery shaft accident, 1883

In March 1883 two London contractors, Charles Eely and James Sancto, were coating the steam pipes in the upcast shaft of the Powell Duffryn Company's Cwmneol pit at Cwmaman when the crab lowering their bucket ran wild. They fell some 150 yards into five or six feet of water at the bottom and were killed; the man working the windlass had his arm broken.

Cause

The crab, or windlass, from which the bucket was suspended ran wild and the bucket dropped down the shaft.

What happened

The two men had been in the district only a couple of weeks; they were skilled contractors who had worked across Britain and in Germany. They were suspended in a bucket about 150 yards above the bottom when the men on the windlass felt a sudden jerk and the bucket fell.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest was resumed at the Capcoch Inn, Capcoch. After a long deliberation the jury found death from falling down the shaft consequent upon a crab running wild.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The accident was on the morning of Tuesday 6 March 1883. (disputed) ²
• The accident was on 5 March 1883. (disputed) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• Two contractors lagging pipes in the Cwmneol upcast shaft, Charles Eely and James Sancto, fell about 150 yards to the bottom and were killed. ^1,2,3
• The accident was on the morning of Tuesday 6 March 1883. (disputed) ²
• The accident was on 5 March 1883. (disputed) ¹
• The jury returned death from falling down the colliery shaft consequent upon a crab running wild. ³
• The men worked for Haacke and Co. of Lime Street, London, coating steam pipes with fossil-meal composition. ^1,3

Related terminology

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

• Capstan (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…of the Powell Duffryn Company's Cwmneol pit at Cwmaman when the crab lowering their bucket ran wild. They fell some 150 yards into five…”
• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…Charles Eely and James Sancto, were coating the steam pipes in the upcast shaft of the Powell Duffryn Company's Cwmneol pit at Cwmaman when the crab…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “…the bucket was suspended ran wild and the bucket dropped down the shaft.”
• Windlass (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…six feet of water at the bottom and were killed; the man working the windlass had his arm broken.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Fatalities 1883 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Weekly Mail, 10 March 1883: Colliery accidents near Aberdare, three men killed — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) The Western Mail, 7 April 1883: The shocking accident at the Cwmneol Colliery — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)

Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026