Deep Navigation Colliery shaft accident, 1884

A corroded winding rope snapped as five men were lowered in a bowk at Harris's Navigation Colliery, Treharris, on 12 December 1884; four fell 700 yards and one clung to a guide rope and survived.

Cause

Hidden corrosion in a braided steel flat winding rope, where it ran over the headframe sheave.

What happened

In December 1884 sinkers at Harris's Navigation Colliery, Treharris, then among the deepest pits in Wales at around 770 yards, were working in one of the shafts to improve it, using a bowk on a braided steel flat rope while the cage was out of use. In the early hours of Friday 12 December five men had come up for their food and were being lowered again when, a few dozen yards down, the rope broke. The bowk and four of the men fell to the bottom, some 700 yards below.

The fifth man, John Dodds, was steadying the bowk on a guide rope and held on. Wrapping his coat round the wire, he let himself down hand over hand for hundreds of yards until he became tangled in the signal wire, which the falling bowk had torn loose, and could go neither up nor down. He hung there for hours before a party reached him through the other shaft. The rope, less than a year old, was found to have hidden corrosion beneath its coating of tar where it ran over the headframe sheave. The four dead were sinkers, named by Welsh Coal Mines as Francis Wright, Evan Jones, Evan Hughes and Thomas Sheen.

Rescue & recovery

The survivor, John Dodds, slid down a guide rope until trapped by the signal wire and was reached hours later through the other shaft; the bodies were recovered over the following day.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest was adjourned so that an expert sent by the Home Office could test the rope.

What's uncertain

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

• Welsh Coal Mines places the accident in the North upcast shaft; Wikipedia and the first press reports in the No. 2 shaft. (disputed) ^1,3,4

Recorded claims

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

• On 12 December 1884 the rope lowering five men in a bowk down a shaft at Harris's Navigation Colliery, Treharris, broke; four fell some 700 yards to their deaths. ^1,2,3,4
• The braided steel flat rope had hidden corrosion where it ran over the headframe sheave. ^1,2
• The fifth man, John Dodds, caught hold of a guide rope and lowered himself hand over hand until he was trapped by the tangled signal wire, and was rescued hours later. ^1,3,4,5
• Welsh Coal Mines names the dead as Francis Wright, Evan Jones, Evan Hughes and Thomas Sheen, sinkers; early newspaper reports give some of the names differently. ^3,4
• Welsh Coal Mines places the accident in the North upcast shaft; Wikipedia and the first press reports in the No. 2 shaft. (disputed) ^1,3,4

Related terminology

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

• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…to improve it, using a bowk on a braided steel flat rope while the cage was out of use. In the early hours of Friday 12 December five men…”
• Headgear (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “…in a braided steel flat winding rope, where it ran over the headframe sheave.”
• Kibble (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “A corroded winding rope snapped as five men were lowered in a bowk at Harris's Navigation Colliery, Treharris, on 12 December 1884;…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the narrative: “…pits in Wales at around 770 yards, were working in one of the shafts to improve it, using a bowk on a braided steel flat rope while the…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “In December 1884 sinkers at Harris's Navigation Colliery, Treharris, then among the deepest…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Deep Navigation Colliery — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Deep Navigation Colliery, Treharris — welshcoalmines.co.uk
3. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines fatalities, 1884 — Welsh Coal Mines
4. (primary) Terrible accident at Treharris: breaking of a pit rope, four men dashed to pieces (South Wales Daily News, 13 December 1884) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
5. (primary) The colliery accident at Treharris: recovery of bodies, an interview with Dodds (Western Mail, 15 December 1884) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
6. (primary) The Treharris colliery accident: further adjournment of the coroner's inquiry (Weekly Mail, 27 December 1884) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)

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