Eaglesbush Colliery Explosion, 1848

Gas that had gathered in the old stalls of Eaglesbush Colliery near Neath exploded soon after three o'clock on the afternoon of Wednesday 29 March 1848, and the gas in the other stalls exploded after it. About thirty men and boys were at work and twenty were killed, most of them by afterdamp; some were found to have been trying to get out along a level with their way blocked by wagons. The colliery had no artificial ventilation and naked lights were allowed. The inquest returned accidental death.

Cause

A large accumulation of gas in the old stalls exploded at the far end of the workings, and the gas standing in all the other stalls exploded after it. The Manchester Guardian's early report feared it had been caused by the reckless use of a naked candle; naked lights were allowed throughout the colliery.

Contributing factors

The colliery had no artificial ventilation — the way the coal was reached made ventilation difficult, and the small quantity of air passed over a small furnace at the surface near the outcrop. The coal was known to be fiery. The workmen had to furnish their own lamps and the company had nobody to inspect them, only the colliers themselves. The man employed to go into the works every morning did not go in every morning, and sometimes went in after the men.

What happened

The colliery was entered by a drift down which the men walked, running about 250 yards straight before turning south; in the turn stood several stalls with three to five men working in each. About thirty were at work on the Wednesday, considerably below the usual number. Soon after three in the afternoon the neighbourhood was alarmed by a loud explosion, and a crowd went to the pit to find the colliery violently shattered and parts of the plant and machinery blown out of the mouth. Attempt after attempt to get in failed against the foulness of the air, and several who did get in were dragged out almost suffocated. After several hours an entrance was made and seventeen bodies were brought out that night, some headless and otherwise frightfully mutilated; the rest could not be reached, much of the colliery having been blown down. Most of the dead had been killed by afterdamp rather than by the blast, and several were found to have been trying to escape along a level with their way blocked by wagons standing in the road.

Rescue & recovery

Rescue was held up for several hours by carburetted hydrogen in the workings. Seventeen bodies were recovered on the night of the explosion and the remainder over the following days as the fallen ground was cleared.

Investigation & inquiry

An inquest was opened at the Town Hall, Neath, before the coroner, on the Monday after the explosion, and adjourned when it became known that the Government intended to send down an inspector to report on the state of the colliery. At the resumed hearing before the coroner, a collier, Rosser Thomas, gave evidence that he had considered himself out of danger, that he had taken his lamp out several times to cool because it was so warm, that the workmen had to furnish their own lamps and that the company had nobody to inspect them; and that David Griffiths, employed to go into the works each morning, went in only when he had time and sometimes after the men. Detailed evidence was taken on the colliery's furnace ventilation.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The coroner summed up and a verdict of accidental death was returned.

Changes to practice & legislation

After the disaster a pair of Sturvé's air pumps was installed at the colliery, which greatly improved its ventilation.

Memorials & commemoration

No memorial specific to the explosion has been identified in the sources read.

Recorded claims

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

• The explosion happened soon after three o'clock on the afternoon of Wednesday 29 March 1848, at the far end of the workings. ¹
• About thirty men and boys were at work and twenty were killed; the official death toll was twenty, though Welsh Coal Mines names seventeen and the Manchester Guardian's first report gave nineteen. ¹
• Most of those who died were killed by afterdamp rather than by the blast, and several were found to have been trying to get out along a level with their way blocked by wagons. ¹
• The colliery had no artificial ventilation; the small quantity of air passed over a small furnace at the surface near the outcrop of the seam, and naked lights were allowed. ¹
• A collier told the inquest that the workmen had to furnish their own lamps and that the company had nobody to inspect them, only the colliers themselves. ¹
• The coroner summed up and a verdict of accidental death was returned; a pair of Sturvé's air pumps was installed at the colliery afterwards. ¹

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Eaglebush Colliery, Neath — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Eaglesbush Pits Tramroad (NPRN 407292) — Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales

Record created: 4 September 2026 · Last researched: 4 September 2026