MineArchiveElba Colliery explosion
| Date | 21 January 1905 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Elba Colliery |
| Region | Swansea |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 11 (Eleven. Welsh Coal Mines names all eleven; the Durham Mining Museum's list carries ten of the eleven, and the two differ by a year or two on several of the ages.) |
| Injuries | Most of the men in the mine at the time suffered some degree of burns and shock. |
| Context | During active mining |
Firedamp exploded in the Elba drift at Gowerton in the early hours of Saturday 21 January 1905, described as one of the worst explosions ever to occur in the western part of the South Wales coalfield. Nearly fifty men had gone below at the start of the shift. Eleven died, three of them found alive and dying soon afterwards, and most of the rest were burned or badly shocked. The last bodies were not recovered until the Monday.
Cause
An explosion of firedamp. Welsh Coal Mines says a defective lamp was held responsible; the Durham Mining Museum records the ignition as caused by contraband, meaning something taken below that should not have been.
What happened
At the start of the shift there were nearly fifty men below ground in a drift over 700 yards long, working the Swansea Six Foot seam and ventilated by a Waddle fan made at Llanelli. The explosion came in the early hours of Saturday 21 January 1905. Most of the men below suffered burns and shock to some degree. Eleven were killed, and of those three were found alive and died soon afterwards. The dead, as Welsh Coal Mines names them, were George Williams, a door boy of 14; William Bowen, 17; Tom Pratt, 19; Alec Ogilvie, 20; David Rees, 21; George Rees, 23; David Davis and Edward Rees, both 26; John Long, 45; and William Davis, 59; with W. H. Morgan, 18. The Durham Mining Museum's list gives ten of the eleven, with ages differing slightly and no entry for John Long, and puts the average age of the dead at 25.
Rescue & recovery
Rescue attempts went on throughout the weekend and the last bodies of the victims were not recovered until the Monday.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
The mine was abandoned after the explosion. Another drift was opened on the same site and employed 165 men in 1911, but it too was closed soon after.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Welsh Coal Mines says a defective lamp was held responsible for the explosion. The Durham Mining Museum gives the cause as an explosion of firedamp with the ignition caused by contraband. The two are not the same thing: a defective lamp is a failure of equipment, contraband is a man taking below what he should not have. (disputed) 1,2
- Welsh Coal Mines names eleven: Alec Ogilvie 20, William Bowen 17, William Davis 59, Tom Pratt 19, Edward Rees 26, David Davis 26, George Williams 14, David Rees 21, George Rees 23, W. H. Morgan 18 and John Long 45. The Durham Mining Museum lists ten of the eleven, giving Bowen as 18, Davies as 60, Pratt as 18 and Morgan as 20, and has no entry for John Long. Both agree the youngest was George Williams, a door boy of fourteen. (disputed) 1,2
- Three of the eleven victims were found alive and died soon afterwards. Rescue attempts went on through the weekend and the last bodies were not recovered until the Monday. 1
- The explosion is described as one of the worst of firedamp ever to occur in the western area of the South Wales coalfield. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “An explosion of firedamp. Welsh Coal Mines says a defective lamp was held responsible; the Durham Mining Museum…” - Drift (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Firedamp exploded in the Elba drift at Gowerton in the early hours of Saturday 21 January 1905,…” - Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Firedamp exploded in the Elba drift at Gowerton in the early hours of…” - Waddle Fan (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…yards long, working the Swansea Six Foot seam and ventilated by a Waddle fan made at Llanelli. The explosion came in the early hours of Saturday…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
The colliery and the explosion: the drift and the Waddle fan that ventilated it, the number of men below, the course of the rescue through the weekend, all eleven names with ages, and the abandonment of the mine afterwards.
View sourceThe Durham Mining Museum's record of the incident, naming ten of the eleven with their ages and occupations — door boy, trammer, coal shifter, collier — and giving the cause as firedamp ignited by contraband.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Elba Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) Elba Colliery, 21 January 1905 — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Elba Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 11 September 2026 · Last researched: 11 September 2026