Elliot Colliery explosion, 1885

Gas released by a roof fall exploded among a repair gang near the bottom of the new Elliot pit, New Tredegar, on 1 October 1885, burning a dozen men and boys; two or three later died.

Cause

Gas released by a fall of roof during repairs, ignited by an open lamp.

What happened

The Elliot pit at New Tredegar had been sunk by the Powell Duffryn Company only that year. On the afternoon of Thursday 1 October 1885 a gang of about a dozen men and boys was repairing a large fall some thirty yards from the pit bottom when the roof came in again and released a body of gas, which was fired by an open lamp. The flame ran some way up the main road and burned the gang; two horses were killed. Early reports called the explosion slight and expected everyone to recover, but the boys Lewis Perkins and Thomas Cooke died of their burns, and Welsh Coal Mines records a third death, of the repairer William Williams, later in the month.

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion near the bottom of the new Elliot pit at New Tredegar on 1 October 1885 burned about a dozen men and boys; at least two died. ^1,2,3
• NMRS names the dead as David Lewis Perkins, 15, and Thomas Cooke, 16. ¹
• Welsh Coal Mines lists three dead, the last dying about a fortnight later. ²
• A fall of roof where a gang was repairing an earlier fall released gas, which was fired by an open lamp. ²

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…boys Lewis Perkins and Thomas Cooke died of their burns, and Welsh Coal Mines records a third death, of the repairer William Williams, later in…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Gas released by a roof fall exploded among a repair gang near the bottom of the new Elliot pit,…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Elliot Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Mining fatalities, 1885 - Welsh Coal Mines — Welsh Coal Mines
3. (primary) Explosion at the Elliot pit, New Tredegar: twelve men injured (Western Mail, 2 October 1885) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)

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