Fernhill Colliery cage accident, 1892

Two young colliers were thrown from the cage in Fernhill's No. 2 pit at the head of the Rhondda on 21 June 1892 when an unravelled guide rope let the passing cages collide.

Cause

An unravelled guide rope let the ascending and descending cages collide.

What happened

On 21 June 1892 Urbane Phillips and Richard Williams, colliers of 21 and 22, were going down the No. 2 pit at Fernhill Colliery, Treherbert. A guide rope had unravelled, and the ascending and descending cages collided in the shaft; both men were thrown out and killed.

Recorded claims

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

• On 21 June 1892 two colliers, Urbane Phillips, 21, and Richard Williams, 22, were thrown out of the descending cage and killed in the No. 2 pit at Fernhill Colliery, Treherbert. ^1,2,3
• The ascending and descending cages collided when a guide rope unravelled. ^1,2,3
• The colliery belonged to the Fernhill Merthyr Colliery Co. Ltd. ^2,3

Related terminology

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

• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two young colliers were thrown from the cage in Fernhill's No. 2 pit at the head of the Rhondda on 21 June 1892…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…colliers of 21 and 22, were going down the No. 2 pit at Fernhill Colliery, Treherbert. A guide rope had unravelled, and the ascending and…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…unravelled, and the ascending and descending cages collided in the shaft; both men were thrown out and killed.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: Fatalities 1892 — welshcoalmines.co.uk
2. (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames P part 3 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames W part 5 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

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