Fochriw Colliery explosion, 1870

Late on Saturday 30 April 1870 firedamp exploded at the stables of the Dowlais Iron Company's No. 2 Vochriw pit, killing the two horse-keepers, Robert Hughes and Thomas Jones, and fifteen horses. Only the two men were in the pit; the inquest found that doors left open by the ostlers had let gas collect and then carried it to the stable light.

Cause

Firedamp ignited at the light kept in the stables, after doors at the bottom of No. 5 cross-heading were left open by the ostlers taking horses to water, letting gas accumulate in the far workings; when the doors were shut the air brought it to the stables.

What happened

Late on Saturday night, 30 April 1870, a flueman at No. 1 pit smelt sulphur coming up the No. 2 shaft at Vochriw, one of the Dowlais Iron Company's pits, between eleven and midnight, and raised the alarm. Men went down and found the two men in charge of the horses, Robert Hughes and Thomas Jones, near each other in the roadway between the stables, one dead and the other unconscious; he died on the Tuesday without coming round. Fifteen horses were killed. As only the two men were in the pit, the papers noted, the loss of life would otherwise have been much greater. It was the same pit where the winding rope had twice broken and killed men, and a week earlier a man had been killed there by a fall of thirty tons of rubbish.

Rescue & recovery

Men descended after the flueman's alarm and found Hughes dead and Jones unconscious near the stables.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner, George Overton, opened the inquest at the Holly Bush, Dowlais, and adjourned it so that Mr Wales, the Government Inspector, could attend. At the resumed inquest Matthew Truman, the company's principal coal agent, said the explosion began at the entrance to the stables in No. 5 cross-heading: doors at the bottom of the heading left open by the ostlers taking the horses to water had let gas collect in the far ends of the workings, and when they were shut the air carried it to the stable light. The inspector concurred, and the jury found that the explosion was produced by doors being left open.

What's uncertain

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

• J. Edwards, 51, and Thomas Jones, 30, ostlers at a Dowlais Iron Company colliery, were killed by an explosion of gas on 2 May 1870. (disputed) ¹
• D. Hughes, 51, R. Jones, 58, and T. Jones, 30, died in an explosion at Penydarren Colliery on 2 May 1870. (disputed) ⁵

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion late on Saturday 30 April 1870 at No. 2 Vochriw pit killed two men and fifteen horses. ^1,2,3
• The two men, in charge of the horses, were Robert Hughes and Thomas Jones; Jones died on the Tuesday. ²
• The jury found the deaths were caused by an explosion of firedamp produced by doors being left open. ⁴
• J. Edwards, 51, and Thomas Jones, 30, ostlers at a Dowlais Iron Company colliery, were killed by an explosion of gas on 2 May 1870. (disputed) ¹
• D. Hughes, 51, R. Jones, 58, and T. Jones, 30, died in an explosion at Penydarren Colliery on 2 May 1870. (disputed) ⁵

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…At the resumed inquest Matthew Truman, the company's principal coal agent, said the explosion began at the entrance to the stables in…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Late on Saturday 30 April 1870 firedamp exploded at the stables of the Dowlais Iron Company's No. 2 Vochriw…”
• Horsekeeper (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…men were in the pit; the inquest found that doors left open by the ostlers had let gas collect and then carried it to the stable light.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…April 1870, a flueman at No. 1 pit smelt sulphur coming up the No. 2 shaft at Vochriw, one of the Dowlais Iron Company's pits, between eleven…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Glamorgan colliery fatalities, 1870 — Welsh Coal Mines website
2. (primary) 'Dowlais: explosion at the Vochriw pit, two men and 15 horses killed', The Merthyr Telegraph, 7 May 1870 — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) 'Dowlais: fatal explosion', Monmouthshire Merlin, 7 May 1870 — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
4. (primary) 'Dowlais: the late explosion at Vochriw, the inquest', The Western Mail, 12 May 1870 — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
5. (secondary) NMRS: Penydarren Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026