Gelli Colliery explosion, 1883

An explosion in the Globe, the steam coal pit at Gelli in the Rhondda Fawr, on 21 August 1883 burned twenty-one men, five of whom died. The jury found accidental death but held that the ventilation was defective and that the management had been negligent, and when a widow sued, the court held that no compensation was payable where the plaintiff had contributed to the accident.

Cause

What lit the gas was never explained. The inquest found that the ventilation of the pit was defective and that there had been neglect on the part of the management.

Contributing factors

The pit was described at the inquest as a large colliery 380 yards deep employing 400 men. The house coal and steam coal pits at Gelli were run as separate units, each with its own manager and its own officials, and the undermanager of the steam coal pit had held that post for only two months.

What happened

The explosion came in the Globe pit on Tuesday 21 August 1883 and burned twenty-one men. Four died of their burns: Thomas Woodliffe, a collier of 26; David Thomas, a collier of 32; John Lewis, a collier of 34; and John Jones, a collier of 46. Woodliffe's brother Benjamin was badly burnt and lived. The fifth to die was John Chubb, 44, the undermanager, who held on until the Tuesday morning a week later and left a widow and six children. Chubb's own history ran through the coalfield's worst years. He had gone into Dinas Colliery as a collier, and Morgan Rowland, then head manager there, noticed his shrewdness and made him undermanager; Colonel Hunt, the proprietor, promoted him to head manager when Rowland resigned, and he held that post at the time of the 1879 explosion at Dinas. After it he went to America, but soon came back, and Thomas and Griffiths took him on as overman of the house coal pit at Gelli. Two months before the explosion he had been made undermanager of the steam coal pit. Two of the men who died of their burns were buried at Merthyr on the Saturday. The bodies of John Jones and John Lewis were escorted to Ystrad railway station by a large crowd, many of whom took the train to Merthyr, where others met them for the funeral. A notice posted at the colliery the following Friday recorded that Crawshay Bailey had written to Thomas and Griffiths condoling with the injured and their families and asking after their condition, and a lady who wished to be known only as Amy sent a cheque for £20 to be shared among the sufferers. Mrs Thomas and the Misses Thomas of Maindy Hall provided the burned men with nourishment.

Rescue & recovery

No entombment and no rescue: the men were burned where they worked, and sixteen of the twenty-one survived their injuries.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest returned a verdict of accidental death, but the jury was of the opinion that the ventilation was defective and that there had been neglect on the part of the management. The verdict also found contributory negligence.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

A case that followed was heard before Judge Stevens, who held that there could be no compensation where the plaintiff had contributed to the accident, and remarked that the Employers' Liability Act would meet many legal difficulties.

Changes to practice & legislation

None recorded at Gelli. A second explosion in July 1885, this time in the house coal pit, injured two men slightly and led to the fireman, George Collier, being fined £2 for failing to visit all the workplaces that morning as the Mines Act required.

Memorials & commemoration

None recorded.

Recorded claims

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

• The explosion occurred in the Globe pit, the steam coal pit at Gelli in the Rhondda Fawr, on 21 August 1883. ^1,2
• Five men died of their injuries and sixteen others were badly burned. ^1,2
• The dead were Thomas Woodliffe, 26, David Thomas, 32, John Lewis, 34, and John Jones, 46, all colliers, and John Chubb, 44, the undermanager. ^1,2
• John Chubb had been undermanager and then head manager at Dinas Colliery, holding the latter post at the time of the 1879 explosion there; he then went to America, returned, and was taken on as overman of the house coal pit at Gelli, becoming undermanager of the steam coal pit two months before the explosion. He died on the Tuesday morning a week after it, leaving a widow and six children. ^1,2
• The pit was described at the inquest as a large colliery 380 yards deep employing 400 men. ¹
• The jury returned accidental death but was of the opinion that the ventilation was defective and that there had been neglect by the management, and the verdict also found contributory negligence. ^1,2
• In a case presided over by Judge Stevens it was held that there could be no compensation where the plaintiff had contributed to the accident, the judge remarking that the Employers' Liability Act would be faced with many legal difficulties. ^1,2
• Two of the dead were buried at Merthyr on the Saturday, the bodies of John Jones and John Lewis being escorted to Ystrad railway station by a large crowd; a lady who gave her name only as Amy sent a cheque for £20 for the sufferers, and Crawshay Bailey wrote to the owners asking after the injured. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s contributing factors: “…as a large colliery 380 yards deep employing 400 men. The house coal and steam coal pits at Gelli were run as separate units, each with…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 9 times in this record, first in the summary: “An explosion in the Globe, the steam coal pit at Gelli in the Rhondda Fawr, on 21 August 1883 burned twenty-one…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s changes to practice: “…time in the house coal pit, injured two men slightly and led to the fireman, George Collier, being fined £2 for failing to visit all the…”
• Overman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…America, but soon came back, and Thomas and Griffiths took him on as overman of the house coal pit at Gelli. Two months before the explosion he…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Gelli Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Gelli Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines

Record created: 24 September 2026 · Last researched: 24 September 2026