Gethin Colliery explosion, 1891

On the afternoon of Sunday 23 August 1891 two brothers named Morgan were killed by an explosion of gas in the Five-foot seam at Abercanaid (Gethin) Pit, Merthyr, after going into the return airway with a naked light. Thousands gathered at the pit head before their bodies were brought up.

Date	23 August 1891
Mine	Gethin Colliery
Region	Merthyr Tydfil
Primary type	Explosion
Associated types	Gas / Asphyxiation
Fatalities	2 (Joseph Morgan, 21, and his brother John Morgan, 36. The first newspaper report calls them Evan and John; the inquest report names John and Joseph.)
Context	During active mining

A still pond reflects bare winter trees on its far bank, seen through branches on the near bank. — Pownd Webber's pond, Abercanaid, which supplied water to Gethin No. 2 pit Alan Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph

Cause

An ignition of firedamp in the return airway, supposed to have been fired by a naked light the brothers carried.

What happened

About forty men were at work in the Five-foot seam when the explosion came. As soon as word got out, thousands of people flocked to the pit's mouth, and some time passed before any news came. The two brothers were brought up dead, their hair burnt off, and were thought to have been killed by the afterdamp. Their bodies were carried on stretchers to Merthyr, followed by hundreds of people.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner, R. J. Rhys, opened the inquest on the following Tuesday at Merthyr, took evidence of identification and adjourned it for a week.

Recorded claims

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

On Sunday 23 August 1891 two brothers named Morgan were killed by an explosion in the Five-foot seam at Abercanaid Pit, Merthyr. ^1,2,3
They are supposed to have gone into the return airway with a naked light, which fired the gas. ^1,2
Both were brought up dead, their hair burnt off; they were thought to have been killed by the afterdamp. ^1,2
The inquest was opened by the coroner R. J. Rhys and adjourned after evidence of identification. ³

Related terminology

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

Afterdamp (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…their hair burnt off, and were thought to have been killed by the afterdamp. Their bodies were carried on stretchers to Merthyr, followed by…”
Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s cause: “An ignition of firedamp in the return airway, supposed to have been fired by a naked light…”
Naked Light (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…(Gethin) Pit, Merthyr, after going into the return airway with a naked light. Thousands gathered at the pit head before their bodies were brought…”
Pithead (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…into the return airway with a naked light. Thousands gathered at the pit head before their bodies were brought up.”
Return Airway (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…seam at Abercanaid (Gethin) Pit, Merthyr, after going into the return airway with a naked light. Thousands gathered at the pit head before their…”

Sources

(secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: fatalities, 1891 — Welsh Coal Mines
(primary) South Wales Daily News, 24 August 1891: Colliery explosion at Merthyr: two brothers killed — South Wales Daily News (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
(primary) The Western Mail, 26 August 1891: The Abercanaid Colliery explosion (inquest opened) — The Western Mail (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

Record created: 25 October 2026 · Last researched: 25 October 2026