MineArchiveGlyn Pits explosion and fire, 1890
| Date | 23 January 1890 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Glyn Pits, Pontypool |
| Region | Torfaen |
| Primary type | Explosion |
| Associated types | Entrapment, Fire |
| Fatalities | 5 (James Spear, 41, married, of Pontnewynydd; Frederick Turner, 39, a widower, of Club Row, Tranch; David Lloyd, 29, married, of Nightingale Village; Arthur Mills, 18; Henry Price, 18, of Chapel Lane, Pontypool. None of the bodies was recovered.) |
| Context | During active mining (The night shift at the Glyn Pits, Pontypool, then worked by the Ebbw Vale company.) |
In the early hours of Thursday 23 January 1890 gas exploded underground at the Glyn Pits near Pontypool. Most of the men struggled out, but five miners and nine horses were missing, and fires spread through the workings so fiercely that rescue was almost impossible. Five days later the colliery was deliberately flooded to put out the fire and save the pit, and the five bodies were never recovered. Within a fortnight some of the men who had gone to work at nearby Llanerch Colliery died in the explosion there.
Cause
An explosion of gas underground, followed by fires; the sources read do not say how the gas was ignited.
What happened
With difficulty most of the workforce made its way out. Twenty-four horses were brought to the surface in fine condition, startled by the daylight, but nine horses and five men were missing. The underground fires that followed the explosion made the rescuers' task almost impossible.
Rescue & recovery
Meetings of engineers, officials and mine inspectors decided, with the unanimous approval of the workmen, that the colliery must be flooded to save it and possibly to reach the missing men; flooding began at 3 a.m. on 28 January and went on the next day, with scarcely any visitors at the pit. The bodies were never recovered.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
Many of the men went to work at the company's other collieries at Ebbw Vale, which paid their weekly fares and lodgings while the Glyn was repaired. Others took work at Llanerch Colliery, and some were among the 176 killed there in February 1890; the Llanerch Disaster Fund decided in mid-February to include the Glyn dependants.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Five miners were killed by an explosion of gas at the Glyn Pits in January 1890: James Spear, Frederick Turner, David Lloyd, Arthur Mills and Henry Price. 1,2
- An explosion in 1890 killed five men whose bodies were never recovered. 1,3
- Underground fires made rescue almost impossible, and engineers, officials and inspectors, with the workmen's approval, decided to flood the colliery, beginning at 3 a.m. on the 28th. 1,2
- Many men went to work at the company's collieries at Ebbw Vale with their fares and lodgings paid; others went to Llanerch Colliery, where some were killed in the explosion there, and the Llanerch fund was extended to the Glyn dependants. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…so fiercely that rescue was almost impossible. Five days later the colliery was deliberately flooded to put out the fire and save the pit, and…” - Firedamp (direct cause)
An explosion of gas underground.
Sources
- (secondary) Glyn pits, Pontypool — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1890 — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) The Glyn Pits, the Industrial Archaeology and History — Industrial Gwent
Record created: 13 September 2026 · Last researched: 13 September 2026