Graig Colliery sinking explosion, 1892

Late on 26 February 1892 gas that had gathered in the sinking at the Graig Pit, Aberdare, exploded at the sinkers' candles, killing the banksman John Evans and burning eleven men; the inquest found the officials had not written up their inspections.

Date	26 February 1892
Mine	Graig Colliery, Aberdare
Region	Rhondda Cynon Taf
Type	Explosion
Fatalities	1 (John M. Evans, known as John Meredyth, of North Avenue, Gadlys, a banksman, married with four children.)
Injuries	Eleven men were burnt, most of them sinkers, on the face, neck, hands and arms, some deeply; the most seriously hurt were the contractor Thomas Jones, Evan Jenkins, Evan Lloyd, William Williams, Thomas Davies and David Rees. None was expected to die.
Context	During active mining

Cause

Gas collected in the shaft bottom and, the manager thought, came through the water from the Gellideg workings once rubbish was cleared from a test hole; the sinkers were working with naked candles, as was the rule for sinkers.

What happened

For several months the shaft at the Graig Pit had been opened out above the Seven Feet and below the Five Feet seam to make room for arches, under the contractor Thomas Jones of Trecynon. The sinkers had been cautioned the evening before to watch for gas, and their own examination found none. During the night shift about eleven men were down, boring and sending up rubbish, all with naked candles. At about half past ten or towards midnight on Friday 26 February 1892 gas exploded. The banksman, John Evans, fell to the bottom of the shaft and was killed; the men below were thrown about and burnt, and nearly suffocated by the afterdamp.

Rescue & recovery

The manager, William Thomas, and the colliery's medical officer, Dr D. Davies, were called at once; his assistants Dr W. Llewellyn Rhys and Dr H. W. Lewis went down the shaft with the officials and treated the injured before they were brought up. A sinker who was below said they were in the shaft for about half an hour after the explosion. All the injured were members of the Miners' Provident Association.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner, R. J. Rhys, held the inquest at the Wayne's Arms, Aberdare, on 9 March 1892, with H.M. Inspector of Mines Mr Sims giving evidence. The manager produced the plan of the sinking and gave his opinion on how the gas had come in. The coroner told the jury that the colliery rules had been broken: after each inspection a written report on the shaft and the presence of gas should have been made, and none had been. The jury found the death purely accidental, with a rider that in future a written report be made after each inspection.

Recorded claims

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

An explosion during sinking at the Graig Pit, Aberdare, late on Friday 26 February 1892 killed one man and injured eleven. ^1,2
Gas had accumulated in the sinking and the sinkers were working with naked lights. ^2,3
The manager believed the gas came through the water from the Gellideg workings once rubbish had been cleared. ³
The jury found the death purely accidental, with a rider that a written report be made after each inspection. 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: “…men below were thrown about and burnt, and nearly suffocated by the afterdamp.”
Banksman (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Graig Pit, Aberdare, exploded at the sinkers' candles, killing the banksman John Evans and burning eleven men; the inquest found the officials…”
HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s investigation: “…inquest at the Wayne's Arms, Aberdare, on 9 March 1892, with H.M. Inspector of Mines Mr Sims giving evidence. The manager produced the plan of the…”
Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named 6 times in this record, first in the cause: “Gas collected in the shaft bottom and, the manager thought, came through the water from the…”
Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
Named 7 times in this record, first in the summary: “Late on 26 February 1892 gas that had gathered in the sinking at the Graig Pit, Aberdare, exploded at the sinkers' candles,…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Aberdare Times, 27 February 1892: Colliery explosion at the Graig Pit (reference)

The first report, with the list of the injured.

View source

Aberdare Times, 12 March 1892: the inquest (reference)

The manager's and sinkers' evidence, the coroner's summing-up and the verdict.

View source

Sources

(secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: Graig Colliery, Aberdare — Welsh Coal Mines
(primary) 'Colliery explosion at the Graig Pit: one killed and eleven injured', Aberdare Times, 27 February 1892 — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
(primary) 'The recent colliery explosion at Graig Pit, Aberdare: inquest', Aberdare Times, 12 March 1892 — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)

Record created: 10 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026