Great Mountain Colliery gas accident, 1925

A fireman at Great Mountain Colliery, Tumble, was overcome by gas on 27 April 1925, and a second fireman who went in to rescue him was suffocated too.

Cause

Gas in the workings overcame a fireman, and then the man who went to his rescue.

What happened

On 27 April 1925 Morgan Daniels, a 43-year-old fireman at the United Anthracite Collieries' Great Mountain Colliery, was overcome by gas. William Howells, a 46-year-old fireman, went to rescue him, was himself overcome and suffocated. Both men died.

Rescue & recovery

William Howells tried to rescue Daniels and was overcome by the gas himself.

Recorded claims

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

• On 27 April 1925 two men were overcome by gas and killed at Great Mountain Colliery, Tumble. ^1,2
• The fireman Morgan Daniels, 43, was overcome by gas. ¹
• William Howells, a 46-year-old fireman, tried to rescue Morgan Daniel and was overcome by gas and suffocated. ²
• The colliery was owned by United Anthracite Collieries Limited. ²

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A fireman at Great Mountain Colliery, Tumble, was overcome by gas on 27 April 1925, and a second fireman…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “A fireman at Great Mountain Colliery, Tumble, was overcome by gas on 27 April…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines fatalities, 1925 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: William Howells, Great Mountain, 1925 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026