Great Western Colliery runaway journey, 1893

On the afternoon of Thursday 7 September 1893 a journey of rubbish trams broke away on the surface incline of the Great Western Colliery at Hopkinstown, Pontypridd, and ran down onto men repairing the roadway under the Barry Railway bridge. David Bassett, the oldest man at the pit, was killed and Harry Thomas died two days later.

Cause

The hitching (draw-bar shackle) of the second tram broke as six full trams of rubbish were being hauled up the incline.

Contributing factors

Bassett had been warned not to work under the bridge while the incline was running; he had charge of that part of the incline alone. The jury thought the hitcher, a boy named Robert Francis, too young to be held responsible for coupling the trams.

What happened

The incline carried rubbish from the pit top up to the tip on the mountain across the river, passing for 30 to 40 yards under the Barry Railway at Hopkinstown. The journey had been signalled away by the hitcher under the bridge when the coupling of the second tram parted and the trams behind it ran back down at speed onto the men below.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest the colliery officials said drawbars and shackles had recently been strengthened and that there had been one earlier fatal accident on the incline, when a rope broke. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and recommended safety points and more bar hooks on the incline.

Recorded claims

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

• Early on the afternoon of Thursday 7 September 1893 a runaway of trams on the surface incline of the Great Western Colliery, Hopkinstown, killed David Bassett outright; Harry Thomas died of his injuries on the Saturday, and three others were hurt. ^1,2
• The hitching of the second tram of a journey of rubbish trams going up the incline gave way, and the rest of the trams ran back to the bottom. ^1,2
• The incline ran from the pit top to the mountain across the river, passing under the Barry Railway bridge, where men were repairing the roadway when the trams came down. ²
• The jury found that Bassett died by accident caused by the breaking of the hitching and recommended safety points and enough bar hooks on the incline. ²

Related terminology

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

• Heapstead (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “The incline carried rubbish from the pit top up to the tip on the mountain across the river, passing for 30 to 40…”
• Incline (contextual relationship)
  Named 7 times in this record, first in the summary: “…September 1893 a journey of rubbish trams broke away on the surface incline of the Great Western Colliery at Hopkinstown, Pontypridd, and ran…”
• Journey (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On the afternoon of Thursday 7 September 1893 a journey of rubbish trams broke away on the surface incline of the Great…”
• Onsetter (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the contributing factors: “…had charge of that part of the incline alone. The jury thought the hitcher, a boy named Robert Francis, too young to be held responsible for…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “On the afternoon of Thursday 7 September 1893 a journey of rubbish trams broke away on the surface incline of the Great Western Colliery at…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines fatalities, 1893 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) The Pontypridd Chronicle and Workman's News, 15 September 1893: Terrible accident at the Great Western Colliery: the inquest — The Pontypridd Chronicle and Workman's News (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

Record created: 19 October 2026 · Last researched: 20 October 2026