MineArchiveHendreforgan Colliery Runaway Journey, 1896
Nine boys riding illicitly up a steep incline in an empty journey of trams were thrown back down when a drawbar broke between the fourth and fifth trams. Two were killed, a 17-year-old collier boy and a 13-year-old haulier, and the other seven were all injured.
| Date | 15 August 1896 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Hendreforgan Colliery |
| Region | Neath Port Talbot |
| Type | Haulage / Transport |
| Fatalities | 2 (T. G. Williams, collier boy, 17 (14 at the inquest); Morgan Morgan, 13, assistant haulier.) |
| Injuries | All seven other boys riding the journey were injured. |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The drawbar between the fourth and fifth trams of an empty journey broke on a steep incline, and the rear trams ran back.
Contributing factors
The boys were riding the journey unlawfully.
What happened
Nine boys were riding up the incline in the empty trams when the drawbar broke and the trams they were in ran back down the slope.
It was about ten in the morning of Saturday 15 August. A collier, William Thomas, had been hurt, and the rider, John Davies, was told to stop bringing up coal because the bridle was wanted to carry the injured man to the surface. As he started up with an empty trip a number of boys jumped in; he ordered them out and signalled the engineman, and they set off. Before reaching the surface he felt a jerk in the rope and jumped off: the boys in the front trams told him two trams had broken away and run back. Going down the drift he found the body of one boy and the rest of them lying along the road. The trams had overturned and the boys had been thrown against the roof.
At the inquest at the Temperance Hall, Cwmtwrch, before the district coroner Dr W. R. Jones, with the inspector Mr Robson present, the manager, Daniel Meredith, said a coupling had broken and that workmen were allowed to ride only on the bridle; boys had ridden before and been prosecuted. The doctor found that both boys had died of a fractured skull. A juror who was a blacksmith examined the broken coupling and found no fault. The coroner blamed the boys entirely, and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death and cleared the company of negligence or blame.
Investigation & inquiry
Inquest at the Temperance Hall, Cwmtwrch, before Dr W. R. Jones, district coroner, with Mr Robson, H.M. Inspector of Mines; verdict, accidental death, the company exonerated.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
The jury exonerated the company from negligence or blame.
Changes to practice & legislation
None recorded.
What's uncertain
Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.
- Thomas G. Williams was 14, by his father's evidence at the inquest. (disputed) 3
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 15 August 1896 T. G. Williams, 17, collier boy, and Morgan Morgan, 13, assistant haulier, were killed when run over by trams. 1
- While riding unlawfully up a steep incline in an empty journey, the drawbar between the fourth and fifth trams broke and the trams carrying nine boys ran back, killing two and injuring all the others. 2
- The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and exonerated the company from negligence or blame. 3,4,5
- The manager said a coupling had broken, and that workmen were allowed to ride only on the bridle. 3
- Thomas G. Williams was 14, by his father's evidence at the inquest. (disputed) 3
- The colliery belonged to the Gwaun-cae-Gurwen Company. 5
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Haulier (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…trams. Two were killed, a 17-year-old collier boy and a 13-year-old haulier, and the other seven were all injured.” - Incline (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Nine boys riding illicitly up a steep incline in an empty journey of trams were thrown back down when a drawbar…” - Journey (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Nine boys riding illicitly up a steep incline in an empty journey of trams were thrown back down when a drawbar broke between the…” - Tub (contextual relationship)
Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “Nine boys riding illicitly up a steep incline in an empty journey of trams were thrown back down when a drawbar broke between the fourth and…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
Brief account of the runaway journey that killed two boys.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Hendreforgan Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society (Ray Lawrence)
- (secondary) Hendreforgan disaster (Hendreforgan Colliery) — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) Hendreforgan Colliery Disaster: The Inquest Resumed, South Wales Daily News, 19 August 1896 — South Wales Daily News (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
- (primary) Colliery Accident at Ystalyfera: Result of Transgressing Rules, South Wales Daily News, 19 August 1896 — South Wales Daily News (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
- (primary) Colliery Fatalities at Hendreforgan Colliery, The Cambrian, 21 August 1896 — The Cambrian (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
Record created: 16 September 2026 · Last researched: 2 November 2026