International Colliery roof fall, 1903

At about four in the morning of 22 May 1903 two colliers, Samuel Cooper and Lewis James, were killed in the six-foot seam of the International Colliery in the Garw valley when some twenty tons of debris came down on them as they worked to improve the ventilation of an old stall.

Cause

A piece of timber gave way in an old stall and about twenty tons of roof fell.

What happened

Cooper and James were working in an old stall in the six-foot seam, trying to improve its ventilation, when a timber failed and the roof above came down. Both were killed instantly under the fall, which the colliery records put at about twenty tons.

Recorded claims

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

• At about four o'clock in the morning of 22 May 1903 two colliers, Samuel Cooper and Lewis James, were killed instantly in the six-foot seam of the International Colliery, Pontycymmer. ^1,2
• The two men were trying to improve the ventilation in an old stall when a piece of timber gave way and some twenty tons of debris fell on them. ²
• Cooper, 27, was single; James, 28, was married. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Lewis James, were killed in the six-foot seam of the International Colliery in the Garw valley when some twenty tons of debris came down on them…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…down on them as they worked to improve the ventilation of an old stall.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Mining fatalities, 1903 - Welsh Coal Mines — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Evening Express, 22 May 1903: Colliery fatalities: two men killed at Pontycymmer — Evening Express (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

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