Llanhilleth Colliery fall of coal, 1907

At about one in the morning of 8 March 1907 a lump of coal seven feet across fell from the face in the Black Vein at Llanhilleth Colliery and killed two brothers, William and Walter Morgan, as they filled a dram. Welsh Coal Mines records that a 'bumper' shook the place; the Inspector found the overhanging coal had been held by a single sprag, totally insufficient, and noted that such falls had become more common at the colliery since the strike.

Cause

A fall of overhanging coal from the face in the Black Vein, supported by only one sprag; Welsh Coal Mines attributes it to a 'bumper' shaking the ground.

Contributing factors

The seam was about 7½ feet thick with 10 inches of clod above, worked on the face slip, and the coal overhung about a yard. The lump that fell had both ends loose and only one sprag against it. The Inspector remarked that accidents of this kind had become frequent since the 1905-06 strike.

What happened

William George Morgan, 28 by the Inspector's account and 25 by Welsh Coal Mines, and his brother Walter Worthy Morgan, 20, were colliers in the Black Vein at Llanhilleth, Partridge Jones and Company's steam-coal pit, where the seam was about seven and a half feet thick with ten inches of clod above it. At about one o'clock in the morning of 8 March 1907, in the sixth hour of their shift, they were filling a dram at the face of their working place. The coal there was worked on the face slip and overhung about a yard. Welsh Coal Mines records that a 'bumper' shook the area where they were working; a lump about seven feet across the face, loose at both ends, came away and killed both men. The Inspector found that against this overhanging coal there had been only one sprag, which he called totally insufficient. He added that before the strike of 1905-6 the colliery had enjoyed considerable immunity from falls of this kind under the same conditions, but that since work resumed there had been several.

Investigation & inquiry

H.M. Inspector Joseph S. Martin described the accident in his 1907 report for the Southern District, judging the single sprag totally insufficient.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Welsh Coal Mines says a 'bumper' shook the place where they were working, filling a dram, and brought down the coal. (disputed) ¹
• The Inspector's report, as given by the Durham Mining Museum, says the coal in the Black Vein, about 7½ feet thick, was worked on the face slip and overhung about a yard; the lump that fell, seven feet across and loose at both ends, was held by only one sprag, which was totally insufficient. (disputed) ²
• William is William George Morgan, 25, in Welsh Coal Mines and William Morgan, 28, in the Durham Mining Museum; Walter is 20 in both. (disputed) ^1,2

Recorded claims

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

• Two brothers named Morgan, William and Walter, were killed by a fall of coal at Llanhilleth Colliery on 8 March 1907. ^1,2
• Welsh Coal Mines says a 'bumper' shook the place where they were working, filling a dram, and brought down the coal. (disputed) ¹
• The Inspector's report, as given by the Durham Mining Museum, says the coal in the Black Vein, about 7½ feet thick, was worked on the face slip and overhung about a yard; the lump that fell, seven feet across and loose at both ends, was held by only one sprag, which was totally insufficient. (disputed) ²
• William is William George Morgan, 25, in Welsh Coal Mines and William Morgan, 28, in the Durham Mining Museum; Walter is 20 in both. (disputed) ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “At about one in the morning of 8 March 1907 a lump of coal seven feet across fell from the face in the Black Vein at…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…feet across fell from the face in the Black Vein at Llanhilleth Colliery and killed two brothers, William and Walter Morgan, as they filled a…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…and killed two brothers, William and Walter Morgan, as they filled a dram. Welsh Coal Mines records that a 'bumper' shook the place; the…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Llanhilleth Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Llanhilleth Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 10 September 2026 · Last researched: 16 September 2026