Lluest Colliery coal outburst, 1893

On the morning of Friday 22 September 1893 a sudden outburst of coal, known locally as a 'pounce', killed a father and son, Rhys and William Davies, in a heading at Lluest Colliery in the Garw valley.

Cause

A 'pounce': coal forced out of the face by roof and floor pressure in a heading where the ground had been squeezing.

What happened

Rhys Davies, about 45, and his son William, about 21, were working in the No. 8 heading of the No. 3 Rhondda seam. The ground there had been squeezing for some time, under great pressure from roof and floor, and at about eight in the morning the coal burst out of the face with such violence that the two men were thrown some distance, probably against a cog supporting the roof. The father's leg was broken in several places. There were no burns on either body, and no explosion had taken place.

Another son, working at the far end of the heading, escaped unhurt. The shock was felt through Pontycymmer, where people took it for an earthquake until the facts were known. Rhys Davies, who had come to the colliery from Llansamlet about six months before, was married, with children most of them grown up.

Rescue & recovery

Several men went to the rescue at once. It took some hours to get air into the heading and reach the place, and the bodies were found at about one o'clock.

Recorded claims

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

• Rhys Davies and his son William were killed at Lluest Colliery on the morning of 22 September 1893. ^1,2
• Coal was forced out of the face by roof and floor pressure in the No. 8 heading, an outburst known locally as a 'pounce'. ^1,2
• The two were working in the No. 8 heading of the No. 3 Rhondda seam. ²
• The bodies were not reached for some hours, and were found at about one o'clock. ^1,2
• The shock was felt through Pontycymmer and taken for an earthquake. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On the morning of Friday 22 September 1893 a sudden outburst of coal, known locally as a 'pounce', killed a father and son, Rhys and…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…a father and son, Rhys and William Davies, in a heading at Lluest Colliery in the Garw valley.”
• Outburst (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “On the morning of Friday 22 September 1893 a sudden outburst of coal, known locally as a 'pounce', killed a father and son, Rhys…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines fatalities, 1893 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Fatal accident at Llest Colliery: two men killed (The Western Mail, 23 September 1893) — National Library of Wales

Record created: 10 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026