Milfraen Colliery cage accident, 1902

On 4 March 1902 a cage carrying men up the shaft of Milfraen Colliery, above Blaenavon, swung as it rose and struck an iron girder about 78 yards from the bottom, throwing five of them out to their deaths. Among them were two fathers and sons, the Griffiths and the Stallards, two of the dead being boys of thirteen and fifteen. The Inspector blamed slack rope jerking the cage off the bottom.

Cause

The ascending cage got into a swing and struck an iron girder (byatt) in the shaft about 78 yards from the bottom, tipping men out; the Inspector thought slack rope jerked it off the bottom.

Contributing factors

The cage cleared the girders by only 8 or 9 inches when steady. It was said to have left the bottom steadily, and why it swung was not established.

What happened

The cage rose from the bottom of the 250-yard shaft with the men aboard. Some 78 yards up it struck one of the iron girders crossing the shaft, and five were thrown out and fell. The four wire-rope guides were not tightened afterwards and the cages ran normally; there were no marks to show the cage had touched the sides or girders before.

Investigation & inquiry

H.M. Inspector Joseph S. Martin reported on the accident in the 1902 Mines Inspectors' Report for the Southern District (No. 12), giving his impression that slack rope had jerked the cage off the bottom and set it swaying.

Recorded claims

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

• On 4 March 1902 a cage in which men were ascending the 250-yard shaft touched some ironwork and tipped five of them out to their deaths, among them a father and son, David and Edward Stollard, who had begun work at the colliery that same morning. (disputed) ¹
• The Durham Mining Museum, from the 1902 Inspector's report, names the five as Elias James Griffiths, 13, and Elias T. Griffiths, 48; David Phillips, 37; and Edward Stallard, 53, and William A. Stallard, 15. (disputed) ²
• The cage struck an iron girder or byatt about 78 yards from the bottom; it had 8 or 9 inches clearance when steady and got into a swing, which Inspector Joseph S. Martin attributed to its being jerked off the bottom by slack rope. ²
• The cage had four wire-rope guides, and afterwards the cages worked without trouble with no tightening of the guides; there were no marks of earlier contact with the shaft sides or girders. ²

Related terminology

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

• Bunton (direct cause)
  The cage struck an iron girder or byatt across the shaft.
• Cage (direct cause)
  Men were thrown from the ascending cage.
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “On 4 March 1902 a cage carrying men up the shaft of Milfraen Colliery, above Blaenavon, swung as it rose and struck an iron girder about…”
• Man-riding (contextual relationship)
  Men were riding the cage up the shaft.
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 4 March 1902 a cage carrying men up the shaft of Milfraen Colliery, above Blaenavon, swung as it rose and struck…”

Sources

1. (primary) Milfraen Colliery, Blaenavon — Welsh Coal Mines, from the Inspector of Mines lists
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Milfraen Colliery — Durham Mining Museum, from the Lists of Mines

Record created: 10 September 2026 · Last researched: 13 September 2026