MineArchiveNixon's Navigation Colliery Explosion, 1863
An explosion at Nixon's Navigation Colliery, Mountain Ash, at about five o'clock on the afternoon of Saturday 7 February 1863 killed two colliers, Evan Morgan and Samuel Jones. The inquest heard that a pipe and tobacco were found, and concluded that the men had been smoking in the roadway on their way to their stall.
| Date | 7 February 1863 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Nixon's Navigation Colliery |
| Region | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 2 (Evan Morgan, aged 23, and Samuel Jones, both colliers. Each had been working at the pit only a few months.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The inquest strongly intimated that the explosion was caused by the men smoking in the roadway on their way to their stall; tobacco and a pipe were found, and the jury tended to believe this was the cause.
Contributing factors
Both men were new to the pit, having worked there only a few months. The colliery had been in production three years, working the Four Feet seam at what was then the greatest depth in the coalfield.
What happened
The explosion came at about five o'clock on the Saturday afternoon and killed both men. At the inquest it emerged that Samuel Jones had only recently started underground work, having lost his job as a postman through drunkenness. The same day's newspaper carried other cases of men caught smoking underground, or found with smoking materials on them, at other collieries — a reminder that this was a general problem of the period rather than a peculiarity of this pit.
Investigation & inquiry
The inquest found tobacco and a pipe, and tended to the view that smoking in the roadway had caused the explosion.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Two colliers were killed: Evan Morgan, aged 23, and Samuel Jones. Both had been working at the pit only a few months. 1
- The inquest strongly intimated that the explosion was caused by the men smoking in the roadway on their way to their stall; tobacco and a pipe were found and the jury tended to believe this was the cause. 1
- The same day's newspaper carried other cases of men caught smoking underground or found with smoking materials on them at other collieries. 1
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: “An explosion at Nixon's Navigation Colliery, Mountain Ash, at about five o'clock on the afternoon of Saturday 7…”
Sources
- (secondary) Nixon's Navigation Colliery, Mountain Ash — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) Welsh colliery fatalities, 1863 (Welsh Coal Mines) — Welsh Coal Mines website
Record created: 3 September 2026 · Last researched: 22 September 2026