Onllwyn Colliery haulage accident, 1902

A journey of trams broke loose on an engine plane rising one in three at Sir Griffith Thomas's Onllwyn Colliery on 14 January 1902 and killed two colliers.

Cause

A shackle broke on a steep engine plane, and the bar-hook that would have stopped the runaway had been lost.

What happened

At five in the afternoon of 14 January 1902 a journey of trams ran away down an engine plane rising one in three at Onllwyn Colliery, owned by Sir Griffith Thomas, and struck two colliers, Charles Betterson, 48, and David Lloyd, 20, killing both. A shackle had broken, and the bar-hook that should have caught a runaway had been lost on the way out.

Recorded claims

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

• On 14 January 1902 two colliers at Onllwyn were struck and killed by a runaway journey. ^1,2,3
• The journey ran away on an engine plane rising 1 in 3 when a shackle broke; the bar-hook had been lost on the way out. ^4,2
• They were Charles Betterson, 48, and David Lloyd, 20. ^1,3
• The colliery was owned by Sir Griffith Thomas. ^4,2

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: “…an engine plane rising one in three at Sir Griffith Thomas's Onllwyn Colliery on 14 January 1902 and killed two colliers.”
• Journey (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A journey of trams broke loose on an engine plane rising one in three at Sir…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A journey of trams broke loose on an engine plane rising one in three at Sir Griffith…”

Sources

1. (primary) Onllwyn Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Charles Betterson, Onllwyn, 1902 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: David Lloyd, Onllwyn, 1902 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Onllwyn, 14 January 1902 — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 18 October 2026 · Last researched: 18 October 2026