MineArchivePantyffynnon Colliery explosion, 1908
| Date | 28 January 1908 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Pantyffynnon Colliery |
| Region | Carmarthenshire |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 2 (Gwilym (or Gwillym) Griffiths, 28, collier, of Bettws; William Roberts, collier (52 in the Welsh Coal Mines 1908 list), of Hopkinstown or Ammanford. Both died of their burns.) |
| Injuries | Four seriously burnt about the face, neck, arms and hands: James (Jim) Davies, fireman and shotsman, of Tycroes; Thomas Davies, repairer, of Tycroes; David 'Dai' Griffiths, collier, Gwilym's brother; and Arthur Evans, collier. |
| Context | During active mining (A drift mine at Ammanford, opened at the start of the twentieth century, with 348 men on the books in 1908 and 200 underground when the explosion happened.) |
On the afternoon of 28 January 1908 gas exploded in the No. 1 East Level of the Upper Pumpquart seam at Pantyffynnon Colliery, Ammanford, while 200 men were underground. Gas had been troubling the district for weeks, and the men had been told that morning not to fire shots. The explosion was put down to shotfiring. Two colliers, Gwilym Griffiths and William Roberts, died of their burns and four others were badly burnt. The owner and manager were prosecuted over ventilation, and the manager was fined £10.
Cause
Gas ignited by shotfiring (a shotfiring accident using a battery).
Contributing factors
Gas had been present in the workings for several weeks, and extra brattice sheets had been put up to try to clear it. The fireman found gas at 6 a.m.; by 9 a.m. he judged it had lessened, and the men were told they could work but not fire shots. The manager was afterwards fined for failing to maintain proper ventilation.
What happened
The Griffiths brothers were working one stall, with Evans and Roberts in another. John Griffiths of Bettws, a brother of two of the victims, was working about 150 yards away. He and others ran to the place, put out a man whose clothes were on fire, and treated the rest with the oil and bandages kept underground; Gwilym Griffiths, in agony, called for oil. Doctors Brereton and Hughes came from Ammanford and treated the worst cases underground before the injured were brought out and taken home. Arthur Evans only found how badly his face was scorched when he washed off the coal dust at home.
Rescue & recovery
Workmen nearby reached the injured first; two Ammanford doctors treated them underground before they were brought to the surface.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
In July 1908 proceedings were taken against the owner and the manager over the colliery's poor ventilation, prosecuted by E. Powell of Neath; the manager was fined £10.
Memorials & commemoration
The colliery stopped work for the day of Gwilym Griffiths's funeral on 10 February. He had been a Sunday School teacher, and his class walked in the procession.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- An explosion in the No. 1 East Level of the Upper Pumpquart seam on 28 January 1908 killed two men and seriously injured four others, with 200 men underground; it followed a shotfiring accident with a battery, and the manager was fined £10 for not maintaining proper ventilation. 1,2
- The explosion was in the No. 1 East Level of the Upper Pumpquart seam; the Northern Mine Research Society gives the time as 2 p.m., and a witness at the inquest, quoted by Welsh Coal Mines, put it at about 2.15 p.m. 3,4
- Welsh Coal Mines attributes the explosion to shotfiring igniting gas, a shotfiring accident with a battery; gas had been present for some weeks, and that morning the men had been told not to fire shots. 2,3
- The colliery page describes William Roberts as a collier of Hopkinstown; the 1908 fatality list gives him as 52, a collier of Ammanford. (disputed) 2,3
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Brattice (contextual relationship)
Extra brattice sheets had been set up to clear the gas. - Firedamp (hazard involved)
Gas had been present in the workings for weeks. - Fireman (contextual relationship)
The fireman found gas that morning. - Shot-firing (direct cause)
The explosion was put down to shotfiring igniting gas. - Stall (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “The Griffiths brothers were working one stall, with Evans and Roberts in another. John Griffiths of Bettws, a…”
Sources
- (secondary) Pantyffynnon Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society (read via a 2024 Wayback Machine capture)
- (primary) Pantyffynnon Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines, from the Inspector of Mines lists
- (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1908 — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) Pantyffynnon Colliery (Internet Archive capture, 15 August 2024) — Northern Mine Research Society (information supplied by Ian Winstanley and the Coal Mining History Resource Centre)
Record created: 9 September 2026 · Last researched: 14 September 2026