MineArchivePantyffynnon Colliery runaway tram, 1909
A tram broke loose from a journey in the return airway slant at the Blaina Colliery Company's Pantyffynnon slant, near Ammanford, on 14 December 1909, killing the colliery surveyor and a mining pupil.
| Date | 14 December 1909 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Pantyffynnon Colliery |
| Region | Carmarthenshire |
| Type | Haulage / Transport |
| Fatalities | 2 (2 killed: Edward Amery Williams (25), the colliery surveyor, killed in the pit, and Lionel Peel (18 or 19), a mining pupil, who died of his injuries two days later.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A tram became detached from a journey when the tram above came off the road and the coupling worked loose in the jolting.
What happened
On 14 December 1909 the surveyor at Pantyffynnon, Edward Amery Williams, aged 25, had been measuring the air in No. 1 West Level and was probably on his way to take measurements elsewhere. At a siding at the mouth of the level, in the return airway slant, a tram came loose from a journey: the tram above it had come off the road, and in the jolting its coupling worked loose. The runaway struck him and the mining pupil Lionel Peel. A hitcher, George Clark, heard it coming fast, jumped into a parting and shouted a warning; the tram left the rails at the spot where he had been standing. Williams was found a few yards up the slant in a dying condition and died in the pit. Peel, with a compound fracture of the right leg and internal injuries, was taken to the Nursing Institute in Swansea and died on 16 December. A seventeen-year-old door boy two hundred yards up the slant, whose duty was to check the couplings of journeys sent down, said they had been correct when he saw them. Williams lived at Glanamman House, Ammanford, had worked at the colliery for two years and was engaged to be married.
Rescue & recovery
Williams was found by the hitcher and another man and died in the pit; Peel was taken to the Nursing Institute, Swansea.
Investigation & inquiry
An inquest was held before the coroner, Mr J. W. Nicholas.
What's uncertain
Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.
- Peel, aged 18, died from shock on 16 December. (disputed) 3
- Lionel Hugh Peel, aged 19, a mining student, died two days later of a compound fracture of the leg and internal injuries. (disputed) 1
- Welsh Coal Mines records the accident at 'Park & Blaina Colliery, Pantyffynon'. (disputed) 1
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 14 December 1909 a runaway tram at Pantyffynnon killed the surveyor Edward Amery Williams and the mining pupil Lionel Peel; the owner was the Blaina Colliery Company Limited. 1,2,3
- The tram became detached from a journey after the tram above came off the road and its coupling worked loose, at a siding at the mouth of No. 1 West Level in the return airway slant. 1,2
- Peel, aged 18, died from shock on 16 December. (disputed) 3
- Lionel Hugh Peel, aged 19, a mining student, died two days later of a compound fracture of the leg and internal injuries. (disputed) 1
- Welsh Coal Mines records the accident at 'Park & Blaina Colliery, Pantyffynon'. (disputed) 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Journey (contextual relationship)
Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “A tram broke loose from a journey in the return airway slant at the Blaina Colliery Company's…” - Onsetter (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…loose. The runaway struck him and the mining pupil Lionel Peel. A hitcher, George Clark, heard it coming fast, jumped into a parting and…” - Return Airway (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A tram broke loose from a journey in the return airway slant at the Blaina Colliery Company's Pantyffynnon slant, near…” - Slant (contextual relationship)
Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “A tram broke loose from a journey in the return airway slant at the Blaina Colliery Company's Pantyffynnon slant, near Ammanford,…” - Tub (contextual relationship)
Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “A tram broke loose from a journey in the return airway slant at the Blaina…”
Sources
- (secondary) 1909 fatalities — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Edward Amery Williams, Pantyffynnon, 1909 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Lionel Peel, Pantyffynnon, 1909 — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 16 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026