MineArchivePochin Colliery roof fall, 1888
A fall of clod at the face killed a 19-year-old collier and a boy of 12 at Pochin Colliery, near Tredegar, on 20 August 1888, hours after the place was passed as safe.
| Date | 20 August 1888 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Pochin Colliery |
| Region | Blaenau Gwent |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 2 (Two.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A fall of clod from slips in the roof at the working face, which was not well propped for the ground.
What happened
At about half past nine on the morning of 20 August 1888 the roof gave way at the face where Isaac Jenkins, 19, and Joseph Powles, 12, were working at Pochin Colliery. About a dram load of clod, a foot or more thick, came down from slips in the roof and killed them both at once. A fireman had examined the place at about five that morning and marked it safe; NMRS's record notes that it was not well propped for the kind of roof it had. The boy was taken home to Hereford for burial.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Isaac Jenkins, 19, a collier, and Joseph Powles, 12, were killed by a fall of roof at Pochin Colliery on 20 August 1888. 1,2
- The roof came away from slips, and the place was not well propped for the kind of roof there. 2
- About a dram load of clod, a foot to fourteen inches thick, fell at the face at about 9.30 in the morning; a fireman had passed the place as safe at about 5 a.m. 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: “…at the face killed a 19-year-old collier and a boy of 12 at Pochin Colliery, near Tredegar, on 20 August 1888, hours after the place was passed…” - Fireman (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…came down from slips in the roof and killed them both at once. A fireman had examined the place at about five that morning and marked it…” - Tub (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…19, and Joseph Powles, 12, were working at Pochin Colliery. About a dram load of clod, a foot or more thick, came down from slips in the roof…”
Sources
- (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1888 — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) Pochin Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 7 October 2026 · Last researched: 7 October 2026