Risca New Pit Explosion, 1880

At half past one on the morning of 15 July 1880, firedamp exploded at the Risca New Pit, killing 120 men and boys. Almost all of them were repairers working through the night while the colliers were at home. The blast wrecked the engine-room at the upcast shaft and damaged the ventilating fan, delaying the rescue.

Cause

An explosion of firedamp in workings on the Black Vein, a seam long known throughout the coalfield as exceptionally gassy.

Contributing factors

A change to three shifts and to the method of extraction had worried the men, who thought the face was being advanced too fast for the gas to be cleared. Deputies inspected with Davy lamps, but the colliers preferred the older Clanny lamp for its better light, despite Davy's own doubts about its unprotected gauze in strong air currents. A severe thunderstorm was prevailing at the time of the explosion.

What happened

The colliers had left at the usual hour on the Wednesday night, everything apparently safe. At half past ten the night fireman, Isopp, reported the mine exceptionally free from gas and every part in good order. The repairers — the men who see to the timbering and masonry while the colliers are at home — then went down, 119 men and boys, to work until six in the morning. For some hours nothing disturbed those on the surface. At about half past one the sound of an explosion was heard. Above ground its effects were felt most at the upcast shaft, where the engine driving the ventilating fan stood: the staging round the shaft was destroyed and the engine-room completely wrecked, although it was built of brickwork embedded in Portland cement. The engine driver had left his station a moment or two before the gas fired and so escaped instant death; the platform he had been standing on was shattered to pieces. With the fan damaged, the rescue was delayed. A watch taken from one of the bodies had stopped at half past one. 120 were dead.

Rescue & recovery

The rescue was hampered from the outset: the explosion had damaged the ventilating fan and wrecked the engine-room at the upcast shaft, so the mine could not be cleared of afterdamp as quickly as it otherwise might.

Investigation & inquiry

The explosion attracted nationwide press coverage and was raised in the Commons the same day. No inquiry report has been read for this record.

Memorials & commemoration

Plaques commemorate miners from the Risca disasters buried at Cwm Byr.

Recorded claims

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

• 120 men and boys were killed. Almost all were repairers, who had gone down at night to work on the timbering and masonry while the colliers were at home. (high) ^1,2
• A watch found on one of the bodies had stopped at half past one in the morning, fixing the time of the explosion. (high) ^1,2
• The force of the blast badly damaged the ventilating fan, delaying the rescue effort. The staging around the upcast shaft was destroyed and the engine-room wrecked, though it was of brickwork set in Portland cement. (high) ¹
• At half past ten on the Wednesday night the night fireman, Isopp, reported the mine exceptionally free from gas and every part in good order; 119 repairers then went down to work until six in the morning. (high) ¹
• A change to three shifts and to extraction methods had worried the miners, who believed the face was moving forward too fast and that gas was not being dispersed sufficiently. (medium) ²
• Deputies used the Davy lamp for their inspections, but the colliers preferred the older Clanny because it gave a better light. Davy himself had doubted the Clanny's safety because its gauze was unprotected against strong air currents; his view was later borne out and the lamp was banned from mines. (medium) ¹

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…the colliers were at home. The blast wrecked the engine-room at the upcast shaft and damaged the ventilating fan, delaying the rescue.”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “At half past one on the morning of 15 July 1880, firedamp exploded at the Risca New Pit, killing 120 men and boys. Almost all…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…night, everything apparently safe. At half past ten the night fireman, Isopp, reported the mine exceptionally free from gas and every part…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…the engine driving the ventilating fan stood: the staging round the shaft was destroyed and the engine-room completely wrecked, although it…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (secondary) New Risca Pit — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Risca colliery disasters — Wikipedia
3. (secondary) Risca Colliery disaster: death roll — Welsh Coal Mines

Record created: 3 September 2026 · Last researched: 3 September 2026