Risca New Pit gas outburst, 1886

At about eleven o'clock on Friday morning, 5 March 1886, a violent outburst of gas from soft coal in the No. 1 district of the Black Vein at Risca Colliery killed the collier John Parry and his fourteen-year-old son George in their stall. The gas did not ignite.

Cause

A sudden outburst of gas and small coal from a soft mass of coal about five yards deep, in virgin ground just driven through a fault. The men are thought to have been suffocated; no injuries were found on them.

Contributing factors

For some days the heading had been passing through a fault, and the coal was soft and showed signs of disturbance. A timberman who examined the stall that morning found no gas, though he noticed a 'freeness' in the coal and a slight bumping.

What happened

The colliery manager, Captain Wilkinson, and the underviewer had visited the heading that morning. About ten minutes after they left, a young man ran after them to say the men were coming out because the place was full of gas. Going back, they found Parry's stall filled with debris and the father and son partly buried under small coal, dead. The outburst had blown a tram eight or ten yards. By then there was no sign of gas, and all the men were withdrawn from the pit. The family were members of the Miners' Permanent Fund.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner Martin Edwards held the inquest at the Tredegar Arms, Pontymister, with the assistant inspector Donald Bain attending for the Crown. Witnesses said nothing had indicated gas and that soft coal gave off more gas than hard. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Recorded claims

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

• On Friday 5 March 1886 John Parry, 37, and his son George, 14, were killed in their stall in the Black Vein at Risca Colliery. ^1,2,3
• A sudden outburst of gas from soft coal in newly opened ground beyond a fault blew out the stall, partly burying the two men in small coal. ^2,3
• The gas was not ignited, which was put down to the colliery's use of Mueseler lamps. ²
• The inquest at Pontymister returned a verdict of accidental death. ³

Related terminology

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

• Captain (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “The colliery manager, Captain Wilkinson, and the underviewer had visited the heading that morning.…”
• Fault (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “…coal about five yards deep, in virgin ground just driven through a fault. The men are thought to have been suffocated; no injuries were found…”
• Outburst (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “At about eleven o'clock on Friday morning, 5 March 1886, a violent outburst of gas from soft coal in the No. 1 district of the Black Vein at…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…the collier John Parry and his fourteen-year-old son George in their stall. The gas did not ignite.”
• Timberman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s contributing factors: “…a fault, and the coal was soft and showed signs of disturbance. A timberman who examined the stall that morning found no gas, though he noticed…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1886 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) South Wales Echo, 6 March 1886: Shocking accident at the Risca Colliery: father and son killed — South Wales Echo (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) South Wales Echo, 12 March 1886: The sad colliery accident at Risca: the inquest — South Wales Echo (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

Record created: 19 October 2026 · Last researched: 19 October 2026