South Duffryn Colliery explosion, 1876

Soon after eight o'clock on Sunday morning, 27 February 1876, an explosion of firedamp in the Nine Feet drift of the Plymouth Company's No. 2 South Pit, South Duffryn, killed the fireman Ebenezer Parry and the engineman David Jones.

Cause

Firedamp, collected on the west side of the drift while its ventilation was short-circuited, ignited by the fireman's open light.

Contributing factors

The drift was not examined between the Saturday afternoon and the Sunday morning, as no one worked on the Saturday night. The sump door had been left open, leaving the west side of the drift without ventilation, though the inspector judged the total air of 11,718 cubic feet a minute ample if properly distributed.

What happened

Parry had finished his shift on the Saturday but went down on the Sunday morning in place of another man because he had left his tools behind. Jones had gone down to oil the rods of the pumping engine in the drift. About a quarter of an hour later Parry went down the drift with a light, and within five minutes the stoker, Daniel Williams, aged 17, was blown some distance by an explosion; he ran and gave the alarm. The manager, Rees Reynolds, and others found doors and bricks blown out. Jones's body lay in a stooping position between the first and second levels on the west; Parry was found under a loaded tram in the first west level. Six blowers were found still burning like candles in one of the stalls.

Rescue & recovery

The men about the pit reached the drift within half an hour, though it was too hot at first to get more than 250 yards down; both bodies were recovered that morning.

Investigation & inquiry

The deputy coroner, Thomas Williams, opened the inquest at the Glantaff Inn, Troedyrhiw, on the Tuesday and resumed it a week later with the inspector of mines, Mr Wales, present. Wales said he did not consider Parry to blame for having his lamp open on his way to the lamp station. The overman, Philip Hughes, and the new consulting engineer, John Smith, blamed the open sump door.

Recorded claims

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

• Soon after eight on Sunday morning, 27 February 1876, an explosion of gas in the Nine Feet drift of No. 2 South Pit, Plymouth Collieries, killed the fireman Ebenezer Parry and the engineman David Jones. ^1,2,3
• The gas is believed to have been fired by the fireman's open light as he walked towards the lamp station. ^2,3
• The overman put the accumulation of gas down to the sump door having been left open, which cut off the ventilation of the west side of the drift. ³
• Parry was burnt about the head and suffocated; Jones was not burnt and died of suffocation. ³
• Had the explosion happened on a working day instead of a Sunday morning, the results were expected to have been far worse. ²

Related terminology

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

• Blower (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Parry was found under a loaded tram in the first west level. Six blowers were found still burning like candles in one of the stalls.”
• Drift (contextual relationship)
  Named 7 times in this record, first in the summary: “…morning, 27 February 1876, an explosion of firedamp in the Nine Feet drift of the Plymouth Company's No. 2 South Pit, South Duffryn, killed the…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…of the Plymouth Company's No. 2 South Pit, South Duffryn, killed the fireman Ebenezer Parry and the engineman David Jones.”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Six blowers were found still burning like candles in one of the stalls.”
• Sump (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the contributing factors: “…and the Sunday morning, as no one worked on the Saturday night. The sump door had been left open, leaving the west side of the drift without…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Fatalities 1876 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Monmouthshire Merlin, 3 March 1876: Explosion at the Plymouth Collieries — Monmouthshire Merlin (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) The Cardiff Times, 11 March 1876: The fatal explosion at Plymouth Collieries (adjourned inquest) — The Cardiff Times (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
4. (primary) The Cardiff Times, 4 March 1876: Troedyrhiw: the colliery explosion — The Cardiff Times (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

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