Tylorstown Colliery fall of coal, 1884

On the night of Wednesday 5 November 1884 a fall of coal weighing some 32 tons killed two colliers, David Morris and Evan Daniel Evans, at work in Tylorstown Colliery in the Rhondda Fach. A third man, Isaac Lewis, narrowly escaped.

Cause

A fall of coal of about 32 tons onto the men at the face.

What happened

Morris was fearfully injured and died immediately; Evans lived for about five minutes under the coal. Isaac Lewis, working with them, had a narrow escape.

Recorded claims

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

• Two colliers at Tylorstown Colliery were killed by a fall of coal in the first week of November 1884. ^1,2
• The fall of coal weighed about 32 tons. ²
• One man died at once; the other lived about five minutes under the coal. ²
• A third man, Isaac Lewis, narrowly escaped. ²

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On the night of Wednesday 5 November 1884 a fall of coal weighing some 32 tons killed two colliers, David Morris and Evan…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…colliers, David Morris and Evan Daniel Evans, at work in Tylorstown Colliery in the Rhondda Fach. A third man, Isaac Lewis, narrowly escaped.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines fatalities, 1884 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) The Western Mail, 7 November 1884: Fearful accident at Tylorstown Colliery — The Western Mail (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

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