Victoria Colliery explosion, Ebbw Vale, 1871

Gas fired at a naked light in No. 1 Victoria pit, Ebbw Vale, between three and four on the afternoon of 2 March 1871, killing nineteen of the 41 men in the Old Coal seam, among them a fireman who went down to look for his son.

Cause

Firedamp ignited at a naked light in Joseph Gallop's stall, though safety lamps were in use in the mine. The overman thought a fall had released a blower of gas; the inspector thought the gas had built up because squeezing roads and goaves had cut the air, and that someone had brought a naked light in.

Contributing factors

The ventilation had a long way to travel, and a second pit to the Old Coal, promised the year before to give it another air supply, had been delayed. A sheet door that kept the air on Gallop's place may have been left open by a haulier or burst by a frightened horse; a dead horse was found on top of it.

What happened

No. 1 Victoria, the Ebbw Vale company's pit, worked ironstone above and the Old Coal below from a single shaft, and its air travelled a long way. Between three and four on the afternoon of 2 March 1871 a muffled roar and a shock were felt at the pithead. The fireman, Jonathan Price, went straight down to search for his son, took a wrong turning and was killed by the afterdamp; his son John died too. The overman, John Evans, found Price's body and tried to drag it to the shaft but was overcome; about twenty survivors found their way out by following the incoming air. Bands of explorers recovered all the bodies by half past nine that night, the last a door boy of 12. Nineteen were dead, with three horses and a collier's dog. The following Sunday twelve thousand people lined the streets to Ebbw Vale cemetery.

Rescue & recovery

Successive exploring parties brought out all the bodies by about 9.30 p.m.; the fireman Jonathan Price died in the afterdamp searching for his son, and the overman John Evans was overcome trying to carry Price's body to the shaft.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest before the coroner H. Brewer, a haulier said he saw a flame coming towards him and was knocked over and burnt. The inspector, Lionel Brough, found that the explosion began in Gallop's stall at a naked light, and the jury returned accidental death, recommending that any spout hole be completed at once in future.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The inquest put it down to a blower of gas released by atmospheric conditions. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion in No. 1 Victoria pit on 2 March 1871 killed nineteen of the 41 men in the seam. ^1,2,3
• The inspector found that the explosion started at a naked light in Joseph Gallop's stall. ³
• The inquest put it down to a blower of gas released by atmospheric conditions. (disputed) ²
• The jury returned accidental death and recommended that spout holes be completed at once. ³
• Twelve thousand people lined the streets for the funerals at Ebbw Vale cemetery. 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 cause: “…were in use in the mine. The overman thought a fall had released a blower of gas; the inspector thought the gas had built up because squeezing…”
• Haulier (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the contributing factors: “…that kept the air on Gallop's place may have been left open by a haulier or burst by a frightened horse; a dead horse was found on top of it.”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “Gas fired at a naked light in No. 1 Victoria pit, Ebbw Vale, between three and four on the…”
• Overman (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “…Gallop's stall, though safety lamps were in use in the mine. The overman thought a fall had released a blower of gas; the inspector thought…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “Firedamp ignited at a naked light in Joseph Gallop's stall, though safety lamps were in use in the mine. The overman thought a…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Fatalities 1871 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Victoria Colliery Ebbw Vale (Welsh Coal Mines) — Welsh Coal Mines
3. (secondary) Victoria Colliery No 1 Pit Explosion - 1871 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 6 October 2026 · Last researched: 6 October 2026