Victoria Colliery shaft accident, Ebbw Vale, 1848

Eleven men and boys, the youngest 13, fell 85 yards to their deaths down the No. 6 pit of the Victoria ironworks, Ebbw Vale, on 21 June 1848, when the cage they had stepped into at the top lost its counterbalance.

Cause

As the men stepped onto the cage at the top, the rope to the counterbalancing cage at the bottom came away, and with nothing to hold it the loaded cage fell to the bottom of the shaft.

What happened

No. 6 was one of the water-balance pits sunk by the Monmouthshire Iron and Coal Company to feed its Victoria ironworks; in 1848 works and mines came under the Ebbw Vale owners. On 21 June eleven miners stepped onto the cage at the pit top to go down. The rope on the other cage, at the bottom, became detached, so that nothing balanced the descending load, and the cage and its men plunged 85 yards. The Principality reported two days later that the chain had snapped and that all were killed instantly; the youngest of the dead, Hubert Chivers, was 13. A few weeks later the Monmouthshire Merlin printed a letter from an inventor claiming that his patent safety apparatus, guarding against a broken rope, an overwind and 'a whirl or run', would have saved them.

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 rope on the counterbalancing cage at the pit bottom became detached, and the loaded cage fell. (disputed) ²
• The Principality of 23 June 1848 reported that the chain snapped. (disputed) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• Eleven men were killed when they fell 85 yards down No. 6 pit. ^1,2
• The rope on the counterbalancing cage at the pit bottom became detached, and the loaded cage fell. (disputed) ²
• The Principality of 23 June 1848 reported that the chain snapped. (disputed) ¹
• The accident was on Wednesday 21 June 1848. ^1,2,3

Related terminology

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

• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named 7 times in this record, first in the summary: “…pit of the Victoria ironworks, Ebbw Vale, on 21 June 1848, when the cage they had stepped into at the top lost its counterbalance.”
• Heapstead (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Vale owners. On 21 June eleven miners stepped onto the cage at the pit top to go down. The rope on the other cage, at the bottom, became…”
• Overwind (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…that his patent safety apparatus, guarding against a broken rope, an overwind and 'a whirl or run', would have saved them.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “…with nothing to hold it the loaded cage fell to the bottom of the shaft.”
• Water Balance (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “No. 6 was one of the water-balance pits sunk by the Monmouthshire Iron and Coal Company to feed its…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Victoria Colliery Ebbw Vale (Welsh Coal Mines) — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Victoria Colliery No 6 Pit, Shaft Accident, 1848 (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: fatalities, 1848 — Welsh Coal Mines

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