Ynysfeio Colliery gas explosion, 1875

On 7 September 1875 an explosion of gas killed two labourers at Ynysfeio Colliery, in the Rhondda valley, after a man kept working with a safety lamp he had broken.

Cause

Gas that had gathered in the roof cavities of an old disused stable, where an airway had been narrowed by stowing rubbish, was ignited by a safety lamp that one of the men had accidentally broken and continued to use.

What happened

D. Lodwick and J. Thomas, both labourers, were killed. They were among seven men cutting the floor to raise the height of a level and putting the rubbish into an old disused stable; two cavities in that stable's roof held gas, which had accumulated because stowing the rubbish had reduced the airway. All seven had safety lamps, but one of the deceased broke his lamp and, instead of putting it out and taking it to the lamp station, went on working with it. The Inspector, Thomas E. Wales, had no doubt that lamp fired the gas, and censured the recklessness of men who let a mate work on with a defective lamp.

Investigation & inquiry

The deaths were listed in Thomas E. Wales's 1875 report as H.M. Inspector for the South Wales District.

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 Durham Mining Museum lists both men as labourers with no ages; Welsh Coal Mines lists them as colliers, Thomas aged 45 and Lodwig 37. (disputed) ^1,2

Recorded claims

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

• Two men, D. (David) Lodwick or Lodwig and J. (John David) Thomas, died of an explosion of gas at Ynysfeio Colliery, both recorded under 7 September 1875. ^1,2
• Welsh Coal Mines says John David Thomas died on 7 September of injuries received in the explosion on 22 August; the Durham Mining Museum, from the Inspector's report, gives only the date of death, 7 September. ^1,2
• The Durham Mining Museum lists both men as labourers with no ages; Welsh Coal Mines lists them as colliers, Thomas aged 45 and Lodwig 37. (disputed) ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “An explosion of gas at Ynysfeio Colliery, Treherbert, fatally injured two men in 1875. Welsh Coal Mines dates…”
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  An explosion of gas.
• Level (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…They were among seven men cutting the floor to raise the height of a level and putting the rubbish into an old disused stable; two cavities in…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Colliery, in the Rhondda valley, after a man kept working with a safety lamp he had broken.”

Sources

1. (primary) Ynysfaio Colliery — Durham Mining Museum — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1875 — Welsh Coal Mines
3. (primary) Ynysfeio Colliery explosion, 7 September 1875 (from the 1875 Mines Inspector's Report, C. 1499, South Wales District, Thomas E. Wales) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 12 September 2026 · Last researched: 22 September 2026