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FRIGHTFUL
COLLIERY ACCIDENT AT CWMAMMAN.
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TEN WORKMEN KILLED.
Probably the most serious accident in a colliery by the parting
of the shaft-rope which had every taken place in Wales occurred
at the works of the Garnant Collieries Company, Cwmamman, Carmarthenshire,
on Wednesday morning, when ten poor fellows going down to their
work met with a fearful death. The day shift of colliers, consisting
of nearly a hundred hands, were anxious on Wednesday to attend
the funeral of the wife of one of the colliers, a young woman
recently married, and proceeded to their work three hours earlier
than usual in order to accomplish the customary amount of labour.
When they set themselves to carry out this intention of touching
sympathy few, no doubt, thought the day would be rendered one
of much darker gloom, and that sorrow would be carried into their
own homes.
At four o'clock on the day we have named the men began to descend
the shaft, which is 75 yards in depth , and everything went well
with the first five cages of living freight. About 30 men had
descended, and then a horse attended by a man went down. Following
this came the party which was rushed into eternity at a moment's
notice.
The proper complement of men to enter the cage at a time is eight,
but when this fifth lot were about to descend some of the hands
waiting, more especially the boys, manifested great impatience
to be at work, and it is told with a touch of sentiment that two
lads pulled an elderly man away from the cage and crowded in themselves
to go down earlier. They little dreamed their impatience was rushing
them into the arms of the King of Terrors himself. Notwithstanding
the special rule restricting the number who shall go down the
pit at a time to eight, ten persons crowded on at this the fatal
descent. It is but fair to state that at the time the banksman
who has to look after such matters was not aware (as he says)
that there were more than eight in the cage.
The cage had only been lowered a couple of yards when the wire
rope to which it was attached snapped, and down the cargo of ten
souls dropped to the bottom with an awful thud. Happily no one
was under at the time or the loss of life would have been augmented.
The death-roll, however, is but too large with ten on it, for
each individual who stepped in at the pit bank was found a lifeless
corpse at the bottom. The hitcher below was at once spoken to
from the top when it was realised that that fearful calmity had
occurred, and those men who had proceded their unlucky comrades
in the descent speedily mustered to render any assistance which
could be offered. They were, however, all dead. It is the medical
opinion that, falling with such impetuosity, the poor fellows
were, if not dead, mostly in a state of insensibility before they
alighted at the bottom of the shaft. The cage had, in a rather
strange manner, not been displaced in any way from the guides
at the side of the shaft in its rapid descent, and when it dropped
it still was in its usual place, not over-turned, but merely battered.
The bodies were at once taken out and as soon as possible brought
to bank and laid out for identification in the company's office.
The names of the deceased, with their addresses, &c., are
as follow :-
David Robert, married, Brynamman, five children.
Thomas Bevan, married, Cwmamman, three children.
Wm. Lake, married, Cross Inn, three children.
Thomas Michael, married Cwmamman.
John Evan Jones, single, Cwmamman.
John D. James, single, Cwmamman.
Evan Robert (boy), Brynamman.
Thomas Robert (boy), Brynamman.
Daniel Rees (boy), Cwmamman.
Edward Morgan (boy), Brynamman.
In less than half an hour the overman went down in the fellow
cage. It was one of the ordinary steel wire ropes, and no flaw
could be found in it before or after the accident. The ropes are
examined every day very carefully, amd if flaws are found the
men are not allowed to go down by it. The one in question was
a comparatively new one. It was put in on September 18, 1882,
and is calculated to stand a working strain of 5 tons 12 cwt.,
and a breaking strain of 45 tons. When working coal there is-between
the cage, the tram, and the coal-a pressure of 47cwt., and this
is always considered very largely within the mark of its capabilities.
On the trip immediately preceding the one when the accident occurred
a horse and a man went down. The strain in that case must have
been quite equal to that of the ten men against whom the fatal
exception was made. The parting in the wire took place about seventeen
yards from the top of the cage, and, as we have before stated,
just when the freight had made a descent of only two or three
yards in the shaft. It was therefore,just ata point where it might
have been expected there was least strain. Its fellow rope has
been in work for about three years. After the calamity the ends
were carefully looked at by the officials of the colliery and
also by Mr T. Wales (Swansea), the Government Inspector of Collieries
in the district, who was on the spot very soon after the receipt
of a telegram from the officials. There was not a single fractured
wire apart from where it parted in the rope. It has been cut up
in pieces for presentation at the inquest ; and the maker's manager
has been advised of the breakage and requested to view it. When
the bodies of the ten men were brought to the bank the surgeon
of the works (Dr Rees) was called, but nothing further than pronouncing
them dead could be done. Some of them had severe fractures of
the limbs ; none were dis-membered.
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