Today in History: Senghenydd mining disaster, 1913 (Great Britain)

In 1901 a huge explosion ripped through the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, just north of Caerphilly. Eighty-one men died, a ghastly toll for the tiny south Wales community, but luckily it happened between shifts, when most men were on the surface.
In truth this was a nasty dry pit, full of coal dust, very dangerous, and after an inquiry the company was ordered to douse the place down with water and implement various other safety measures. Universal Colliery agreed to do it all by a certain date, and then by another date, but didn't.
On 14 October 1913, there was another explosion, and then follow-on blasts. This time all the men were below ground, almost 1,000 of them. Or rather all the men and boys were below. In the valley they went into the pit at 14, as soon as they left school. The younger boys tended to stay close to their fathers, uncles and brothers in the mine, to learn from them and to stay safe. But that did them no good at all when the dirty air caught fire at around 8.10am that day. It's said the whole valley shook.
Everyone rushed up to the pit head; rescue efforts went on for three weeks. But in the end the count stood at 439 dead miners, plus one dead rescuer.


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