On December 6th. 1875, there was a massive explosion in the Lan Drift Mine, Gwaelod y Garth. Listed as the most serious mine explosion of the year, it had been largely forgotten in this village once devastated by the impact of the disaster. 16 men and boys were killed or seriously injured; few families escaped the ensuing poverty. There is now a movement to rectify this omission.
A 2012 Memorial Event, attended by The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Derrick Morgan, former First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, Tyrone O'Sullivan, Miners' Leader, joined with residents to unveil a plaque in the Village Hall. In a moving ceremony, resident Ann Gray, whose great uncle, Abraham Phillips, was the Overman killed in the disaster, unveiled the plaque while the Headmaster of the school, Iwan Ellis, read out the names of the dead and injured. In a silent hall, with standing room only, oldest resident of the village, Dyrig Davies, put his wreath of rosemary under the plaque, followed by young boys with rosemary wreaths, in respect of children of their age who had died in the explosion.
In combination with CEMEX, CADW , GWAT and Cardiff County Council, a residents' group is now working towards the creation of a Memorial Woodland around the archaeological remains of the old Drift Mine. Residents are all invited to participate in the creation of this Memorial, to the men and boys who gave so much in the winning of coal.
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Inquest into the Lan Disaster
The Inquest into the Lan explosion, held at the Junction Hotel, Taff Well, opened shortly after the disaster and was resumed several times in the following weeks. Mr EB Reece, the Coroner, took the twelve jury members on a long trek through the villages to view each body. The injuries were horrendous, with men ‘burned to a cinder’.
Statements were heard from survivors, from Seymour, the English Pit Manager and from Dr William Galloway. The ventilation was known to be bad because of roof-falls. William John, the fireman, told that he had reported gas at the face , but that Abraham Phillips, the Overman, had ruled that the men went to the face in spite of it, insisting the record of gas be erased from the book.
The Inquest concluded that the workings at Brass Vein had penetrated old workings, resulting in a methane escape which was then ignited by an open flame. The Inspector of Mines for the South Wales District, Thomas Errington Wales, described the accident as the ‘worst disaster of the year’. He was critical of the poor ventilation in the mine. He also ruled that William Galloway’s method of damping the air be adopted. Overman Abraham Phillips was found guilty of negligence.
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