Colliery+disaster

On Wednesday morning, 15th October, 1913, the Swansea South Wales Daily Post, reported:


 * ENTOMBED IN BLAZING PIT

Tremendous Welsh Colliery Disaster. Feared loss of 150 miners.**

AT NOON THE POSITION IS OFFICIALLY STATED TO BE 3 MEN BROUGHT UP ALIVE. SIX DEAD BODIES RECOVERED. DEATH ROLL ESTIMATED 150. DUE TO THE SERIOUS CONSTERNATION THAT IS PREVAILING IN THE DISTRICT A DETACHMENT OF 120 POLICE FROM SWANSEA AND DISTRICT HAVE BEEN HURRIED TO THE SCENE TO KEEP ORDER. THE MOUNTAINSIDES AROUND THE COLLIERY ARE BLACK WITH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FROM NEIGHBOURING DISTRICTS.

By Thursday 16 October the same paper was still trying to express the scale of the disaster.

THERE NOW SEEMS NO HOPE OF PREVENTING IT RANKING AS THE BIGGEST MINING DISASTER THAT HAS OCCURRED IN SOUTH WALES. THE OPTIMISTIC RUMOURS THAT GAINED CURRENCY ON WEDNESDAY OF VOICES AND KNOCKING UNDERGROUND IS UNFOUNDED. THERE IS NOW NO JUSTIFICATION OF ENCOURAGING THE HOPE THAI ANY OF THE ENTOMBED MEN WILL EVER BE FOUND ALIVE. THE TERRIBLE FACTS ARE BEST TOLD IN FIGURES.


 * NUMBER IN PIT 924

NUMBER RESCUED ALIVE 507 DEAD BODIES RECOVERED 44 DEAD SINCE RESCUED 4 NUMBER

STILL MISSING 373.**

In fact the disasterous underground explosion had occurred at 8.10 am on Tuesday morning.

On Thursday a telegram of deep sympathy was received from the Queen Mother.

Questions still remain as to how this disaster, the worst in the history of British mining killed 439 men in a blazing pit, 2000 feet below the surface.