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Aug 22, 2015

Pit claimed 3 lives before it opened


The site of Cwmcarn Colliery's pithead is now a forest glade, but in 1876 it was a site of tragedy as the bodies of two men were removed from the embryonic shaft. They had ...

been excavating the shaft, c.150 metres below the surface, when a naked candle flame ignited gas and caused an explosion. A third man died of his injuries soon after being hauled back to the surface. The pit opened in 1877 and just a year later was used by rescuers to reach the Prince of Wales Colliery, where an explosion killed 268 men and boys. For more on Cwmcarn Colliery's history, scan the HistoryPoints QR codes at Cwmcarn Visitor Centre. Or click here