Jeremy Norman Collection of Images - Creative CommonsOn Friday 8 November 1867 two consecutive explosions at the Ferndale No.1 coal mine shook the whole district around the village of Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taf in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. Rescuers were hampered by roof falls. It took a month to recover the remains of the 178 men and boys, with most bodies showing signs of severe burning, and many so badly disfigured it made identification impossible. At the subsequent enquiry, the lamp keeper stated that safety locks had been tampered with, and incidents regularly occurred that breached the company's rules. Although reported to the mine manager, these breaches were ignored. The jury concluded:
"We believe the explosion took place, first: in consequence of a great accumulation of gas in certain workings of the colliery. This accumulation we attribute to the neglect of Mr. Williams the manager and his subordinate officers. Second: by this gas being fired by one or more of the colliers carelessly taking off the tops of their lamps and working with naked lights."
Whether anyone actually sang the slip song recorded on the broadside in my collection entitled "An Account of the Frightful Colliery Explosion in South Wales," seems fairly unlikely, but who is to account for the taste of the times?
