Drift mine at Risca

Background

Risca is a mid-sized town at the foot of the Ebbw valley, northwest of Newport. Like most valleys towns, it was hit hard by the collapse of the coal industry in Wales, being situated in a prime position for mining; in the rich southeastern corner of the South Wales coal field, and very close to the docks of the Severn estuary. A prolific colliery in Risca was Blackvein Colliery, and this report concerns a visit to one of the levels connected to the Blackvein mining system.

The colliery was opened in the 1840’s, and the main shaft was sunk to a depth of 558ft to work the very rich Blackvein seam, which in places was 14ft thick. Levels radiated out from the pit bottom following the natural geology of the coalfield. Unfortunately this coal was also very gaseous, and this and the surrounding pits were termed ‘fiery’ pits for this reason.

During the 20 years following it’s opening, Blackvein suffered such a series of fatal accidents that it became known as ‘the death pit’. The most terrible occurred in 1860 when a huge explosion, triggered by a naked flame (which unbelievably were still commonly used in the pit) killed 146 men and boys. Following this the owner of the colliery sold his home to provide a trust fund for the families of the miners who died. In 1918 the colliery was at it’s peak, employing over 2000 workers, yet just three years later in 1921 it closed.

Thanks to www.welshcoalmines.co.uk for this background info.

The mine today

The colliery itself is long gone today, and an industrial estate occupies it’s former site. There are places where the mining network still emerges from the depths, however. I will give no indication of where the level we explored is, for two main reasons. Firstly, mines are very dangerous, and I cannot risk anyone getting hurt or killed because of my website. You need only read the paragraph above to reach this conclusion; for a mine to claim so many lives as to become known as the death pit should tell you something of it’s nature. But gas explosions are not the only threat to life when dealing with mines; there are also poisonous, suffocating gases, rock falls, floods, very, very deep holes (some of which are covered with wooden false floors, rotten and indistinguishable from solid rock) and getting trapped or lost in the maze. All of these points lead on to the second reason: if too many people start nosing around old drift mines, the coal board gets wind of it and will gate them up/fill them in/collapse them altogether. Let’s share our own experiences, but not risk ruining it for everyone.

An overgrown cutting, little more now than a depression in the surrounding land, marks the entrance to the drift. Nearby, a large, proud haulage wheel, which was once no doubt well-oiled and always busy, lays corroding on the forest floor. At the uttermost depth of the cutting, a small hole leads into the earth, and inside a muddy slope reaches the floor of the mine. Dark water runs along a soft, clay-like floor and the wall are very rough, cut straight from the rock without any lining or finishing. The air is very damp. Outside, the air-composition meter read 20.2% oxygen; slightly less than average (despite being in a forest, surrounded by oxygenating tress) because there is a lot of moisture in the air on this rainy day. Just a few feet inside, oxygen levels drop to 16%. The meter warns us with a beep.

We penetrated about 150 yards into the mine; the passage wound this way and that, and rockfalls began to litter the floor after about 100 yards. On the advice of our ex-miner friend, we turned around when they became very serious, and we were having to climb over the caved-in ceiling to make progress.

Photos

  • LOADING IMAGESerious cave-ins.
  • LOADING IMAGERockfalls
  • LOADING IMAGEA roughly cut tunnel
  • LOADING IMAGETorchlight
  • LOADING IMAGELooking back out
  • LOADING IMAGEHaulage wheel