The Lewis Merthyr Collieries
The name Rhondda is often quoted as being synonymous with that of coal, however just over a century and a half ago the Rhondda Valleys were almost unknown and existed as a sparsely populated rural wilderness. For centuries the Rhondda Valleys remained in pastoral glory, with clear running streams and waterfalls, and beautiful trees and flora. The small sheep rearing community that populated the few occasionally scattered farmhouses existed as they had for centuries, as a sleepy rural community.
A remarkable change took place in Rhondda in the second half of the nineteenth century with the discovery of coal. By the end of the century Rhondda was one of the most important coal producing areas in the world. The coal industry at its peak in Wales employed one in every ten persons and many more relied on the industry for their livelihood. Rhondda alone at one time contained 53 working collieries, in an area only 16 miles long. It was the most intensely mined area in the world and probably one of the most densely populated. From the rural population of around 951 in 1851 mass migration meant that by 1924, the population reached 169,000 approximately 20,000 people to the built up square mile.
1855 is the date accepted as marking the change of the rural scene in Rhondda and the historic change to heavy industry, although coal was mined in the Rhondda as early as the seventeenth century for domestic purposes. 1790 is recorded as the earliest date a safe coal level was opened in the Rhondda and mined by Dr Richard Griffiths, though disputable whether Dr Griffiths was the first to re-open a mine in the Rhondda. He is important as the first leaser of mineral rights in the area and as the builder of the first tram road into the Rhondda. The first real industrial pioneer in the area was Walter Coffin who opened the first level and sunk the first pits in the Rhondda. With the discovery of the rich and prosperous steam coal seams of the Rhondda many more lines were to follow.
The Hafod concern was began by two brothers, David and John Thomas. In 1850 they opened the Hafod Pit and although they reached the profitable Rhondda No 3 and Hafod seams, the workings proved unfruitful and were abandoned. The second venture took place at Coed Cae in 1850 by Edward Mills, again the workings were abandoned due to water seepage.
In the mid 1870s William Thomas Lewis, later Lord Merthyr, purchased the Hafod and Coed Cae shafts on the river Rhondda near Porth. The Coed Cae pit was reopened in the early 1870s and traded under the name of the Coed Cae Coal Company. The Coed Cae worked the upper bituminous (household) seam coal only and closed in the 1930s. Hafod pit is thought to have worked from the 1880s until 1893, working the bituminous seams, after which date the deeper steam coal seams were worked by Powell Duffryn.
By 1880 WT Lewis had sunk the Bertie shaft, and in 1890 the Trefor shaft (both Trefor and Bertie were named after WT Lewis's sons, and remain so today at the Rhondda Heritage Park). By 1891 the Colliery was known as the Lewis Merthyr Navigation Collieries Ltd and from 1890 the five pits became the Lewis Merthyr Consolidated Collieries Ltd, employing some 5,000 men and producing almost a million tons of coal annually.
The Bertie shaft was 4.3m in diameter and 434m in depth. The Winding Engine is unique because of the unusual design of the drum known as a differential bi-cylindro conical drum which enabled the engine to wind to and from different depths simultaneously. There is thought to have existed only one other engine of this style. The engine was originally steam operated until it was electrified in the late 1950s
In 1904 the company sunk the Lady Lewis colliery a mile to the North East in the Rhondda Fach and in 1905 they acquired the Universal Colliery at Senghenydd, which was later to suffer the worst ever mining disaster in British history. In 1929 the colliery became part of the Powell Dyffryn Group, and in the same year Coed Cae stopped winding coal. Hafod No 2 followed, and Hafod No 1 in 1933. The colliery was nationalised in 1947.
In 1958 Lewis Merthyr Colliery and the neighbouring Ty Mawr Colliery merged and all coal winding ceased at Lewis Merthyr, with coaling continuing via Ty Mawr and men and supplies only at Lewis Merthyr. By 1969 the Colliery had become the Ty Mawr/Lewis Merthyr Colliery. As many as thirteen seams have been worked at the Lewis Merthyr using the advanced long wall method of working with most of the coal being won with pneumatic picks and hand loaded onto conveyors.
Although work was plentiful in the early years of the Rhondda industrial history, working conditions and pay were poor and disastrous. The cramped towns and bad sanitation led to ill health, poverty and death. Rhondda suffered excruciating, hard and difficult times. Between 1868 and 1919 statistics show that a miner was killed every six hours and injured every two minutes. As a result of these conditions South Wales was at the forefront of political strife as the militant South Wales miners sought to ensure suitable working and living conditions in the Rhondda.
One memorable and leading mining figure to emerge out of the harsh political strife of the Rhondda was A J Cook. He started work as a labourer in the Trefor Pit and soon worked his way to becoming a haulier. His political career was underway and he soon became a delegate to the Lewis Merthyr Employees Joint Committee while working at Coed Cae. His political views were responsive to socialism and he became deeply involved in the South Wales Miners Federation in 1911. Cook later became the general secretary of the British Miners and led them during the struggles and hardship of the general strike in 1926.
Until the 1950s the coal industry maintained a steady level of production and employment, but since that time there has been a continuing decline in the number of miners in employment. Most of the pits which have been closed have still left coal to mine, but with oil and coal available more cheaply from abroad the demise of the industry has been inevitable. Nowhere has the decline of the coal industry been more dramatic than in the South Wales Coal Field. At Lewis Merthyr production came to an end on the 14 March 1983 with production continuing in the four feet seam until July when coaling ceased forever at Ty Mawr/Lewis Merthyr.
By 1990 not one productive colliery existed in the Rhondda but the spirit of the turbulent and proud Rhondda past has been captured and preserved as an historic landmark at the Lewis Merthyr Colliery now the Rhondda Heritage Park.
TREFOR PIT (sunk to mine steam coal)
Sunk in 1890 dia 14 ( 4.5m ) depth 1425 (434m)
The Trefor winding engine was built in 1890. There is some confession over who actually built the machine. The NCB specification for the Trefor shaft stated that the Engine was a Fowler. Although this has been though unlikely by local enthusiasts.
The Trefor engine is unusual in that it has a differential bi-cylindro-conical drum. This type of drum was designed to enable the engine to wind to and from different depths simultaneously. One side of the drum increases from 10 to 15 dia, and the other side from 14 to 22 dia.
The engine retains it cylinders and valve control gear, and original Cornish Drop valves, although it was converted to compressed air in the late 1950's, around the time that Lewis Merthyr stopped winding coal. At full output the Trefor engine would have wound coal from Pit bottom at 60 a second and men at 30 a second.
Statistics
Twin Cylinder: Piston diameters 1.06 m (42). length of stroke 1.82m (6)
Valves: Drop valves operated by eccentric strap and block.
Drum: Two drum units, each bi-cylindro conical.
Ropes: Steel strand, lang's lay, one overlap, one underlap.
Factor of Safety: Man riding 10/1 Materials 6/1
Brakes: Post brakes.
Overspeed and overwind control: Lilly Controller plus vertical centrifugal governor.
Depth Indicator: Circular unit and drum markings
Headgear Overwind: Reliance type detaching hook
BERTIE PIT
Sunk 1878 dia 17 depth 1446 (441m)
In 1905 John Fowler and Co of Leeds supplied a horizontal twin cylinder winding engine to Lewis Merthyr Collieries. It had cylinders of 36 dia by 60, Cornish valves and a 360 dia conical drum. This is likely to be the basis of the engine now in place in the Bertie winding house.
Electrification of the engine took place in the late 1950's.
Statistics
Motor Power rating: 900 HP
Winding Drum: Bi cylindrical Conical, winding from one level.
(Bi cylindrical drums were designed to give slower starting torque on the engine).
Ropes: One overlap one underlap. Steel strand, lang's lay construction.
Factor of Safety of Ropes: Manriding 10/1 Materials 6/1
Brakes: Post type brakes, timber based with Ferodo lining. Dead weight and hydraulically operated.
Overspeed and Overwind Control: Lilly Controller.
Depth Indicator: Reliance type detaching hook.
COEDCAE (THE HOUSECOAL PIT)
Sunk in 1850, reopened 1870's
Coedcae upcast - c. 90 square, 117 yards deep.
Coedcae down cast - 160 by 110 ellipse, 175 yards deep.
In 1893 a new horizontal twin cylinder winding engine was installed. This engine was built by J and W Leigh, Ellesmore Foundry, Parricroft near Manchester. Its cylinders were 26 dia by 402, 80lb psi. steam pressure, slide valves, running at 50 rpm and producing 1000 ihp.
The machine was derelict by the 1960's and scrapped around 1973/74. No trace of Coedcae now remains at the Rhondda Heritage Park.
THE HAFOD PITS
Hafod No 1 sunk in 1850 to exploit the bituminous seams, after 1893 the deeper steam coal seams were worked,
Hafod No 1 160 dia 461 yards deep.
Hafod No 2 150 by 90 ellipse 459 yards deep.
In 1909 Worsley Mesnes Ironworks Ltd, Wigan, Received an order from Lewis Merthyr Collieries Ltd for an engine for Hafod Pit. The Order was for a horizontal twin cylinder winding engine, cylinders 34 dia, by 60 stroke, 120 psi steam pressure, 150. Drum, drop valves at the top of the cylinders and Corliss Valves at the bottom and producing about 2500ihp. It was fitted with the tail rods.. This engine was scrapped in the early 1970s.