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Steer Pit. Gwaun Cae Gurwen, 1952.
Known locally as the Old Pit, Richard Hopkin sank the first pit (175 yards) at Gwaun Cae Gurwen in 1837.
A shaft accident occurred here in September 1847, when the flat winding rope broke sending the cage out of control to the bottom and killing 6 riders. See bottom of page for a newspaper account.
Later it came into the hands of the Morgan family, who kept it until 1874 when it was taken over by the Gwaun Cae Gurwen Colliery Company, which was formed by a number of Yorkshire businessmen.
The winding at this "old" pit was by a beam engine and flat rope drums until 1886.
In 1886 the company opened the Maerdy or "New pit" to work the Big Vein seam at a depth of 240 yards.
From the Inspector of Mines list 1896, there were 440 men working at No. 1 or "Old pit" and 615 at No. 2 or "New pit", both pits producing anthracite.
By 1908 the manpower at Gwaun Cae Gurwen has risen to 1,275, including Brook Drift.
East Pit was sunk in 1910 at a depth of 355 yards to the Peacock seam. The Old Pit's shaft was use as the upcast ventilation for the East and Maerdy pit.
In 1918 there were 777 employed at the Gwaun Cae Gurwen Maerdy pit and 656 at the East pit.
Steer pit was sunk between 1922 and 1924 to work the Lower Vein coal seam at 354 yards.
From a list 1923, there were 776 men working at the East pit, producing from the Peacock, Big and Middle seams. At the Maerdy pit there were 806 employed, working the Peacock and Big seams and 30 men were employed sinking the Steer pit.
Later it was taken over by the Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Ltd.
In 1945 there was 2,035 men employed at East pit, Steer pit, Maerdy pit and Cwmgorse slant.
The Maerdy pit was closed down by the N. C. B. in 1948.
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Maerdy Pit, c.1920
Steer pit closed in 1959, East pit in 1962/3 and Cwmgorse in 1964/5.
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East Pit.
Transcribed from the Cambrian Newspaper of 3rd September 1847.
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT - (Six lives lost) - On Wednesday last, the neighbourhood of Waun-Cae-Gurwen in the Swansea Vale, was thrown into a state of the greatest consternation, in consequences of the occurrence of another of those melancholy colliery accidents which have so often taken place during the last few years in the Principality. It appears that that on Tuesday evening last, about six o'clock David Matthews aged 36, Evans Rees 37, John Lewis 28, John Mainwaring 30, Richard Williams 18, and Thomas Rees 17 all colliers went down Mr Townsend Kirkhouse Wood's coal pit and remained there until three o'clock the following morning when Morgan Davies, who had the care of the engine for the last nine years, heard the blowing of the horn at the bottom of the pit - the signal usually given by colliers. The platform was then at the bottom of the pit. After the signal was given, the engine was put to raise the carriage or platform up. Soon afterwards Morgan Davies saw the flash of the men's candles from the top of the pit and heard the crash of the carriage, when a short distance from the top, falling down. There was not one person present at the time but himself. He then went to the house of William Williams and gave the alarm and Williams and several others were immediately let down by a chain the other side of the pit. They were shortly afterwards drawn up and reported that all the men were killed. On viewing the chain, it was found that one of the links which had a small flaw in it had broken. This caused the accident and the precipitation of six persons to a depth of nearly 90 fathoms. As might be expected from such a fall, the poor fellows were literally dashed to pieces, and, when brought up, their remains presented a sad spectacle. On Thursday an inquest on view of tow of the bodies was held at the Leigh Arms, Waun-Cae-Gurwen, before Charles Collins, Esq., when, after a minute investigation, a verdict of “Accidental death” was returned, to which was appended a suggestion, that a proper person should be placed at all times at the mouth of the pit. There were two juries sworn, and the same verdict was returned by each. David Matthews has left a wife and three children; Evan Rees a wife and three children, and John Lewis, a wife and two children, to lament their unhappy fate. The other three were single men
From Caryl Jones, who is a descendant of Morgan Davies and William Williams mentioned in the article.