The land disaster in which fire again played a destructive
part, though less world-wide in its appeal, has been unhappily attended with far greater loss of life. At 8.30 on Tuesday morning, when 935 men were down the pit of the Universal Colliery at Senghenydd, in the Aber Valley, about ten miles from Cardiff, a tremendous explosion wrecked the shaft of the Lancaster pit, and fired the western workings, cutting off 418 miners. The men in the eastern workings made their way through a, dense fall of coal dust to the east or York shaft, and by three o'clock 489 were brought up alive. Since then twenty more have been rescued, and 61 bodies brought to the surface; but the wall of fire cut off all access to the western workings, and a further outbreak on Wednesday night caused the abandonment of the rescue operations. It is now unhappily practically certain that 434 men have perished, a death-roll exceeding by 38 that of any previous mining calamity in this country. It is at least some satisfaction to know that at no previous explosion in Wales has so much or such efficient assistance arrived in so short a time, or more heroism been displayed by the rescue parties, which came from all parts of Glamorganshire.
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