§ Mr. John (by Private Notice)asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has received information of the accident at the Blaenclydach Colliery yesterday; whether he will state the number of men killed and injured, and the circumstances in which the accident occurred?
§ The Secretary for Mines (Mr. David Grenfell)I regret to inform the House that a serious accident occurred early yesterday morning at the Blaenclydach Pit, Glamorgan. Part of the ongoing shift was being ridden down the drift by means of an electrically driven haulage engine when the spake of trams ran temporarily out of control. It gathered speed very rapidly, the drift dipping at about 9 inches to the yard, and most of the persons riding were thrown or jumped off before the spake was brought to a standstill. Five of them were killed and over 70 injured, 27 of whom were kept in hospital. The House will wish me to express its grave concern at this accident and its sympathy with the families and friends of those who were killed and with the injured.