The Industrial Heritage of
The National
"Big Pit" Mining Museum of Wales is in Blaenavon in South
Wales and dedicated to the Welsh heritage of coal mining.
The mine reopened for visitors in 1983. Big
Pit is adjacent to the preserved Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway.
History of
Welsh Coal Mining
Welsh coal had been known since Roman times and small iron works had
long dotted the landscape but the new demands of
The two south eastern counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire contained
abundant seams of coal and iron ore in their valleys. The market for coal was
originally dominated by the demands of the iron trade but new collieries were
opened as new markets developed and by the 1830's more coal than iron was being
carried by canal barge down to the ports of
In 1870 coal production exceeded thirteen million tons and about half of
this, now carried by the railway system, was destined for the export
trade.
Immigrant workers flocked to the mining areas in search of work. They
came from
The miners and their families faced a grim existence. Thousands of
miners died as a result of roof falls and underground explosions. Fathers often
perished alongside their sons. The nation gradually became aware of the
horrible conditions endured by the mineworkers and in 1842 the employment of
women and young children in mines was forbidden. Government commissioners had
found that children as young as six years of age could be found working twelve
hour shifts underground. Younger children were used to control ventilating
systems while older children and women hauled the coal from the face to the
bottom of the mine shaft. The owners took little heed of the law, however, and
a female worker was killed underground as late as 1866.
Above ground, overcrowding and insanitary conditions led to outbreaks of
cholera. In 1849 there was an outbreak in Merthyr, Dowlais and Aberdare which
claimed more than 800 lives. Even as late as 1922, Aberdare had the
highest infant mortality rate in
In 1873 the Coal Owners Association was founded. A sliding pay scale was
soon devised - if world prices for coal fell, miner's wages were lowered to
protect profits. This led to tremendous hardship and unrest. The inter-war
years saw a serious decline in the coal industry. Half of the pits closed in
the 1930's and the years following the second world war saw a further gradual
decline.
There follow short notes on locations once known around the world for the
part they played in the world's first industrial revolution. Here in
The
Price for Coal
Aberfan. The Merthyr Vale colliery began to produce
coal in 1875. Spoil from the mine workings was piled close to the village which
had grown nearby. Tipping went on until the 1960's. The industry was by now
nationalised but even the National Coal Board failed to appreciate the true
nature of the monster they helped to create. In October of 1966 heavy rain made
the giant tip unstable. The recent dumping of small particles of coal and ash
known as tailings seems to have been partly responsible. A thirty
foot high black wave tore across the Glamorgan canal and swept away houses on
its path towards the village school. One hundred and fourteen children and
twenty eight adults were killed.
The
Risca in Monmouthshire lay 900 feet above a seam
of high grade coal known as the Black Vein. This coal was responsible for the
many explosions and 142 men and boys were killed by one of these in 1860. The
New Risca Colliery was opened in 1878 and thought to be safer but in 1880 an
explosion caused another 120 deaths.
Senghenydd. Experienced one of the worst coal mining
disasters in 1913 when over 400 men lost their lives. The incident led to a
government inspired inquiry.
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Foundation of the Original Theosophical Society 1875
The first Theosophical Society was founded
in New York on
November 17th 1875 by Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky,
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan
Judge and others.
The Theosophical Movement now consists of a
diverse range of
organizations which carry the Theosophical
Tradition forward.
Cardiff Theosophical Society has been
promoting Theosophy since 1908
______________________________________________
मूल थियोसोफिकल सोसायटी 1875 फाउंडेशन
पहले थियोसोफिकल सोसायटी को न्यूयॉर्क में स्थापित किया गया था
17 नवंबर Helena Petrovna Blavatsky द्वारा 1875,
कर्नल Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge
और दूसरों.
थियोसोफिकल आंदोलन अब एक विविध रेंज के होते हैं
आगे थियोसोफिकल परंपरा ले जो संगठनों.
कार्डिफ थियोसोफिकल सोसायटी 1908 के बाद से ब्रह्मविद्या को बढ़ावा देने की गई है
_______________________________________
Mūla thiyōsōphikala
sōsāyaṭī 1875 phā'uṇḍēśana
Pahalē thiyōsōphikala sōsāyaṭī kō
n'yūyŏrka mēṁ sthāpita kiyā gayā thā
17 Navambara Helena Petrovna Blavatsky dvārā 1875,
Kamala Henry Steel Olcott, aura dūsarōṁ.
Thiyōsōphikala āndōlana aba ēka vividha
rēn̄ja kē hōtē haiṁ
Āgē thiyōsōphikala paramparā lē jō
saṅgaṭhanōṁ.
Kārḍipha thiyōsōphikala sōsāyaṭī 1908
kē bāda sē brahmavidyā
kō
baṛhāvā dēnē kī ga'ī hai
_____________________________________________
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