Aber Collieries Deaths

There were two Aber Colliery drift coalmines. The first was opened in 1865 at the outcrop of the No. 2 Rhondda seam and worked this seam until June 1894. In 1886 another drift was driven down from the surface to the No. 3 Rhondda seam which here lies beneath the valley floor; this seam was worked until 1914. The positions of these drift mouths are shown on the plan on page 10.

The Aber colliery surface buildings and plant were used from 1914 to 1935 to screen and load coal brought down by an endless rope tramway from the Cwm-y-fuwch and Cwm llo Drifts which were situated at the head of the valley named Cwm-y-fuwch.

The general method of underground working at the Aber Collieries was by longwall stall working with some top hole and pillar working. Both collieries were worked by naked lights.
The No. 2 Rhondda drift was ventilated by a small steam driven fan. Initially, the No. 3 Rhondda Aber Colliery was ventilated by a more powerful steam driven fan but this fan was replaced in1906 by a 20 feet diameter Waddle type electric fan to ventilate the extensive workings of the nearby Penllwyngwent Colliery.

The original owners were Nicholson & Taylor who were succeeded in turn by the Aber and Ynysawdre Coal & Coke Company (1866) the Aber Coal Company (1891) and Cory Bros.Co Ltd.