Photograph courtesy of National Museum of Wales
Three colliers working at Baldwin's Albion Rd Colliery, which was also known as the 'Clog and Legging' at the Albion Road, near the Old Furnace. This level was about 300 yards below the Glyn Pits 1-2. The mine was called the Clog and Legging because it was a very wet mine. These miners seemed to be lucky because it seemed fairly dry at this particular work place. Two of the miners have mandrels (small picks) while the other has a round mouth shovel, uncommon today, which is easier for shoveling over uneven ground. Note the candles, as even though safety lamps had been invented by Humphrey Davy in the early 1800s, naked flames were still used in deep and shallow mines well into the twentieth century. Flat caps were worn because during this time the use of safety helmets in this area had yet to come.
