The Hawk's Nest Tunnel Disaster

Hawk's Nest is in the mountains of West Virginia, not far from Fayetteville. From there you have a lovely view of the New River as it curves around the mountains before joining with the Gauley River to form the Kanawha River.

It's also the site of one of the worst industrial disasters in not just Appalachian history but in American history.

Today we tell that story.

[Cake]

My great grandfather worked in this tunnel and he told stories about the gruesome conditions that the men were subjected to to. One that stands out the most was how he stated that the men were dying at such a fast rate, the company would wait until they had a full panel truck of dead men before taking them to the graveyard in summersville where they still reside today.

[DistantAppalachian]

I hate how everyone uses "Industrial Disaster" like it was an accident. It was manslaughter perpetrated by actual people who were seeking profits for themselves and their investors at the cost of human lives.

[twocyclediesel]

Hundreds dead? What did they care, they got their tunnel. Water pumps spraying down the dust as they worked….too expensive. Just be thankful you have a job, right?
Unbelievable

[normsweet]

I’m glad you told this story, I’d never heard of this …….

[repairdrive]

Good video. Straight facts like these are what some people want to keep out of our schools.

[jbtalking]

My great-grandfather was there in 1935. He had a background in the steel industry, so I am almost sure he was there to get the steel mill ready. I know he left in 1936 because my grandmother was born in NC. Later he worked on at least one dam for the TVA.

[PetraKann]

Bhopal Disaster in India was also due to Union Carbide mismanagement.
Estimated death toll: 20, 000

[earlljrquesenberry]

I went to college at West Virginia Tech at Montgomery WV. I know of the story of the tunnel filled with silica dust.
The silica sand was so pure that it was collected and used for NASA and others to produce special glass.

[JohnDavies-cnro]

|I'd never heard this story before, although I know Hawks Nest from the 'New River train', and the song about the wreck of the 'Sportsman' express. Sounds like an unlucky place. Over here in GB I think we call the disease pneumosilicosis - very much a miner's illness, be they coal, tin or slate. The brutality of the company owners at this time was appalling, both here and in the US - and of course their innate racism made it all the worse.

[danb]

Whats with the upbeat music in the background? This was a case of murder not a "folksy" tale

[daniellassander]

Adjusted for inflation $1600 1930 is $30k today. Im not condoning their actions in any way.

[mildredrharmon]

Horrible…😡 guarantee some of these workers where my ancestors! 💔😢

[hauntedmoodylady]

Interesting story, I suggest you do some research on the times prior to the US War between the States when there was a tunnel building Northern States who had the wealth to build tunnels through mountains, under rivers or for what ever the requirement may be. Northerners were aware of blacks in those days, in fact objective history proves that the first slave owner in the New England states was a black man himself. Well, guess what happened when the Northerners approached the Southern slave owners with the proposition of contracting the use of their slaves to build tunnels. The Southern slave owners flatly refused the proposition, they valued their slaves they did not want to risk their injury, or death. Well, what they hell, how were the tunnels to be built?? The solution was an easy one. The big moneyed Northern industrialists would herd up the Irish. No one considered the Irish to have any value, many of the Irish, a very large proportion were indentured servants, yes in the 19th century. They worked for 0 pay for only the food, and clothing they may consume. I recommend that story for you..