Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster
The Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster took place between 1927 and 1932 in a West Virginia tunnel project led by Union Carbide. During the construction of the tunnel, workers found the mineral silica and were asked to mine it for use in electroprocessing steel. The workers were not given masks or breathing equipment to use while mining. Due to silica dust exposure, many workers developed silicosis, a debilitating lung disease. According to a marker on site, there were 109 admitted deaths. A congressional hearing placed the death toll at 476.
Read more about this topic: Union Carbide
Famous quotes containing the words hawks, nest, tunnel and/or disaster:
“Oh, Jacques, we’re used to each other, we’re a pair of captive hawks caught in the same cage, and so we’ve grown used to each other. That’s what passes for love at this dim, shadowy end of the Camino Real.”
—Tennessee Williams (1914–1983)
“A little nest that’s nestled where the roses bloom.”
—George Whiting (1884–1943)
“You may raise enough money to tunnel a mountain, but you cannot raise money enough to hire a man who is minding his own business.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“From disaster good fortune comes, and in good fortune lurks disaster.”
—Chinese proverb.