Hawks Nest Tragedy 1

Hawks Nest Tragedy

Ed Davis

Columbia Southern University

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Abstract:

Throughout the industrial development of our nation there have been numerous instances

where large numbers of workers have lost their lives due to workplace hazards. Lack of

regulations, safety measures, and workers rights resulted in few tears being shed for the average

worker throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s. As the ability for word to spread throughout

the country via newspaper, radio, and phone increased, so did the publics awareness of

happenings around them. This awareness, and ability for news to travel, led to an unprecedented

ability for the general public to affect lawmakers and regulations.

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Body:

In 1930, Union Carbide’s metals plant in Alloy, West Virginia needed electricity. Its

solution was to tunnel three miles through the Gauley Mountain. This Hawk’s Nest Tunnel was

to divert water to a hydroelectric plant from the New River (National Park Service). This

enormous endeavor required thousands of workers to complete. Within two months of entering

the tunnel however, workers began dying. The rock of the mountain contained high levels of

silica, which became airborne due to the dry drilling and blasting. Workers were said to be

completely covered with layers of white dust (National Park Service). “Of the approximately

5000 men working on the project, an estimated 2900 worked inside the tunnel. Of these men,

silicosis clamed the lives of at least 764 workers” (National Park Service).

To add to the outrage, dead workers were stacked in rows on the back of a flatbed truck.

These dead workers were then buried in a field on the Martha White farm in Summersville West

Virginia due to there not being a “colored” burial site nearby, and the majority of the dying

workers were black. Rumors abounded about mass graves, but the White family denies this

(Betty Dotson-Lewis).

Despite the Bureau of Mines being created in 1907, 23 years before the Hawks Nest

Tragedy, there were little to none of the “most modest forms of safety” (National Park Service)

at this tunnel project. This was due to it being licensed as a civil engineering project rather than

having any relation to a mine. Had this project adhered to basic mining safety, poor ventilation,

dust control, and breathing protection could have been addressed.

As it stood, news reports, and a fictitious account enraged the public enough to force a

response from Congress. The Air Hygiene Foundation was created to research and develop
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standards for dusty environment work. Additionally, the Department of Labor assisted with

making silicosis a workers’ compensation compensable disease in most of the US states (David

Goetsch).

Today, thanks to Centers for Disease Control, NIOSH, and OSHA only approximately

250 people die each year from silicosis. These organizations have instituted engineering controls

such as wet drilling, administrative controls such as worker rotation, and protective gear such as

respirators. All in all, we are making progress toward eliminating it as an immediate threat,

however close to 1 million American workers are still exposed to it each year (David Goetsch).
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References:

1. Betty Dotson-Lewis, “The Worst Industrial Disaster in Our History”, Sep 2009

2. National Park Service, “The Hawk’s Nest Tunnel Disaster: Summersville, WV”, Jan

2020

3. David L. Goetsch, “The Basics of Occupational Safety”, 2019