The Worst Disasters in History

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Scary Interesting, and to another edition of some of The Worst Disasters in History. Of all of the topics covered on the channel, there is only one that combines all of the factors that make caving terrifying with loss of life, on an industrial scale. Since humans began to dig tunnels into the earth, the total loss due to mining is almost incomprehensible.

And so in this video, we're going to look at two disasters that have added to this horrific reputation. As always, viewer discretion is advised. [intro music] By the early 1900s, coal was well established as the lifeblood of American progress.

It fueled railroads, industry, and homes across the nation, and its demand was insatiable. And nowhere was its extraction more vital than the coal-rich hills of West Virginia. As the coal industry boomed in the first two decades of the 20th century, peaking in 1918 with 680 million tons of ore produced, mine owners continued to expand, much to the peril and exploitation of the average mine worker.

The pay was minimal, the hours were long, and their lives were essentially owned by the coal companies, which monopolized not only the work, but the very towns where the miners and their families lived. In these company-owned towns, inflated prices at company-owned stores ensured that wages cycled straight back into corporate pockets, keeping workers in a relentless trap of debt and dependence. Yet, this was still nothing compared to inside the mines.

Every single breath a miner drew underground was thick with coal dust, causing chronic illnesses like black lung disease. Meanwhile, currents of dangerous methane gas lurked throughout the tunnels and corridors, waiting for a careless spark. Poor ventilation exasperated these dangers, allowing invisible gases to accumulate unchecked.

Mines were also claustrophobic, narrow confines that forced men to stoop as they worked, with the rock above threatened to collapse at any moment. Timber supports could also fail, bringing crushing rockfalls. Unskilled labor operating intricate machinery risked deadly mistakes, and the improperly handled explosives often triggered tragic detonations.

And all of these hazards claimed an untold number of lives. Records of deaths and disasters inside mines weren't kept until 1883, but from that point, more than 21,000 West Virginia miners would die in accidents, with their deaths attributed not to corporate neglect, but to "acts of God"0 or the miner's supposed carelessness. Safety measures were also primitive at best until 1921, when West Virginia began passing laws to safeguard the lives of miners, and even then, change was slow.

In fact, canaries actually served as the primary means of detecting dangerous gases until they were eventually replaced in the 1980s by electronic detectors. If a canary suddenly died inside a mine, it would be a miner's only warning of the buildup of noxious gas. Among the tragedies that led mine and government officials to start paying more attention to worker safety was what occurred in the Weirwood Mine in 1919 in Fayette County, West Virginia.

Now, there are several different methods of mining coal, as has been covered on the channel before, but the Weirwood Mine employed the use of the room and pillar technique. Through this method, miners would extract coal underground to create rooms, and between these rooms, they'd leave pillars of rock and coal to act as roof support. Around dinner time on August 6th, the night shift miners began their work along the Sewell seam of coal, having no idea that conditions inside the mine were primed for catastrophe.

Methane gas had unknowingly accumulated in the depths of the number 10 and 11 rooms, near the number 7 right entry. And while the Weirwood Mine was considered to be one of the best-equipped in the region, that wasn't really saying much. It relied on electric cap lamps for lighting, but these provided no warning of the presence of methane.

Additionally, no flame safety lamps were used on site, and the area had not been tested for explosive gases before the night shift got their work started. So, as the shift wore on and work continued, a volatile mix of methane and coal dust would find an ignition source. As work was done, an electric cable powering a gathering locomotive snapped, creating an arc that was enough to ignite the surplus of gas, unleashing a blast that shook almost the entire mine.

The explosion then ripped through the entry, stirring up clouds of highly flammable coal dust that intensified the destruction. Two miners working in a different section of the mine were the first to notice the explosion. Although they were unscathed, they felt its force and immediately reported the incident to the night foreman.

Joined by the superintendent and a small rescue party, the foreman ventured into the affected area, only to find the entryway filled with smoke and the structural integrity of the air compromised. Doors were blown off their hinges, and stoppings, which are walls that direct airflow, were destroyed, indicating the immense power of the blast. Despite the dangers, though, they pressed on, recovering the bodies of the victims one by one.

Tragically, seven men between the ages of 24 and 39 met a violent and tragic end that night. The first body of the group found was discovered face down with the victim's head crushed underneath a mine cart that had been thrown around by the force of the explosion. Nearby, the remains of another miner were found with his clothing still intact, but his face and arms were badly cut by debris sent shooting through the corridor by the blast.

Some of those who died appeared only superficially injured, while other bodies were severely burned or battered. The last victim to be discovered wasn't found until the next afternoon under a pile of slate that fell as a result of the explosion. In the time following the disaster, the Bureau of Mines conducted an investigation of the Weirwood Mine and made discoveries that underscored just how deplorable and unsafe conditions were for workers, inside the average mine at the time.

Air samples taken in the area where the explosion occurred days after the event were analyzed and shown to still have a high concentration of methane gas. Additionally, it was found that one of the miners may have left the door between the number 7 right entryway and the main corridor partially open, which would have greatly contributed to the accumulation of methane gas in the number 10 and 11 rooms, where the explosion occurred. Of the 4,260 miners who died on the job in West Virginia between 1910 and 1920, the seven men who died at the Weirwood Mine in 1919, were among the 579 who were killed in explosions and fires alone.

The natural beauty of the Moose River region of Nova Scotia, with its mix of thick forests and scattered clearings, stands in stark contrast to the intense activity that once thrived below ground. Gold was first discovered there in 1876, igniting a rush that transformed the region into a bustling mining industry. Prospectors flocked to Moose River, lured by the promise of wealth, and over the next several decades, miners would extract an impressive 26,000 ounces of gold.

In fact, so rich was the area that the entire community was named the Moose River Gold Mines. Despite its early promise, however, the prosperity of the mines wasn't destined to last. Before the 20th century was even over, much of the easily accessible gold was gone, and with it went the mine's activity.

This left a labyrinth of underground tunnels quiet and abandoned when it ceased operation in 1889. Pumps were turned off, allowing water to flood the shafts, and the equipment was simply left behind to corrode in the damp air. And the once thriving network of mines grew silent as the forest reclaimed the surface.

The allure of gold in the region, however, was not entirely forgotten. In January of 1936, a group known as the Moose River Gold Syndicate came together to take a chance to revive the mine. David Robertson, the 52-year-old chief of staff at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, and 30-year-old lawyer Herman Magill, knew next to nothing about mining, but that didn't stop them from acquiring the Moose River Gold Mine.

The formalities for transferring ownership were a little more than a few signatures and some paperwork. Since the mine's old workings were never drawn up, though, there were no schematics to hand over to the new owners. Instead, they'd have to figure out the mine the same way the miners had decades earlier, by just following the two gold-bearing quartz veins— one known as the Meagher and the other known as the Archibald.

Since the Meagher was closer to surface level, much of its deposits had already been mined, but the Archibald, which sat about less 30 feet, or 9 meters deeper, still held a considerable amount of gold. This wouldn't be an easy prospect, though. The new mine operators would either have to explore deeper in the mine than ever before or risk destabilizing the mine by extracting gold from the natural rock pillars left behind as supports.

But either way, once the papers were signed, David and Herman got to work right away, pumping water out of the mine and money into the operation. The two invested heavily in restarting the mine, but they faced significant challenges. Decades of neglect had left the infrastructure in poor condition, as timber supports were weakened by age and water damage.

Not to mention that the layout of the mine was a mystery without a set of schematics. Without proper maps, they relied on guesses and questionable knowledge from miners who had worked there many years earlier. And in April of 1936, just days before Easter, the Moose River Mine began sending warnings that conditions were growing unstable.

Miners reported cracked and bowing timbers and shifting ground, which were signs that the aging structure might not hold. Felix Henderson, the mine manager, voiced concerns about the deteriorating conditions, but these warnings came after a critical decision had already been made. Early in the year, Herman had ordered the removal of four natural rock pillars that had previously supported sections of the mine.

These pillars, which were left untouched to stabilize the structure, held back the weight of the surrounding rock and soil. Against the advice of some workers, Herman insisted on mining these pillars to extract what remained of the gold within them. So, reluctantly, the miners removed more than 100 tons of rock from these supports, although other accounts suggest that the figure could be as high as 200 tons.

Either way, the result was a severely weakened mine teetering on the edge of collapse. On Saturday, April 11th, David, Herman, and the mine's bookkeeper, Charles Scadding, ventured into the depths of the mine, accompanied by two other mine employees. That day, the group entered to inspect progress and evaluate the mine because the syndicate had decided to sell it due to its dilapidated state.

The worsening condition of the mine was clear even to the untrained eyes of David and Herman, as the men observed the damp, narrow passages and the creaking of old timber supports and the occasional trickle of loose rock from above. Still, they pressed on, failing to recognize the full extent of the danger. Then that night, some of the workers reported hearing concerning noises and seeing timber supports under great strain.

But these warnings seem to have not been passed up the chain of command with any kind of urgency. So, after a cursory look around, the group departed the mine with plans of continuing their inspection the next day. On the morning of Easter Sunday, David, Herman, and Charles returned to the mine once again.

This time, the groaning of strained supports was even more pronounced than it was a day earlier. In fact, in the Archibald section, a small cascade of rocks fell near them, prompting the group to hastily leave. After being neglected for so long and now stripped of its natural reinforcements, the mine seemed ready to give way at any moment.

And as the group fled toward the main shaft, the mine began to collapse and crumble around them. The creaking of timbers then escalated to a deafening roar as the ground shifted, and tons of rock crashed into the tunnels below. The three men reached the skip, which is a lift that would carry them to the surface, but it had a maximum capacity of two people.

So David and Herman then tumbled into the bucket while Charles grabbed onto the side, as the hoist operator above began pulling them up— but the strain was too great. Somewhere above them, the shaft completely collapsed, severing the cable and sending the three men in the skip plunging back down. Despite all seeming lost, though, miraculously, a fallen timber support lodged into the debris, halting their fall and forming a clear pocket of air.

So disoriented and terrified, the men abandoned the skip and scrambled into a nearby crosscut tunnel. The air was still thick with dust and the sounds of falling rock continued to echo around them. And as they attempted to navigate their way to another shaft, they found every path blocked by debris.

The realization then set in that they were trapped 141 feet, or 43 meters underground, with no food, heat, or a clear path to safety. Then, suddenly, there was nothing but silence and pitch-black darkness outside of the beam of their torches. Meanwhile, above ground, the collapse was devastating.

A massive depression had appeared at the surface, creating an unmistakable indication of the scale of the disaster below. Felix and the remaining workers could only guess as to what happened to the men trapped inside And for hours afterward, there were no signs of life; only the faint periodic settling of debris underground. This caused many to begin fearing the worst, but David, Herman, and Charles were still alive and relatively well.

Below ground, the men had found fragments of dynamite boxes and used them as kindling to start a small fire for warmth and light. The water coming through the rocks threatened to extinguish it at any moment, but the smoke actually rose through the cracks in the rubble and became a sign of hope once it reached the surface. As faint strands of smoke began to emerge from the collapsed shaft, Felix and his team realized that this could only mean that the men had survived the disaster.

This renewed the rescue effort, and plans were quickly made to try and reach the trapped men, but the challenges were immense. The original shaft was completely sealed, and the lack of proper mind maps meant rescuers were working largely blind. And with no clear path and unstable ground threatening further collapses, every move was dangerous.

Specialized rescue crews from neighboring mines in Spring Hill, Caribou, and Montague soon arrived, heeding a call that went out for "single men with guts". They brought with them the expertise and tools necessary to attempt the near impossible rescue, but almost immediately, the lack of mind maps created chaos and confusion. Every tunnel they dug seemed to lead to another dead end, blocked by layers of fallen rock.

And their efforts were made even more difficult by the constant threat of further collapses, which threatened both the trapped men and the rescuers. So after hours of futile digging, a new plan was formed. A drill rig would be brought in to bore a hole into the mine and establish contact with the survivors.

Once it arrived, the drilling began with rescuers battling against time and the fragile condition of the mine. It took two grueling days of precision work to reach the 141-foot level. And when the drill finally broke through, the rescuers quickly sent down a whistle.

As they anxiously awaited a response, they were met with nothing but silence. Hopelessness then began to set in for the rescue team, as they believed the lack of response from the trapped men meant that time had run out. They then waited a little while longer for any sign that they were wrong, but nothing ever came.

In response, the next orders were to stop the effort. One man, however, wasn't about to give up that easily. Billy Bell was a diamond drill operator for the Nova Scotia government who responded to the call for help.

And he was the type of man who didn't understand the concept of surrender. While he chain-smoked cigarettes with a wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth, Billy became a one-man rescue team and continued drilling for another 11 hours on his own. He then eventually sent a steam whistle down the borehole— and this time, a faint tapping echoed back through the pipe.

Billy then shouted, "Men alive! ", and cheers erupted among the rescuers from the unmistakable sound of life below. After the drill bit was removed, a garden hose was fed down the hole, which served as a lifeline to the trapped men.

Through the hose, the men were sent soup, brandy, and chocolate to sustain them, because by then, they had been trapped without food for several days. But while the smoke from the fire inside their chamber had given way to the cleaner air provided by the borehole, their ordeal was far from over. Above ground, the rescuers continued to battle relentless challenges.

Torrential rains turned the surface into muck that complicated operations, and underground, every advance risked triggering new rockfalls, and a sudden second collapse nearly buried everyone. It was only the arrival of experienced miners from the Drmmond and Acadia mine operations that managed to change things. The Drmmond crew, understanding the perils of tunneling under such unstable conditions, worked to shore up the collapsed section of the mine.

Under the leadership of mine engineer C. D. Sampson, the rescuers adopted his disciplined, methodical approach to tunneling.

And drawing from his experience with similarly dangerous mines, C. D. ensured that every shift was calculated, and every step forward was reinforced with old railroad ties and beams scavenged from the surrounding area.

This led to the crew's first shift advancing more than 7 feet, or 2 meters through the debris, which was actually a blazing pace given the conditions. Then by the end of the next day, they had carved out an astonishing 33. 5 feet, or 10 meters of tunnel.

So finally, on April 22nd, after 10 agonizing days of labor and uncertainty, they broke through to the chamber where the men had been trapped. Peering upward through squinting eyes, David and Charles saw the sky for the first time in more than a week and were pulled from the rubble. Their bodies were gone, and they were trembling from their ordeal but they survived it.

Sadly, however, Herman did not. The damp and cold conditions inside the mine were too much for him and he succumbed to pneumonia just a few days before David and Charles would be rescued. Throughout the ordeal, the world was glued to media coverage because radio brought the drama of the Moose River Gold Mines disaster into homes across the world.

J. Frank Willis, a reporter for the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, became the voice of the rescue effort, broadcasting live updates for 69 consecutive hours. Using the mind's only available telephone line, Frank delivered gripping two-minute reports every half hour that painted vivid scenes of the rescuers' relentless work and the mounting tension as they battled against time.

And his broadcast reached an estimated 100 million listeners worldwide, making the Moose River disaster one of the first major events to capture a global audience in real time. This groundbreaking coverage demonstrated the potential of radio not just as a source of entertainment, but as a powerful medium for news. It was the first time an event had been reported around the clock, and for better or for worse, it laid the groundwork for the 24-hour news cycle that defines modern media.

In the aftermath of the disaster, an inquiry by Nova Scotia's Department of Mines meticulously examined the factors that led to the disaster and revealed a cascade of failures. Chief among those was the owner's decision to operate the mine without registering it with provincial authorities as required by law. This deliberate oversight meant that no government inspector had ever visited the site to assess safety.

This meant that the mine's decaying infrastructure and Herman's decision to mine crucial support pillars, went unchecked. And in an ironic twist of faith, the deputy inspector of mines had reportedly heard rumors of activity at Moose River just days before the collapse and planned to visit the site the following Tuesday. Obviously, it was a visit that came tragically too late.

Ultimately, the inquiry highlighted the human cost of operating outside the boundaries of regulation and called for more robust systems to ensure that such tragedies could not happen again. If you made it this far, thanks so much for watching. If you want to listen to the audio-only version of these videos, you can listen wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Anyway, thanks again, and hopefully, I will see you in the next one.