764 Dead in a Cornfield: The Deadly Truth of the Hawk's Nest Tunnel Disaster, Gauley Bridge WV

The hawk's nest tunnel disaster began in 1930 inside Gauley Mountain, West Virginia, where crews drilled dry through almost pure silica. Union Carbide admitted to 109 deaths. Historian Martin Cherniack counted 764. This is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in American history, told month by month from the record: the 1936 House hearings, the Fayette County lawsuits, and Cherniack's book. We follow the hawk's nest tunnel disaster from the first blast to Washington. Most underground crews were Black migrants, with no masks and no water on the drills. Why did the hawk's nest tunnel disaster stay buried? Industrial disasters like this one rarely end with a verdict. Few are so well documented. Watch the full story: hawk's nest tunnel disaster, Gauley Bridge, 1930–31. Subscribe for more industrial disasters from America's mines and mills. Series: industrial disasters. Copyright: some images and clips are used for commentary and educational purposes. If you own any material and want it credited or removed, please contact us. #IndustrialDisasters #HawksNest #HawksNestSilicosis