Hawks Nest Tunnel

USA / West Virginia / Ansted /
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The 16,240 foot (3.07 Mile) tunnel was constructed by Union Carbide's Kanawha and New River Power Company subsidiary commencing 1927 as part of a hydro project to divert water from the New River under Gauley Mountain to a power station near Gauley Bridge built to supply power to Union Carbide's operations at Alloy. Over 3,000 workers were employed in the work of which approximately 700 -1,000 died of silicosis after excavating cemented quartz (silica) without masks or other protection. The tunnel has a capacity to carry 10,000 cubic feet of water per second.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawks_Nest_Tunnel_disaster
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Coordinates:   38°8'0"N   81°9'8"W
This article was last modified 1 year ago