Office Division Engineer (1 results)

Map. Condition: Very Good Plus. 1st Edition. 17" w x 12 " h , Very Good Plus, small tear at bottom edge, light creasing and soiling at corners. Scale: None, A to B - 6 miles, B to C - 1 1/4 ", C to D - 5 1/2 ". Dated August 14, 1931, Plan No. 6719. An original railroad company manuscript map on onionskin paper, with lettering in black, the Kanawha River colored in blue, N.Y.C. R.R. yellow, C & O Ry. , red, and Rhinehart & Dennis, green. A RARE map, not found at OCLC or in online searches, depicting the area of the Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster, which has been called one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. "The Hawks Nest Tunnel was part of a hydroelectric project undertaken by Union Carbide near Gauley Bridge, WV. Beginning in 1927, nearly 3,000 men, three-fourths of whom were Black, endured prolonged exposure to silica dust-without respiratory protection-while mining sand-stone. Many of these workers developed silicosis and eventually died from the disease. Although the exact number of deaths caused by the disaster is unknown, some sources say more than 1,000 workers died. The 16,240-ft-long tunnel served to divert water from the New River through Gauley Mountain, a drop of 162 ft. Its sole purpose was to provide electricity only to the Electro Metallurgical Co., another Union Carbide subsidiary. Since the drill- ing of the tunnel was defined as a construction project and not technically mining, the workers were deprived of any protective provisions for underground mining." VANTAGE POINT The Historic & Cultural Importance of the HAWKS NEST TUNNEL DISASTER By Howard W. Spencer, February 2023). In addition to the railroad lines, the map shows the sites of Electro-Metalugical Co., , loading and unloading tracks for Rhinehart & Dennis ( contractor for the Tunnel) , and the Dam Site for the New Kanawha Power Co. It wasn't until a NEWSWEEK article published Jan. 25, 1936 that the American public learned of what had transpired years before. After an investigation in Congress, the summary statement of the investigating committee concluded - "That the whole driving of the tunnel was begun, continued, and completed with grave and inhumane disregard of all consideration for the health, lives, and future of the employees. That as a result many workmen became infected with silicosis; that many have died of the disease and many not yet dead are doomed to die from the ravages of the disease as a result of their employment and the negligence of the employing contractor." (House of Representatives Committee on Labor, 1936) A rather unassuming map that tells a powerful and damning story of American history. Map.