Trapped Underground: The Wellington Pit Disaster | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror

[@twillison8824]

Open pit miner here, and my hats off to the ones who go underground. The safety standards for subterranean mining are far more stringent than ours, but those standards are written in the blood of many who perished.

[@robertsteinbach7325]

Remember that many important regulations are written in blood. Every time some yahoo politician says, "We must reduce regulations", it means they want to destroy those important regulations written in blood and never the trivial regulations. If the regulations needing to be erased was trivial, the politicians wouldn't have to sell you the need to erase them.

[@htos1av]

Our modern living and society exists BECAUSE of people like you! Thank you!

[@jadedejarlais2769]

Sadly I can't think of any heavy industry whose safety rulebook isn't written in blood. Having worked in a steel plant some of the stories I've heard are harrowing.

[@aaronbennett3966]

All because rich assholes couldn't be bothered to fix something in most cases, too, sadly.

[@EonAJC1988]

Depends on where you live. And how bravely people fought for your' safety against the profit margin.

[@elliottprice6084]

The death toll of 147 in this disaster shocked me. This is a disaster that I'd never heard of before, and this is one reason I'm a regular viewer of Fascinating Horror, because it brings forgotten tragedies to light, and victims of forgotten tragedies can be remembered

[@tomkandy]

The sad fact is that there were dozens of disasters like this from 1800 to about 1950, and most are now largely forgotten. The wikipedia page on this incident is one sentence.

[@nlwilson4892]

@@tomkandy Another 104 men were killed in Whitehaven in the 1947 disaster at William Pit.

[@SpearFisher85]

Well said!🎉

[@stevenjlovelace]

The Wikipedia article about it is pathetically short, with only one sentence about the disaster. (As of the morning this video was published.)

[@Ozymandias1]

@@tomkandy Until 1950? Maybe in Britain and other Anglosaxon/Western countries but in other parts of the world they still happen. Last year 237 coal miners lost their lives in Zimbabwe (in several accidents). In November of 2023 (less than half a year ago) about a dozen miners plummeted to their deaths in South Africa. And last month saw the 10th anniversary of the underground mine fire (a disaster comparable to this one) in Soma, Turkey in which 301 miners perished, more than double the fatalities at the Wellington Pit).

[@ottovonbasedmark]

what shocked me the most was how there was a 2 month strike, during and after which NOTHING was done to improve the working place conditions and the price was paid in the blood of the workers. this really shows the importance of workers unions

[@joshuaharper372]

I just don't understand why companies don't take care of their workforce. Ideally strikes wouldn't be necessary because management would listen to concerns. But, of course, that doesn't seem to happen in the real world.

[@KyrosX27]

@@joshuaharper372 because it's all about money - sure strikes mean companies don't have money flowing in but maybe directors think it more costly to give the miners what they want which is increased safety measures, equipment, etc. in the mines. it'd mean having to renovate existing infrastructure and whatnot. businesses function by squeezing as much as they can out of what they have: if x workers working y hours yield z amounts of coal then increasing workers, increasing the amount of time they work, decreasing pay will all mean more coal which is more money. cuts here and there, maybe promise a 1c raise so they don't revolt... that's what happens. also, as productivity and revenue goes up, the workers should get a slice of that but instead they don't and most of it gets pocketed by the board-level folks.

[@williesnyder2899]

An organized strike by workers - and I’ve been on strike in my chosen occupation, as well as provided picket support and financial assistance during many strikes by other workers - is defined as “Withholding Labor,” the setting aside the shovel, the refusal to enter a tunnel, the informing a Boss that they can clean all the toilets themselves, and the terrifying trade off of staying home, of walking a picket line, of being without wages vs continued lax worksite safety standards, healthcare, wages and conditions, pension security, and the humble hope that the next generation will more quality with less wailing at the collapsed roofs of industrial accidents… Blood and tears, hungry bellied and dust faced children, widows and widowers (see the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire!), parents wishing to bury their adult children if only there was a body found…

[@dx1450]

@@joshuaharper372 Because a lot of companies (especially back then) viewed workers as dispensable and replaceable. If one guy didn't want to work in hazardous conditions, fire him and hire someone else. Until unions came along and fought for better working conditions, things would always be hazardous.

[@Sashazur]

@@dx1450You can leave out the “especially back then” - most companies today still see their employees as interchangeable and disposable. And if course it is still ALL about money when decisions are made about safety and anything else.

[@AidanOAArch]

The bravery of those men who went back in to help others is astounding.

[@jenf6489]

Exactly 👍

[@Trucksofwar]

You’d just do it thought wouldn’t you, it’s your mates down there

[@CEWIII9873]

They were owed money

[@sketchyskies8531]

Being trapped in a burning mine underground sounds like one of my worst nightmares

[@MarionBradford-o8e]

I would hope they quickly lost consciousness 😟and did not suffer long

[@dx1450]

Being trapped in a mine underground sounds like a nightmare, burning or not.

[@davidcliff2141]

⁠@@dx1450 being sounds like a nightmare, trapped in a mine or not

[@Mrsjam96]

It sounds like hell 🔥

[@vtecsamurai11]

not unlike silent hill

[@gray_mara]

Remember when there was a sudden surge in YT creators telling scary stories and creepypastas? And this channel emerged from the mass: thorough, professional and compassionate. Very impressive, FH.

[@hannevanbakker9021]

Because this channel doesn't tell scary stories or creepypastas someone made up. It tells thoroughly researched facts. And you are absolutely right, it IS very impressive.

[@m.l.tankesly2665]

And the 1st of April posts are always entertaining to watch.

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

James Henry was so incredibly brave. He just kept putting himself in danger over and over to help others. Another layer of tragedy in cases like this are the widowed mothers who have to try to keep their children from starving to death.

[@Hartley_Hare]

I got talking to an elderly woman a few weeks ago whose dad and grandad had been miners. Her grandad went down the pit when he was about ten because his died had died in a collapse and his family had no income. This is level of desperation I can only begin to guess at and when I told my own children, they looked horrified.

[@Pro-Deo]

@@Hartley_Hare your comment is beyond sad. That poor woman's dad and his family!!

[@Hartley_Hare]

@@Pro-Deo It was a pretty heavy conversation. We live in a former mining area, and stories like that aren't uncommon. I'm somewhat old (cough) and everyone of my generation either worked down the pit briefly or has family who did. And of those, everyone has a story about someone who died.

[@arostwocents]

This was why subs were introduced to offer a pension to families who had lost their income source via mining accident

[@CEWIII9873]

She can always "turn" to the oldest profession to do the "trick" What's the big deal?

[@talabackland8127]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, no other channel gets straight into the content like this one. 10/10 every single time.

[@dylanhuculak8458]

Yeah, when you see a 10-minute video on this channel, you know it's 10 minutes of content, not 2.

[@TheCatBilbo]

Certainly, the content & presentation is always great. Less is definitely more.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

@@Jesse-xz7br and no in video hawking of products.

[@vibingwithvinyl]

You may want also check out Plainly Difficult and Day Of Disaster Edit: as well as Descent into Darkness

[@kingofsinter8416]

@@ThatOpalGuyI remember this channel once did a video with a sponsor. People in the comments said that it was nice FH got a sponsor but that the company was shady. FH wasn’t aware of this and took the video down and ended the sponsorship. I don’t think there’s been a sponsor since.

[@marvindebot3264]

The under manager went into that mine three times, that's bravery. That last trip would have been a decent into hell.

[@Trucksofwar]

It was his boys down there.

[@deanothemanc5281]

Yep balls of steel those guys.

[@RoundSeal]

I'm honestly shocked there haven't been even _more_ mining-related disasters over the years, despite the already high occurrence of them. It feels like some of these mines were held together with twine and a greedy dream, with the miners themselves getting the shortest end of the stick. Not to forget, of course, the amount of ex-miners who died from complications relating to their work in their later years, my own grandpa included. Absolutely unforgiving, brutal occupation.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

"twine and a greedy dream"--that's a good line!

[@foximacentauri7891]

The fossil fuel industry is so much more dangerous than most people know. Check out the channel waterline stories, more than half of these disasters are in that industry and you’ve never heard of it before. And by god how many people must have died in coal mines in the last two centuries that went unreported.

[@Ozymandias1]

You don't have to go back far back in history for disasters like this one. Only 10 years ago, on 13 May 2014, there was an underground mine fire in Soma, Turkey that resulted in 301 miners being killed, more double the fatalities of the Wellington Pit disaster! Mining is and will continue to be a dangerous profession.

[@garthcox4307]

Gresford near Wrexham had a similar disaster in 1934. 266 dead.

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

@@ingridfong-daley5899 Indeed it is.

[@debanam]

GM FH. My relatives, including my grandfather and great-grandfather, were Pennsylvania coal miners. Lots of accidents, lots of deaths, lots of black lung disease. God bless those who went and continue to go into the mines.

[@nuaru100]

And god bless those who are trying to find safer ways to fuel our world.

[@daffers2345]

Some of my mom's ancestors worked in the PA mines. It wasn't just danger from coal mining, itself. One guy (my grandmother's uncle, I believe) was a mine electrician. They didn't have lock-out/tag-out back then, and had to rely on word-of-mouth. Needless to say, one day he was working on the wires and someone forgot (or didn't know) and turned on the main switch. I feel for anyone who lost loved ones in the mines in ANY form. It's a rough and difficult job, and thankless too.

[@megachonk9440]

My grandfather was a miner from the age of 14 until he was forced to retire after a heart attack in his early 60s. He worked almost every kind of mine except coal. He said he would never work in a coal mine, because it was just too dangerous. This man had almost no concept of personal safety, nearly died (twice) from falling down shafts, was missing several fingertips from having them crushed off by heavy equipment, and basically just didn't know HOW to be safe. He would steal explosives from the mines to remove stumps and for "dynamite fishing". He even "appropriated" a sample of high-grade uranium ore from a uranium mine once. He'd work 8000 feet deep under a lake with water leaking in constantly without a second though, but a coal mine? Nope, that was "too dangerous" for him. So props to those who did it, because anything my grandfather considered too dangerous is probably something no person should do.

[@MrChopsticktech]

​@@megachonk9440 What mine is 8000 feet under a lake?

[@vicvega3614]

​@@MrChopsticktechthe lake of fire, its in the 7th layer of hell my grandfather also worked there, my uncle made it to the 9th layer and got swallowed by Cerberus

[@BungleBare]

As someone who grew up in Whitehaven, and knows the details of this disaster well, I’d like to say thank you for this video. The facts were professionally and sensitively put across, as always. I’m a long-time subscriber, and I can’t see that ever changing. Should you ever wish to return to the history of the town there was also the William Pit disaster in 1947, where 104 men lost their lives. One of them was my great grandfather. I’ve no doubt you could put across the story of that disaster in a similarly sensitive way.

[@CEWIII9873]

How can you be sure about your "grandfather" when you do not even know who your father is?

[@lyedavide]

It is truly horrific to know just how terrible the working conditions were during the early days of the industrial revolution. The absolutely murderous treatment of miners and other workers in industrial plants is appalling. It is sad to have to admit that, in some industries, not much has changed in over a century. RIP to all who died in this terrible disaster.

[@brenankean6634]

1904 wasn't the early industrial revolution

[@charskull]

It was still just as dangerous as the earlt revolution though​@@brenankean6634

[@CEWIII9873]

As Malthus said, "decreasing the surplus population..."

[@TrineDaely]

I still don't know much about mining, but after years of listening to a variety of channels covering manmade disasters, one thing I have learned is that hearing "a rush of air" mentioned is never a good thing.

[@CarolynHoffman-ud9nb]

I would like to very much thank the person who presents these documentaries for added closed captions for his narration.

[@cocoaddams4502]

The production of these videos is perfect. Not a single extra frame and consistency from start to finish. All within 12 minutes. Amazing.

[@BrianMurfitt]

What a senseless loss of life, all those innocent men and boys. Mining was and still is a very dangerous industry. 🙏🏻

[@mattheide2775]

I lived in a former coal mining town that closed in 1969. Most of the widow's husbands died from "Black Lung". Basically emphazema caused by coal dust from years of working. My middle scool was heated with a coal fired boiler in 1989. Roslyn Washington was an interesting place to grow up. There is a large memorial and statue for the many that died in the mines there. Thank you for the video ❤

[@Adam_Marsh]

I'm a resident of Whitehaven, thanks for covering this. Just coincidentally, I have a similar photo seen at the end of the video of the Candlestick looking out to sea with the northern lights above it.

[@Lift_CT]

People the same age as me and only 3 years younger working in such conditions always amazes me. RIP those young lads lost

[@nlwilson4892]

This was after the Coal Mines Act in 1842 banned younger children and women from working underground. Children as young as 5 worked down the mines, records have been found of 77 that died (those tend to be ones in disasters not isolated accidents), those known to have died ranged from 8 to 14. Th research only looked for the ones too young to have been allowed to work after the laws changed.

[@MichaelCZUSA]

No one tells a story of such loss as you do, Sir....nobody. Thank you for producing this content.

[@jeffsilverman6104]

The average mind can't begin to grasp this kind of horror. When I was fifteen, I was growing up in the southern California sunshine. I can not even imagine coming of age in such dangerous conditions. R.I.P. to the fallen.

[@shifty1927]

So wild. I can't even imagine how bad it was trying to re enter the mine with the smoke, heat, and gas obstructing the way. The ones who did definitely deserve recognition.

[@SledgeGaryHammer]

Love that you used other photos of mines/miners instead of AI. great video!

[@Sashazur]

Yes this is something I really hate about many other channels. Mostly because it seems like lots of viewers don’t realize it’s AI.

[@SledgeGaryHammer]

@@Sashazur sometimes I dont either. Other times I just really want to hear the story the video is about. But I just flat out don't subscribe to new channels if i see AI

[@Transit_Angst]

Love waking up to fascinating horror

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

We'll have to splurge on that Yoko Ono alarm clock for you then! :)

[@SendirianAja]

Transit_angst woke up to the calm autumn breeze of 2049, unaware that in a few minutes they will be at the front seat for the 21st centuries' deadliest cosmic event...

[@sistercockroach]

Oh my gosh, I remember emailing you requesting for this to be covered! Thank you so much!!

[@CEWIII9873]

Stalker!

[@Tiger_Woo_dds]

Thanks FH for informing these terrible tragedies in the modern age. RIP to all those brave but not forgotten souls. 😢

[@littlebear274]

The thing about this older industrial disasters is that almost always the workers were basically all from the local community, so when something goes wrong the impact is absolutely devastating. Disasters these days are much more likely to involve people who've traveled so while the local area is always the worst hit, it might not be quite as crippled by the loss of workers and fathers. Like where I live was hit by an earthquake and quite a large building completely collapsed which brought the death toll to 185, but a lot of the people in the building were international students at an English language school. (Which was still awful, because many of them were Chinese and almost all only children. I worked at the Red Cross at the time processing the financial aid grants for their families.)

[@lvbdevinelove2329]

The real photos add a haunting layer of creepines and authenticity, while your voice keeps me calm and feel safe. The best horror story channel..

[@carlodifabio7991]

That’s a crazy number of people who died in this mining disaster. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. The only high profile one I can think of which had more was the Vale disaster in 2019.

[@giraffesinc.2193]

Good morning, FH! I am still awake after a long day and am greatly appreciative of your videos!

[@Jules-77]

Excellent. I had never heard of this particular tragedy so thank you.

[@davybear4116]

So, they went from a coal mining disaster in 1910 to a nuclear disaster in 1957? Jesus that town has terrible luck.

[@Sakja]

The nuclear plant wasn't in Whitehaven.

[@jokerz7936]

​@@Sakja there is only about 10 miles in distance from each other if the plant had gone nuclear it would have affected the town.

[@jokerz7936]

They also had a mass shooting in 2010.

[@marvindebot3264]

yeah but just a little one . . .

[@jeffcarroll1990shock]

47 years is not that bad.

[@sonnymartin9134]

Whitehaven is my hometown. Lovely to hear its name on one of my favourite channels. Especially when it highlights the bravery of the men and women who lived here.

[@CoushattaL]

It's so sad that workers have to die in order for companies to actually make a change. What's even more sad is the company is not doing it to protect the workers but to protect themselves from being sued. It's so sad.

[@janicesullivan8942]

Safety measures develop after every accident or disaster, it’s a very sad fact of life.

[@nlwilson4892]

@@janicesullivan8942 They do now, but there had been numerous disasters before this in Whitehaven's mines. This was just the biggest, and it probably helped that it was a time when news was easier to come by with more people reading and having access to newspapers.

[@RodneyPinSC]

Thank you for bringing these segments of history to life. Informative & entertaining. Extremely well done!

[@Kilmore50]

Thank so you much for making a documentary on this disaster. I live near to Whitehaven and it is well remembered.

[@peronik349]

It is sad to think that the world of coal miners has experienced such repeated tragedies. Less than 4 years earlier in France one of the worst mining disasters had taken place (only an event in 1942 in China, invaded by Japan, exceeded the heavy toll of this disaster). On March 10, 1906 at the Courrière mine, following a blow of dust, 110 km of galleries were devastated, taking away more than 1099 victims ("official figure" often debated as being greatly underestimated). During this disaster, too, the owners were more active in preserving the mine itself than the men who were trapped there. this disaster also deserves an episode

[@RachelShortyRRees]

My father, at 89 years old now, was the first in his family to not work down the pit in South Wales. All of his family worked in coal mines. He has lived longer than anyone in his family has by 20 years. The toll on men and boy's health just working down the pit let alone any disasters is just inconceivable today. As for this story, imagine what could have been had the Wellington Pit owners actually made the changes the workers asked for instead of ignoring them and keeping the money made...

[@m0nztam0nk]

I will never complain about stressful workdays…these men were fathers just like me, but were they tougher

[@centrifugedestroyer2579]

I'm from a (recently shut down) mining region. These videos made me look up mining disasters, and man there were quite a few ones I never heard about so close by

[@ChiIIerClan]

Back when human life was worth less than it is now, if that’s even possible. Thanks for bringing these events back to memory.

[@bjbrown]

The men who died deserve to be remembered for their work and ultimately their death. May they rest in peace.

[@jeanglendinning1860]

both my grandfathers were miners and an uncle also was a miner in Staffordshire another coal mining area. My maternal grandfather bred canaries for the mine.

[@Straswa]

RIP to all the men and boys who lost their lives. A terrible shame the miners' demands for safety were ignored. Nice work as always FH.

[@vince5567]

The canary didn't deserve that.

[@ferociousgumby]

He tried his best.

[@arturoaguilar6002]

The true unsung hero...

[@sorbabaric1]

Thanks for doing the mining stories. My grandfather, and dad (when he was a young man) were coal miners. I have my dad’s carbide lamp.

[@niccracknell9780]

Been listening to FH for a couple of years, in fact cant remember when i found you but I have to say bloody well done. They are Fascinating and interesting and of cause tragic. Love the tenner of your voice with its low key but very appropriate pitch !! Look forward to many many more !!

[@lukeeade6226]

Love falling asleep with a new vid of fascinating horror. Your voice is so soothing

[@ailsasublett9885]

I am truly addicted to your channel.

[@flankerroad7414]

Nice channel...fine combo of voice, narrative style, music and the raven in lower right.

[@freyallarganswald4746]

My husband is from Whitehaven n told me there had been a pit accident at the wellington. It was an awful incident. I live in fife where there used to be over 100 coal pits n have had some of my dads family plus my dad seriously injured in pit accidents. I’m talking 1940’s to 70’s, health and safety was non existent apart from hard hats being compulsory. My grandad had his back broken, uncle hit with a pit bogey n dad had his hands and feet crushed in a cave in. In fact most miners I’ve known had been injured in the pits. Conditions were awful, hot, dusty and dirty, cramped conditions with sometimes only crawling space. We have no pits in fife anymore.

[@jacekatalakis8316]

It's Tuesday, and this disaster has nothing to do with boots. Whitehaven is a beautiful place though on the coast, but knowing how mining was in that era, I'm very surprised more didn't die

[@MustacheMerlin]

Proper safety measures always seem expensive until you find out what a disaster costs... lives. Lots and lots of lives.

[@Brodyquester]

Marvelous video, thank You for your work

[@reachandler3655]

I can't help but wonder how many of those men and boys would've survived had their requests for better safety not fell on uncaring ears.

[@deneenjeffries2768]

What an act of Bravery by those rescuers! They fought hard to save their co-workers.

[@classicmicroscopy9398]

That something as dangerous as mining has been practiced so ubiquitously for so much of human history is a testament to our tenacious spirit.

[@Prohass]

And desperation and greed

[@andrewkelley9405]

or our stupidity.

[@donwall9632]

You bottom two must like living in the stone age then

[@patriciamccormick9321]

The ignorance of the critics of this comment is a testimony to the sad state of public education today.

[@TrineDaely]

Or just our tendency to dig ourselves in deeper even when we know better. 😅

[@seandelap8587]

Always look forward to a Tuesday morning video by FH

[@xr6lad]

Well it’s Tuesday night here (nearly 8pm). 🤪🤪🤣

[@Hobotraveler82]

This was a very fascinating story. Really sad about the loss of lives. 😢

[@williesnyder2899]

To quote Ben Miller, Union Carpenter, regarding workers in the underground West Virginia mines of his youth: “Everyone is the same color in a coal mine!”

[@williesnyder2899]

As well we see, decade upon decade what the life of workers, miners very prominently…are worth to The Company. Occupational hazards of a coal mining were brought home…by the family bread winner not coming home from a shift…the miner’s wife, in laundering his work clothing being herself exposed to “black lung”-producing coal dust…and children impacted by stark futures in the dark mines where their kin toil and perish…

[@bessofhardwick9311]

Another excellent documentary. Thanks!

[@teel714]

Many years ago, for a semester, I attended Fairleigh Dickinson University's Wroxton College campus in the town of Wroxton-St-Mary in Oxfordshire, England. One of our class trips was to a coal mine. It was one of the most interesting experiences I've ever had, but one I don't think that I would ever try again. One of my schoolmates was claustrophobic and declined going down into the mine. May Yahweh bless anyone who has to make a living as a miner! 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@keithlegge6848]

So many men killed at once was typical of the mining industry in the Edwardian era. Seventy eight men were killed at Denaby main pit , sixty one widows and 132 children left fatherless. No death benefits for the bereaved families either.

[@avampiresdestiny6101]

I can not imagine the sheer terror dying in a dark fiery pit unable to escape

[@htos1av]

RIP to all those who work for us. Never forgotten.

[@yvettedesmarais8107]

Thank you for another interesting story.

[@kspen6110]

Such a tragedy for the families of those 147 miners.

[@tinak.356]

This is such a horrible preventable disaster. GOD BLESS All the men who have passed..!

[@TheCatBilbo]

Coal mining was so dangerous & the miners demanding safer conditions led to the formation of Unions in the late 19th/early 20th Centuries. That was mirrored in other industries. The miners who formed rescue crews were incredibly brave & resourceful. Risking their own lives to try & save anyone they could.

[@angelsone-five7912]

Terrible tragedy, deciding things were hopeless must have been a terrible decision to have to make.

[@taraswartzbaugh9780]

The poem caught my attention and I looked it up. King Edward VII had just died on May 6. The poet draws a comparison between the king laying in state in the Hall and the miners laying in state in the mine.

[@deanothemanc5281]

Ivm briefly worked up at Whitehaven. The community still feel very strong about this disaster.

[@janmcguire5268]

Such brave, hardworking people! These kinds of tragedies were all too common in mining.

[@somethinginteresting2202]

Very sad. The minors showed such great determination, valour and compassion trying to save their fellow workers. To have so many men lost would have caused great hardship and generational trauma. I fear the breakdown of our communities has made such bravery and compassion a thing of the past although I hope I’m very wrong.

[@fionanatalieholden5965]

This is a little odd, but watching this the story came a little bit familiar, I remember doing a thing on a coal mine disaster at school in the '80s and this seems awfully familiar , I understand there are lots of mining disasters but the medal count does seem to make me think this was the mine we did about. Thank you for another interesting and , ahem, fascinating doc❤

[@AlexLopez0506]

Me, playing Minecraft as I'm listening to this, having found this channel looking for something to listen to while playing Minecraft: Yes, I feel this is a safe thing to do.

[@alexanderbill7128]

Interesting. This disaster happened at the local industry. And then another disaster happened at Windscale(Sellafield, as it mentioned at the end) decades later.

[@jimdieseldawg3435]

The bravery illustrated daily by miners in willingly entering a hostile, unpredictable and ultimately very dangerous environment to extract the lifeblood of industry, power generation and domestic heat is still somewhat undersung. Filthy daily, deprived of daylight and worked almost to the bone, these men persevered - often to either be betrayed by changing government policies or to live their few latter years with COPD removing much of their remaining quality of life before an unimaginable end. We owe them far more respect than they ever experienced.

[@donnawoodman6249]

I too would never have heard about these tragic events, but not one goes forgotten in Gods memory, be sure of that! Thank you for your hard work at finding out about these events. Have you ever come across anything you were not permitted to tell us about?

[@marycrittenden1210]

Love this channel!

[@briantaylor9285]

Fire in a mine is nightmare fuel.

[@PSI-qf8bq]

At 07:50, 21st December, an underground explosion. Killed 344 men and boys. The disaster at Pretoria Pit, Over Hulton, Westhoughton, Lancashire. Youngest aged 13 years, on his first day working in the mine. 30 of the fatalities were boys aged between 13 and 15 years. Many of the victims were related. Mrs. Tyldesley lost her husband, four sons and two brothers in the disaster.

[@lisalawwill4843]

The fact that there are award metals for bravery in mines speaks volumes about their lack of safety.

[@dawnmcneal5944]

I grew up and still love in a small pit village in the north east called New Hartley we lost 204 men and boys when the beam the pit pump is attached to broke and collapsed into the shaft in 1862. The village received a letter from Queen Victoria expressing her condolences and helping with relief funds. It was due to this accident that the law relating to coal miners was changed to insist that all pits had a second way out. This pit was never reopened except to recover the bodies.

[@charlesbland1073]

Keep up the great videos.

[@JedCurrie]

Thanks for the video.

[@strathruncie]

A fated community. The Wellington Pit Disaster in one generation, the Sellafield and Windscale disasters in the next. Incredible.

[@michaelpipkin9942]

It all goes to Lake Mead. You should cover the people who've passed in Las Vegas floods over the years. It used to be bad... The Charelston Overpass would FILL UP. Every time!!! People would turn open manholes into human-eating drains. Our tunnels have expanded, but with the lack of rain, oil builds up and people drive like shit on slippery roads. Also, people would play in our massive washes. And IT ALL GOES TO LAKE MEAD.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

i don't think this mine leads to Lake Mead. Wrong continent.

[@v8matey]

Wood pillars / support columns etc in old mines used to explode and start fires also. But that also depends on how deep and how much weight is compressing on the wooden supports.

[@MoonLitChild]

And all it takes is o e shift of rock. Mining remains one of the most terrifying careers on earth to me.

[@killerqueenbiteszadusto1771]

You really just uncover all the dirt from under the carpet, how is there so many instances of massive disasters and deaths that we just didn’t know about

[@peterfitzpatrick7032]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and bet Lord Lonsdale was never in a pit in his life.... colour me shocked... The strike achieved nothing, they went back to feed their families... heartbreaking..😟

[@B.JoyJohnson]

Always fascinating!! 😎

[@plhebel1]

It's a lesson not learned and lives were lost because just shortly before this mine fire with terrible loss of life another mine fire took 259 men and boys in the US. It was on November 13th 1909 in Cherry, Illinois the worst death toll in mining in the world up until the 1980's I believe, and still the 3rd worse until today.

[@_kaleido]

R.I.P. the 147 men and the canary 😢

[@ksteak27]

0:00 - If I ever hear this music in real life, I'm sprinting away from who-knows-what!

[@simon8126]

Great video, as always, could you please see if you can cover the Senghenedd mine disaster?

[@folioio]

I keep hoping he'll do the Mann Gulch Fire, 1949 in Montana. We can only ask!

[@RIVALContentJammerz]

I'm fascinated by this horror!

[@julierobinson3633]

There was another similar disaster in nearby William Pit in Whitehaven in 1947. Again methane ignited and fire and carbon monoxide killed 104 men. Because the quality of the coal in Cumbria is poor methane was a problem in all the pits and they were counted as the most dangerous in the UK. The various pits in Whitehaven and Workington suffered many disasters over the years. In some earlier disasters even children - the boys who opened the doors for the pony carts to pass through- were killed.

[@zombiedoggie2732]

Ignoring the canary, that you have to keep others safe from noxious gasses, dropping dead? Why?!

[@catprog]

"The canary is an early warning sign. We can still save some people" their thoughts probably.

[@srednivashtar5432]

Really well-written narrative. Though I shouldn’t be surprised by now.