@@Ozymandias1have you heard of the firefighters emergency devices going off? A couple isn’t unusual in a bad fire, but after the collapses of the towers, they went off everywhere. Dozens or scores of people stopped moving for half a minute
@@Ozymandias1This was different tho. With the towers there was the possibility of survivors because this was a structure with interior walls and stair wells so a possibility of void spaces where survivors may be found. There was hope, not much but some hope. Luckily many got out before each tower fell. A stack for a nuclear power plant is one large void space. A partially built one with scaffolding and cranes attached doesn’t create and void spaces for survivors. The debris and the people all fall into the same space. But it’s the nature of people, especially rescue personnel to hope.
They only way it could have been worse would have been if there had been dozens of mortally wounded men slowly succumbing to what ha just happened to them, RIP, workers, the backbone of America.
I can't imagine being able to feel anything but completely numb. How do you even process that? That almost every male in your family is gone in a matter of moments?
@@maidenreligion12the only other relatable experience that comes to mind would be families whose men worked in extremely dangerous conditions in coal mines, or drafts during times of war. But no one would expect this construction job to be that level of hazardous. Truly heartbreaking
I really appreciate that you use real photos and schematics to give context and information, especially when so many creators are opting to use AI to add aesthetic interest rather than veracity. It's so easy for history to be blurred or dramatized or gussied up in an effort to make it more "content friendly". I appreciate that you make the effort to stick as close to reality as possible.
Aye aye. I tend to stop watching videos when I see the images are not related to the subject matter. That just kills it for me. Well done on this one all around.
Agreed. Quality all around. Plenty of people have stated the value of maintaining these stories and remembering the victims of these tragedies. Otherwise, what do we learn?
"Blueprints often weren't kept on site, for fear they would be stolen" is a red flag. Keeping information away from the personnel who need it has *never* been an effective information security technique, and centralised arrogance has never helped a company with safety or productivity.
To help understand: Concrete is basically a gelatinous substance that hardens into hard concrete. We say it takes 28 days for it to reach it's designed strength. It hardens through a process in which heat is developed (you can often actually feel the warmth of a fresh concrete curing in the first day or two). As the environment gets cold enough the curing process first slows down and then basically pauses until the temperature is high enough to resume curing. If it's even colder than that, the concrete gel can even freeze and the ice crystals will break it apart from within. This is basic knowledge about concrete pouring and after only 20 hours is even "testable" by sticking your finger in it. If it's all good and well, you shouldn't be able to, depending on the specifications of the concrete.
They were really pushing the limits on this job. 5 feet of concrete with not even a day to cure, even under ideal conditions of temperature and humidity, that's asking a lot. And near freezing rain all night is differently NOT ideal. Also what if the mix was out of specification, such as too much water ( can drastically lower strength) or the amount of cement added off + or -. Did they even get to pull a sample before pouring? Even a simple sidewalk that's about 4 inches thick you don't want to walk on for 2 or so days.
You would never pour a second layer when the previous layer had been poured when it had been rainy and the temperature had been near freezing. Especially since it was again cold that day. It was unlikely that it had gotten above freezing overnight. I’m actually shocked they poured concrete on the day it was near freezing. When my Dad worked on Stacks for Nuclear Power plants the work was always done late spring into summer so there was no problem with the concrete curing. Some with bridges and other structures needing concrete.
@Luka_menorykee knows concrete. My career started after this. SOP was to not strip forms for~24 hours, not to add forms on top of that or in any way disturb the pour for ~24 more hours, and not to attach loads to or pour the next lift of concrete until at least ~3 days had passed and the Field Engineers had approved it. Many things can vary the cure time, initial strength, and end strength. You have to work with concrete's timetable;m you cannot do it by a clock or calendar. There have been plenty of accidents since this one which were caused by loading uncured or improperly cured concrete- it seems that they never learn...
@@P_RO_ I suspect some lessons are ignored in name of the mighty dollar(or nation correct currency). You can always find leadership that is willing to cut corners because nothing has happened to one of their jobsites yet. I think leadership especially needs to learn "cut corners lead to busy coroners"
I remember when this happened. I grew up in the Ohio Valley. My grandfather was a powerplant worker at that time and knew many of the men that died that day. This plant still stands today. When you drive past it, you can still see the color change in the concrete on that tower due to the time lapse that occurred before the construction was resumed.
My Mom is from St. Marys. I was 8 when this happened, and I remember the disaster being national news. I can't tell you how many times I've driven by that tower and noticed the color change.
Your grandfather was a brave man. I just left a comment about how my dad was an electrical worker and he worked wherever the union sent him- with the exception of powerhouses and chemical plants. He didn't care how long the unemployment line was- he wouldn't set foot in a powerhouse. Glad your grandfather made it thru ok 👍🏼
WV has seen so much industrial horror for a small state. Besides this disaster there's the coal mines (notably Monongah and Farmington), the Hawks Nest Tunnel, DuPont... people who work hard for a living deserve better.
It can’t be unrelated that it’s also the epicenter of the opiate crisis. No one should be considered disposable, and I think the effects are massive when people are treated that way.
It's also basically a captive community. Employers have tons of leverage to avoid regulation and force ridiculous work conditions. Sad that most of the local workforce have been brainwashed to agree with them due to those same conditions. Poverty is a hell of a drug
@molybdomancer195, West Virginian here. Most of our laws relating to business were written in the late 1800's by the coal and timber barons. They put their own people in the Legislature (both state and national) and some of them were Senators themselves. So practically all of our laws are written to favor large companies.
This jump-form scaffolding system was created by an inventor, not an engineer or reviewed by an engineer. After the incident some states banned this method of construction. A knee-jerk reaction as there had been many successful constructions using it...the scaffolding method wasn't inherently faulty but rather incomplete without the step of testing and calculating. It is still used today with proper testing of the supporting concrete and engineering calculations to verify its load bearing strength.
This seems like a modern take on the method used to build the dome of the Cathedral in Florence. Among other challenges, traditional scaffolding techniques wouldn't work, so Brunelleschi created a new method which hung scaffolding on the recently completed portion to allow for the next few feet of construction. I did a paper on it back in university for a history course, and spent a few days in the engineering library. (I may have some details wrong, it's been many years since I did that research.)
as the video notes, not just that: The scaffolding in place at the location was not even completed to the inventor's standards, much less an engineers. Missing bolts and under quality bolts, un-reviewed modifications and modifications to additional equipment...the wonder is not that this failed. It's that it took uncured concrete to make it fail.
This was a tragic day in my family history. I live 4 miles from the Willow Island site, and lost my great grandfather and many relatives to the collapse. Sadly, many of the men on that tower knew what would happen that day even before leaving for work. As I was told, a relative got in his pickup to leave that morning, and his wife ran out to him carrying his lunch he'd apparently forgotten. He said he wasn't taking it that day, he wouldn't be needing it... and just past 10AM, he was gone. RIP Emmett Steele, our relatives, and all the men on the tower that morning. An excellent video as always, thank you.
I’m so sorry! Is Angie Steele, mentioned in the video as having lost many male family members, also one of your relatives? Either way, what a tragedy for your family and all those involved. Sending you love from Louisiana, where we too know industrial catastrophes. 😕
Losing a loved one in a tragedy like this is heartbreaking. To lose 11 family members is tragic beyond words. My heart goes out to the lady who lost a big part of her family 💔
This channel is so incredibly consistent with the uploads, so many cases I've never heard about and they're endless, good research, editing, voice, and of course, intro and outro music is sooo good.
The people who were supposed to care, cared more about their completion time than safety. I’m sure when the collapse happened somebody on the project was more upset their payday vanished than about the 51 people they just inadvertently murdered.
Very similar to 9/11.All the local hospital brought in every member of staff,blood donors queued down the streets,staff waited at the doors with hundreds of trolleys but sadly so few people were treated compared to what was expected.
Reminds me of September 11. Hospitals were expecting thousands of injured. One hospital received only one survivor. There were a small number of others.
Why is it that when he described how the work gets done on the second tower, It immediately sounds like a bad idea. To be hanging huge, heavy scaffold and over 50 people on it, on wet cement!! This is why it’s not always good to get the job done asap. Unbelievable.
Seriously. As soon as I saw the diagram of the scaffolding system I was thinking, geeze that's a sketchy headache of an idea.. It's crazy 50 people's life's were taken away that lost their lives
I love that yall have kept the same format, music, and the way the information is provided. 💜💜 thank you for covering stories some of us have never heard of.
I grew up 15 miles away from this, drove past the site countless times, and even took a WV history class in high-school... so how is it that I've never heard any of this mentioned before? It's honestly quite worrying.
School history in the UK: industrial revolution, World war one, world war two, world war two and a recap of world war one. Little do history teachers realise other things have happened on earth.
@@lofthouse23 School history in the US....Christopher Columbus and New World every year until Jr High. Jr High American Indians and westward expansion.....High School Revolutionary War, Civil War, WW1, WW2, Korean War, Vietnam War.....and maybe an assignment to write about a more modern historical happening.
I live about 15 miles from Willow Island. This happened about a year before my husband and I married and moved into the area. Working at Willow Island would have been considered a great deal for young married men. Such a tragedy. This documentary was well done.
Thank you for covering this. I grew up in nearby Parkersburg and I remember this day very well. I was 11 at the time and my dad came & pulled me out of school. He took me to see a movie. I can’t remember if they closed the schools or not, but he did it in case one of my classmates lost a father or relative and he wanted to shield me from the sadness & grief. I have family that lives in St. Mary’s, which is a few miles above Willow Island, so every time I drive by there, I can’t help but remember that day. You see how massive these towers are and picture in your mind how far these men fell to their deaths. It’s so scary to imagine and my heart goes out to all the families that lost loved ones that day. ❤️
I live in between Waverly and Williamstown and drive by it every day I often wonder myself about the pure horror those men went through. Very sad even though it was long before me I was born in 84. RIP
My grandfather died in the collapse of the scaffolding of concrete grain elevators under construction. They were pouring the concrete for the "head house." He fell approximately 75 feet to his death. This was in Clinton, Iowa, in 1947. Several other workers died too. One man survived because he realized what was happening and jumped onto the edge of the elevator.
@@midgie1166 It happened before I was born, so I have no memory of him But I can recall seeing photos of a grain elevator, and wondering, "Why would anyone take a picture of this?" My mother and father drove down to Clinton a few months after the accident to see the scene for themselves. I can't 'tell from Google Earth whether the elevators are even still there. They'd be nearly 80 years old if they are.
My uncle was on site of this as a journeyman carpenter. I remember my mom telling me she and her family were just camped next to their home phone waiting for his phone call saying he was ok. Thankfully he wasn't near the cooling tower.
This is a very little known disaster - the money for the memorial was actually raised by high school students; the company had zero to do with it. Something to keep in mind is that labour law in the U.S. is mostly a toothless kitten. Penalties even for willfully killing workers are limited to small fines, fines which even back then were considered just a cost of doing business. In a non-union worksite in a state like West Virginia (and most were nonunion even back then) there was about as much labour protection as in a third world country. Many European countries impose jail time for CEOs, corporate officers and engineers for this sort of willful malfeasance, and it's said that a year in jail is worth ten million in fines. But that's not how it works in this country, And this was the result. A horror beyond mere nightmare fuel, the collapse was *progressive,* so the other workers on the scaffolding could only watch until the collapse reached them and dragged them down. The fall, as pointed out, was unsurvivable.Everyone on that scaffold knew they were going to die, and not all the deaths were instant, either. The sight that rescue workers were greeted with... well, let's just say I've seen photos, and it WILL live in your nightmares. One thing the OP missed is that the cooling tower was *not* completed with the jacked scaffolding; it was done with conventional, ground-mounted scaffolding. I have read, though I don't know for sure, that the remaining workers staged a wildcat strike until corporate management agreed to ditch the lift system in favour of a conventional one. As a result, there were no further accidents or casualties. But the damage was done, and the penalties were miniscule for killing 51 workers. It is a travesty and an injustice, and it will always be so.
@@diegomontoya796 That was unnecessarily rude. It's perfectly valid to be horrified at such an event yet acknowledge that you have no emotional experience that would enable you to feel the full depth of it happening to yourself.
diegomontoya796 I bet if they would have said they could imagine it, then you have said "if you haven't been through it you can't imagine it. SMH at such unnecessary rudeness and trolling on such a serious matter.
Thank you finding these significant events that have been forgotten by a lot of people. I always like how you state what changes occurred so these type of disasters can be avoided
Not sure if you take suggestions, but another construction accident I'd be interested to see you cover is the 2004 crane collapse during the construction of the Veterans Glass City Skyway in Toledo, Ohio.
No way would I want these near me or my family. Terrible people who cheat and lie on the quality and safety of these towers. God bless the victims and the family
Thank you for making the playlist consisting of all of your videos. I greatly enjoy your content. I listen to your videos while falling asleep and the playlist is super helpful.
And yet another example for those who think "nanny gubmint" engages in "overregulation" of business. Those regulations didn't come out of thin air, and they would've saved the lives of those 51 people had they been in place.
Pick and choose when to apply this. The government is fine to regulate for safe working conditions, but shouldn't be requiring things like backup cameras and tire pressure sensors in cars
You can’t use a marginal case to argue the whole. Just because there are some good regulations doesn’t mean that they’re all good For every one good reg, there’s a hundred bad ones.
@@keilanl1784 how about not being able to collect rainwater on your own property or maybe needing a business license for a child to run a lemonade stand? I can go on
I would LOVE to hear more of your voice narrating pretty much anything at all... please start more channels! True crime? Science? Art history? The weather? I'd listen to all of it!
Took me a minute to remember time zones exist (don't judge me, I just woke up) and got very concerned because these come out at 5:00 am where I live lol.
So very well told. What a terrible tragedy. The way you explained this, almost anyone could see this accident happening. Very well told. I read all the names on the memorial-gave me goosebumps. RIP and condolences to families and friends. So sad.
Agreed. Stories like the Titanic and Chernobyl have been done to death. Yes, sometimes he does/did more well-known ones, but later vids like these are not known as much. It's one of several reasons that I really like this channel.
I own a chimney company and, until a year ago, I did the masonry work for my company. And yes, I am a female!! LOL!! As soon as he started describing the scaffolding system I knew exactly what was coming next. Then he described the weather conditions and all I could think was, "Oh dear God, their fate is sealed!" Depending on the thickness of the concrete it can take years to fully cure! The masonry actually lets off heat as it cures so thicker applications can become very hot internally, which takes a lot of time to cure. I use reinforcing agents in all my masonry but that is not the be all cure all. Taking time to cure is the key to a really strong finished product. When temperatures dip into freezing there is an additive we use that helps to cure the masonry faster so it can set up even in freezing temperatures. However, even with that product available to me I always schedule masonry jobs for temperatures 40 degrees or above and never do masonry in the rain. Extreme downpours can add too much moisture to your mixture resulting in a product that takes a lot longer to cure. You want a cake batter consistency at all times, no exceptions!! Masons working with masonry should have known all of these variables and the job site should have been closed down until the weather was clear to resume. I don't care how much a customer squawks about a job taking too long because safety comes first always!!!!!!!!!! I cannot even imagine handling a job site like this one was handled. If I was one of the workers and saw what they wanted me to do I would have walked off the job that second!!! This is just horrible!! I feel so bad for all the families involved, especially the one who lost 11 members. RIP. Valuable lesson learned............ Don't allow anyone to put profits before your own safety! Be willing to walk!!
I have frequently been appreciative of the graphics that FH uses to help explain how events happened. I have trouble creating an accurate image in my mind from words alone in situations where I have no personal reference or experience. For instance, I have never constructed anything from concrete nor am I an engineer, so those diagrams really helped me to "get the picture."
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!! I have commented on so many videos begging you to cover this story!! My grandfather was working at the bottom the day this happened and he had to identify many of his friends and coworkers.
My grandfather had just sent a bucket up from the bottom when the collapse began, he ran and hid under a truck in the middle of the place. He was very traumatized by the incident and would never speak about what he saw that day
One common denominator I find in many of these accidents: it is always the little people who are victims of these incidents, NEVER those in charge or the owners. Most times they get a measly fine and a 'bad boy' admonishment.
A co-worker of mine had a brother killed in this tragedy, they always maintained that in addition to the weather, supervisors were in a hurry to stay on schedule
Ahh yes, I love the construction system that gambles your workers' lives with the quality of the work itself. Did Noone ask "what happens if the tower isn't set or stable enough?"
Did you ignore the part where it said that if the system hadn’t been modified and had been fully connected the way it was supposed to collapse could’ve been averted
@@spankosupreme2070 The scaffolding tower wasn’t the problem. The problem was the concrete wasn’t ready. The form was modified, and it wasn’t properly bolted, and the bolts that they did use were the wrong type. So what makes you think they could build the scaffolding correctly?
@@neilkurzman4907Ask yourself why they stopped constructing towers using that method. Research-Cottrell built 36 others previously, but it only takes one. It's almost like gambling everyone's lives on concrete set the previous day was a poor idea outside of the drawing board. Almost.
@@JeepnHeel Did you watch a different video than I did. They didn’t say anything about the construction method. They said it was used in properly. They said the equipment was modified. The bolts used were the wrong grade. Not all the bolts were installed. And the concrete was never tested to see if it was strong enough. What video did you watch?
Thank you. I would be pleased to see you do one on the munitions loading mishap occuring during WW2 in one of the SoCal naval yards. 200 plus guys perished in that if I remember correctly. Don't really know where I heard about it but you'd do it service.
Its insane that there were no treatable injuries. I think this might be the only construction accident that there was no in between. It was either fatal on unharmed. At least its the only one ive heard of. Its very strange, especially if youve worked on big construction projects and know how people are generally spread out over a site horizontally and vertically.
I imagine the method of scaffolding was partly the reason for that. With a standard scaffolding tower people would be on multiple different levels even if it was just because they were coming up or down, but with this one they would have probably tried to minimise trips and all been at the same height.
@@littlebear274 That's a good point. It's a pretty good explanation for the most part. There still had to be tenders and other trades on the ground below the scaffolding. My best explanation for them would be either, they had enough warning to get entirely clear, or had no clue it was happening until it hit them. It's still an oddity and a one in a billion situation.
I don't remember this disaster. I remember many, but being 11 at the time, I was busy being a boy. However, finding out recently that I have always been on the ASD spectrum, a lot of disasters and tragedies and scandals from back then are still fresh in my memory: 3 Mile Island, United 191, Jonestown Massacre, Skylab falling to Earth, Who concert crush, Iran hostages, John Lennon shooting, Air Florida crash, Reagan shooting, Pope John Paul shooting, hotel lobby skywalk collapse, etc. Jet crashes and shootings were very normal as a kid. Corruption always existed. The human experience has always been a tough but worthwhile struggle.
This channel is so satisfying because cable tv shows of old that would cover similar topics would stretch 15 minutes of content to an hour. The work here is beyond excellent. I've passed this channel to several friends and family members.
Ive seen the finished product. Route 2 West Virginia offers the best view. Just south of Sistersville, WV. Halfway between Parkersburg and Wheeling, WV. It was mid 80s, and it really stunk badly around that area.
I remember this one well, and how the news of it affected me. Many of those who died were family members. Thank you for presenting it so thoroughly and respectfully.
I gasped when you said the weather had been cold freezing rain. I was like, there's no way the concrete dried in time. It's like leaving laundry by the window excepting it to be dry the next day.
@jacekatalakis8316: I'm both curious and impressed with your knowledge that April 27th had several disasters associated with it through the years. Enjoy the breakfast and your day.
@@ZolaClyde On April 27, 2011 the Southeastern US was devastated by a massive tornado outbreak. Alabama was Ground Zero for the storms, struck by 62 tornadoes and killing 250 people. Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Hackleburg were the hardest hit. As usual, the media largely ignored it because it was Alabama.
I was 8 years old when this occurred and I remember it well. My Mom is from Pleasants County, West Virginia. The nearest hospitals are in Parkersburg and Marietta, both about fifteen miles away. Pleasants County is a very close-knit place. The kids all attend St. Marys High School in St. Marys (the county seat) and everyone knows everyone else. My grandfather, uncles, and aunts who lived there were all still alive at the time, and I know that they knew at least some of the men that lost their lives on that day 46 years ago. I have driven by that plant numerous times and visited the memorial. I cannot imagine the grief and the horror of the families, relatives, and friends who lost so many loved ones. I just cannot comprehend it.
Agreed. Yes, it can be frustrating dealing with the bureaucratic side of regulations, but some companies clearly cannot be trusted without intervention. If companies don't want government intervention, then they need to take care of their employees and prioritize safety above all.
As we have seen and continue to see over and over again, companies will more often than not cut every corner possible if you don’t put laws and rules in place to force them to maintain a baseline level of safety.
You know when you know you got a busy day at work but when you get in the work was already done and you have a relaxing day? Such a great feeling! That's what happen for that paramedic.
I lost my dad due to a brain aneurysm and I was devastated by it but losing 11 members of the family in 1 day. That is just cruel and heartbreaking situation, I can’t even imagine how she must have felt that day.
I work for a specialty contractor that installs concrete unit pavers. There have been times when the company had to get an ASAP order, and the manufacturer required a release stating that the purchaser is aware of the potential problems of using concrete pavers that may have had insufficient time to cure.
It was crazy growing up working coal mines. Mine was quite a bit safer - we typically lasted 5 to 10 years without any accident leading to a loss of a work day - if anyone was hurt it was minor enough to resume work the next day. The mine closest to ours typically killed one person a year. The guys I worked with constantly still complanied about OSHA and MSHA visits, and thinking it was a waste of time. Never understood how someone can place their entire life at risk or someone else's - for a small time or savings cost.
the scaffolding method they used reminds me of that one scene in spongebob when he’s trying to rebuild his house. he’s up in the air and every time he nails a board down, the one behind it falls. not sure if anyone else can picture this or if it’s just my brain making everything about spongebob
also i’m not trying to make fun of this tragedy, it is devastating for sure. nothing but respect for the emergency workers and people who lost family members
I lived in West Virginia for almost 20 years and I can tell you that the Willow Island disaster is still well remembered in the State. It's honestly hard to tell you how devastating this was in the State...
This company dickered with OSHA to get their fines lowered. I can't imagine the fight they put up when it came time to compensate the families of the men they murdered. Of course they knew the concrete was not ready for all the weight it was being asked to support. But they chose to cross their fingers and hope they'd get lucky...again. There should have been prison time for those decision makers.
Does everybody that run any company have to all be dumb and greedy ass people? They should all be fired and never be able to get another job for the rest of their life.
I found out about this from watching the plainly difficult documentary on this disaster a year ago, such tragic events. You and plainly difficult are my favourite disaster channels ❤
It's situations like these where you gotta wonder if the people who think of these "efficient" ideas ever think "man this is actually really dangerous". Construction in general is dangerous, but they used a method that ultimately made it more of a risk.
I will say, the most fascinating bit of all this horror (besides the grievous loss of life), is what exactly went wrong, and how the minutiae of events can be so impactful, and hopefully changed in the future
Another great and respectful retelling. Bonus interesting point in the bottom lines of the memorial plaque. Very cool that a student helped spur its existence and that recognition.
