The Mine Disaster UNDER The Ocean

Summary by Krater

The story of the 1919 Levant Mine disaster in Cornwall, England, where a mechanical failure in the mine's man engine shaft caused a catastrophic collapse, trapping and killing 31 miners.

From the video

Answers: What was the Levant Mine disaster?

• Levant Mine
• Cornish mining history
• Man engine
• Mine disasters
• Underground mining

What it concludes

• The Levant mine opened in 1820 and extended 2,000 feet deep and a mile under the Atlantic Ocean.
• Miners endured harsh conditions, including temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius, and relied on candles stuck to their hats for light.
• The man engine, installed in 1857, was a vertical conveyor system that reduced the time and physical toll of getting in and out of the mine.
• On October 20th, 1919, a bracket connecting the top beams to the rod broke after five years of wear, causing the rod and upper 300 feet of the shaft to collapse.
• A three-day rescue effort recovered 31 dead miners, while 19 others suffered serious injuries.
• The disaster left families without financial compensation, and the mine eventually closed in 1930 before being preserved as a historical site in 1967.