The recent thread that mentioned drowning accidents in caves reminded me of Cornwalls worst mining accident that occurred at the great lead mine.
In 1846 The East Wheal Rose Mine was struck by a disaster in which 39 men died.. On 9th July 1846 a thunderstorm caused a flash flood. The mine was in a natural bowl, and the flood waters had nowhere to go, except into the mine. Captain Middleton organised 300 men to pile up earth around the collars of the shafts but the volume of water pouring down was so great that soon torrents of water poured down the shafts. This caused a wind to blow that extinguished the candles that the miners used underground. So when the water hit them, they were in utter darkness. Captain Champion somehow managed to climb the slippery ladders against the tremendous weight of down-rushing water. A timber-man, Samuel Bastion, went down into the mine to lie across a manhole, diverting the flow of water and saving eighteen lives. The beam engines were put to work in raising men to the surface, clinging to the kibbles and chains 'like strings of onions'. Forty-three men and boys were missing but four of them were brought up alive next morning. The lower levels of the mine were completely flooded. But, by November 1846 all the debris and water had been cleared and the mine was in full production again.
Shades of a couple of recent events at Boscastle. There are a number of bowls or steep sided valleys along the north coast of Cornwall and Devon susceptible to flash floods. Those , like me, who are passed their sell by date will remember Lynmouth.
The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.