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The History Project – Episode 148
It’s the Daily 304’s presentation of famous people, places, and events that shaped West Virginia.
Welcome to The History Project. Today, we take a look at… The Willow Island Disaster – The Grave Construction Tragedy
Around 1978, the Allegheny Power System was building the Pleasants Power Station at Willow Island, a small community north of Parkersburg on the Ohio River. Before this, Willow Island’s name connoted a place of tranquility and charm, but after the disaster that now bears its name, it has taken on a darker meaning.
The first cooling tower of the complex was created by April 1978, while the second tower was still under construction. Traditionally, laborers on such structures work from scaffolding rooted in the ground, but at Willow Island, the construction company used a popular method in which the scaffolding was attached to the structure as it rose. After a concrete segment was poured, it was given 18 hours to cure before the next layer of scaffolding was attached and rose with the tower. Cranes hoisting heavy buckets of concrete also sat atop the scaffolding.
On the morning of April 27th, the concrete from the previous day’s work failed. The material collapsed inwardly, dragging down the scaffolding holding 51 men working from a height of 166 feet (51 meters). It ripped counterclockwise like a zipper around the tower, raining debris and carnage.
Fire and rescue crews from five communities rushed to the site but, sadly, to no avail. None of the workers survived the collapse. Investigations revealed that contractors rushed the construction, failing to give the concrete proper time to cure. Research-Cottrell and two other companies were found liable for the collapse but their cases were settled for only $85,000, or $1,700 per worker.
A memorial bearing the names of the 51 men sits across from the now-completed power station. The Willow Island tragedy is the worst construction disaster in American history, giving the namesake willows of the town a different reason to weep.
