Newport Dock Disaster - timbers supporting the sides of the trench.
Photo reference number: 600
The trench which collapsed and flooded resulting in over 30 deaths.
W C Cooper an engineer gave this account to the newspapers:
'We were going to start concreting tonight. Both sides of the trench were piled with solid timber from 13 to 14 inches thick and the cross timbering was all 11 to 12 inches in thickness. It looked as if nothing could move it. It was a perfect network of timber. As we sank the trench there was no sign of movement at all. It was examined daily by an engineer of the company. I was down at the bottom myself two days ago, when everything seemed to be quite safe.'
Text on photo mount: Photo by H. Martell, Newport.
Photo courtesy of M Hunter whose great uncle, Oliver James English, was killed in the tragedy.
