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Just before 9am on 10th January 1893 the miners from the nearby mine of West Wheal Owles broke through into the flooded section of this mine (due to a miscalculation by the mine's purser). The torrent of water surged into Wheal Owles with such force that a survivor described it as "louder than ten thousand thunders". A huge crater was created near the Kenidjack almshouses. Nineteen men and a boy were drowned - their bodies never recovered. Soon after the management gave up any attempt to drain the workings or recover the bodies.