A closer look
Efficiency is a double-edged sword, and in 1906, it proved fatal. The Courrières mining company in France prided itself on an incredibly efficient underground transport network. To move workers and coal faster, they linked multiple separate coal pits into one massive, continuous tunnel system. When a pocket of coal gas ignited, the "efficient" transport tunnels acted like a gigantic shotgun barrel, propelling the deadly coal dust explosion through every single pit simultaneously. It killed 1,099 people, proving that sometimes, putting all your logistical eggs in one basket is a terrible idea.
