Yawata Steel Works dam collapse occurred on May 1, 1916 in
Yahata, Fukuoka
was a city in Japan until it was absorbed into the newly created city of Kitakyushu in 1963.pig iron
Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with silic ...
production was from
Yawata Steel Works
The is a steel mill in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Imperial Steel Works was established in 1896 to meet increasing demand from the nation's burgeoning shipbuilding, railway, construction, and armaments industries. The site chosen ...
. An integrated mill with coke, iron, and steel facilities, Yahata was also responsible at this time for 80-90% of Japan's steel output. Energy efficiency was greatly improved by the conversion from steam to electricity as a power source, resulting in a drop in consumption of coal per ton of steel produced from four tons in 1920 to 1.58 in 1933. Much of the
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
was from China and Korea. To supply the energy to the Steelworks a large dam was created.
The factories covered many acres and a town sprang up nearby,
Yahata, Fukuoka
was a city in Japan until it was absorbed into the newly created city of Kitakyushu in 1963.