In the early part of the 1900s, a dam was constructed across the river from Glen Ferris. Trains operated on both sides of the river, carrying passengers as well as coal. In 1917, Union Carbide purchased a small hydro electrice plant in Glen Ferris, the brick remains of which can still be seen on the edge of the Kanawha River and which is being presently renovated. While continuing to operate this small plant, in 1929-30, Carbide built a much larger ferro-alloys plant at Alloy, a few miles downriver from Glen Ferris, which, at that time, was the world's largest ferro-alloys plant, employing some 2800 people, during its heyday from the time of its construction through the early 1960s. In order to generate power for the larger plant by diverting water from the New River, the company had a 3-mile long tunnel built through the mountain at Hawks Nest. The rock through which the tunnel was built consisted of 98% pure silica and caused acute silica poisoning among hundreds of unprotected workers, many of whom died. Many who died were buried close by in mass graves on the property which is now the Hawks Nest Country Club. At the time, the nearby town of Gauley Bridge became known as "the town of the walking dead". The disaster became the focus of Congressional hearings in Washington, D.C., in the mid-thirties, and acute silicosis was identified as an occupational illness for the first time. The town of Glen Ferris followed the pattern already set by mine companies in the area. Union Carbide built a majority of the homes in Glen Ferris, as well as in other towns in the Upper Kanawha Valley and leased them to workers and their families. During its heyday, Union Carbide also provided a recreation hall in the upper end of the village. A post office/general store, an elementary school, a tennis court, a bowling alley, and a playground also served the residents. After the 1950s, as plant production declined, Union Carbide began to sell the houses to their occupants. In the 1970s, several homes were constructed on the mountainside above Glen Ferris in the north end of town; these would be Glen Ferris' largest homes and lead to its continued development as a place where people chose to live, primarily for its scenic views and in contrast to surrounding towns along Route 60. In recent years, several even