How a lost story was found

My late father, Keith Philpott, was the site engineer for a construction project in Dresden, Ontario in 1957. My mother told me that during the excavation, my father was concerned about the stability of the soil and the risk of a cave-in. He shared his concerns with the contractor, but no actions were taken. Soon after, there was a cave-in and six workers were killed. My father couldn't understand why there were no consequences for the contractor. He told my mother that the contractor was "too popular in the community."

At first this was just a family story for me. I wasn't able to find any information about the tragedy, so I thought that perhaps some of the details had been lost - after all, it had happened sixty years ago and I was hearing it second-hand. But then we found my father's diary, photos, letters, and site drawings. Now everything was documented in detail. This story had to be told.

Photo: Keith Philpott (L) with Guy Lambkin (Dresden Utilities Commission) after the cave-in.