Sago Street during the 1840s, there were numerous sago factories on the street. pith of the rumbia palm and made into flour that is used to make cakes. During the 1850s, there were thirty sago factories in the town which had a total output of 8,000 tons annually. Many of the sago factories were in the Sago Street area. In the late 19th century, the area was well known for its number of prostitute dens. By 1901, there were 14 brothels on the street alone. In the later part of the 20th century, the brothels vacated Sago Street and the shophouses underwent
Sago Mine disaster and that the support system is not meeting the needs of the roof." On January 3, 2006, Bruce Watzman of the National Mining Association, interviewed by Tom Foreman for Anderson Cooper 360, was asked whether any of the violations "leaps out at you as endangering miners' lives?" Watzman explained that they could be "paperwork errors [or] reporting errors. A lot of violations, but many of which were not significant to really impact miner safety." By contrast, a report in "Christian Science Monitor" on January 6, 2006, quotes McAteer as saying "Sago raises red flags for mine oversight ... If you