Posted on 01/21/2006 2:10:00 PM PST by 2111USMC
Edited on 01/21/2006 2:22:59 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
>MELVILLE, W.Va. — Rescuers on Saturday found the bodies of two coal miners who disappeared after a conveyor belt caught fire deep inside a coal mine.
The bodies of Don I. Bragg, 33, and Ellery Hatfield, 47, were found in an area of the mine where rescue teams had been battling the fire for more than 40 hours.
"We have found the two miners we were looking for," said , director of the state Office of Miners' Health Training and Safety. "Unfortunately we don't have a positive outcome."
The miners became separated Thursday evening as their 12-member crew tried to escape a conveyor belt fire at Aracoma Coal's Alma No. 1 mine in Melville, about 60 miles southwest of . The rest of the crew and nine other miners working in a different section of the mine escaped unharmed.
Gov. and U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller informed families of the deaths at a church prior to making the announcement, along with Don Blankenship, chairman of the mine's owner, Massey Energy.
If the "Rule of Three's" for similar major tragedies takes effect, well ...
You make a lot of sense...and you, I trust, the politicians I don't.
Thanks so much for letting we, who are ignorant about coal mines, know what you DO know...
And of course, my prayers go to the men and their families...but I have been praying since the accident..and sometimes the ANGER I feel towards politicians that USE these types of accidents to further THEIR careers, just has to come out.
I hope you understand.
By the time they get through "fixing" the mines via regulation, there'll be no jobs left in WV.
"Why do we need to fly rescue teams in from Illinois, a task that takes six hours, when we could have teams on standby here in West Virginia?"
Sounds like a state issue to me.
On the contrary, we need WVA dirty coal because slick willie locked up the clean burning coal in Utah.
| Year | Miners | Fatalities | Year | Miners | Fatalities | Year | Miners | Fatalities | Year | Miners | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 |
448,581 485,544 518,197 566,260 593,693 626,045 640,780 680,492 690,438 666,552 725,030 728,348 722,662 747,644 763,185 734,008 720,971 757,317 762,426 776,569 784,621 823,253 844,807 862,536 779,613 748,805 759,033 759,177 682,831 654,494 |
1,489 1,574 1,724 1,926 1,995 2,232 2,138 3,242 2,445 2,642 2,821 2,656 2,419 2,785 2,454 2,269 2,226 2,696 2,580 2,323 2,272 1,995 1,984 2,462 2,402 2,518 2,234 2,231 2,176 2,187 |
1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 |
644,006 589,705 527,623 523,182 566,426 565,202 584,582 589,856 541,528 539,375 533,267 546,692 530,861 486,516 453,937 437,921 463,079 490,356 507,333 485,306 483,239 441,905 401,329 351,126 283,705 260,089 260,285 254,725 224,890 203,597 |
2,063 1,463 1,207 1,064 1,226 1,242 1,342 1,413 1,105 1,078 1,388 1,266 1,471 1,451 1,298 1,068 968 1,158 999 585 643 785 548 461 396 420 448 478 358 293 |
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 |
189,679 167,568 161,286 157,126 150,761 148,734 145,244 139,312 134,467 133,302 144,480 142,108 162,207 151,892 182,274 224,412 221,255 237,506 255,588 260,429 253,007 249,738 241,454 200,199 208,160 197,049 185,167 172,780 166,278 164,929 |
325 294 289 284 242 259 233 222 311 203 260 181 156 132 133 155 141 139 106 144 133 153 122 70 125 68 89 63 53 68 |
1990 |
168,625 158,677 153,128 141,183 143,645 132,111 126,451 126,429 122,083 114,489 108,098 114,458 110,966 104,824 108,734 |
66 61 55 47 45 47 39 30 29 35 38 42 27 30 28 |
SOURCE: US Department of Labor
This is an inherently dangerous profession, underground mining. There are practical improvements in mine safety that can be achieved. For example, take this belt conveyor fire. Odds are, this was a rubber conveyor belt. Rubber compounds are used in most of the mine conveyor belts in use in the US. Conveyor belts used in coal mines are required be pass an MSHA flame propagation test. This does not mean the conveyor belts won't burn. I have lost MSHA approved conveyor belts due to fire. The British Coal Board has a more rigorous specification for underground belts. It contains a drum friction test. Most belt fires start when the belt jams but the drive pulleys keep turning. The friction between the stalled belt and the turning pulleys rapidly creats a fire. The British Coal Board belt requires the belting to part (essentially melt) before a fire starts. Only a PVC belt will pass this test, called a drum friction test. A rubber compound belt will not pass this test. In fact, BCC PVC belt will not propagate flame. One can take an oxygen/acetylene torch and try to ignite PVC belt. Once the flame source is removed, the fire goes out.
I can sleep better at night knowing that my mine belt will not burn. MSHA should start by adopting the BCC specification, and outlawing the use of rubber compound conveyor belts if they can't pass a drum friction test.
pretty much - hearings, comittees, new regulations, spending.
some DNC person on FNC just now:
"why are we sending missions to Pluto when we can't provide oxygen to miners?"
Just shot them an email with the link.
These people need to get a grip. This is tragic, but they're acting like it's unprecedented.
those larger oxygen tanks would be heavy to carry, and if you stored oxygen in various places underground, you have to deal with a fire hazard. communications through solid rock, is difficult.
mind you, nothing is impossible - but you can only make practical applications of technology and still make sure the underlying jobs is doable.
to be honest - the safest thing for this industry would be - massive automation through robotics. but then, there would be no jobs for miners in WV, so they would oppose robotic automation of coal mining too.
you just can't win.
---My prayers go out to the families. God bless them all.
Click here for a .pdf file from the DOL on fatalities for various industries from 2004.
The MSM and pols ought to have a look.
good point.
I was wondering why they can't put transponders on these guys so that if someone enters the mine and needs to find them quickly there'd either be a record of where they were located or a way to find them quickly.
good practical point. I nominate you for the mining commission (seriously) - we need sound thinkers on these commissions, and less political know-nothings.
OMG, not again. Prayers up for these gentlemen, their families, and their co-workers.
Who will be the first to blame Bush for this??? Tick tick tick tick just a matter of time before some clown accuses Bush............
just read this thread, the Dems have descended on west virginia this time - and they are taking advantage of these deaths to pitch the "only we care about you" agenda regarding coal.
From what I understand the fire was still burning in places, no direct route to the bodies.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.