A Miner Disaster by Hero

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

A Miner Disaster

POSTED BY: HERO
UPDATED: Thursday, January 5, 2006 15:33
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Wednesday, January 4, 2006 5:57 AM

Don't know what to say about the events in West Virginia. For you liberals out there West Virginia is a State located somewhere between the Atlantic and California. Its widely regarded as a Democratic State and is a "if Gore had won there, then..." state like Tennessee, Florida, Ohio, New Hampshire, and a half dozen others.

There are trees and mountains which means there is coal and timber which means exploitive unions, poverty, and scorn from out of state liberal Democratic politicians and activists.

Not many people, most are poor and have blue collars covering their rose colored necks. They work hard, they pray hard, and they raise good kids who move to places like Northeast Ohio in search of opportunity. I was born there, raised there, and thankfully educated in another state. But mountains are in ma blood. I'd like to go back someday.

I've been down in the mines, looked with awe at the rock bolts seperating me from a million tons of Earth. I was inspired by my trip. Inspired to study hard lest I be forced like so many in my family to make my living digging coal. Sure they get cool hats with lights on them and fancy lunch boxes, but the work they do is the hardest work in the world. The enviroment is the harshest on the planet. But what they do follows in the footsteps of those who came before. They don't just dig coal. They dig a thousand years of power, technology and fuel not just a nation or a way of life, but that which has raised humanity from the days of mud huts and sharpened rock and bone tools.

They feed the fires of progress. I salute them.

The rest of the story is tragic, and should not have happened. I say we find out how this happened, the explosion, the false reporting...all of it, and we do our best to prevent a repeat.

H

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Wednesday, January 4, 2006 7:45 AM

FIVVER

H

We must have been neighbors at some point. I too was born in WV and have spent time in the mines shoveling rock and shooting the face.

For those of you who haven't had the opportunity, imagine your office ceiling is only 4" high and made of solid rock. Your only light is the one on your cap (it's a miners cap, not a helmet). Large pieces of equipment are constantly moving around (shuttle cars, loaders, pinners, cutters) and the operators cannot see everything around them so you need to stay alert and out of their way.

Occasionally there is a rock fall. It starts with a rain of rock chips from the top. That is your warning to quickly get elsewhere. Then there is a sound deep overhead like giant bones being broken followed by a crash and dust cloud as 3 feet of rock crashes down.

Get close to the face (the active mining area) and you can hear the methane gas bubbling out of the coal.

When you go underground you put a marker on a board over your name. On your work belt you carry your light battery, self rescuer and rivited to it there is a brass tag with your name and social security number on it. Just in case.

My prayers are with the families and the community.

Fivver

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Wednesday, January 4, 2006 1:06 PM

SEVENPERCENT

Quote:
Originally posted by Hero:
For you liberals out there West Virginia is a State located somewhere between the Atlantic and California.

Quote:
exploitive unions, poverty, and scorn from out of state liberal Democratic politicians and activists

Nice, Hero. Don't let a national tragedy get in the way of you being partisan. Twelve folks died, lets go ahead and liberal-bash, since that had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Seriously, my uncle worked in a coal mine all his life, until his health forced him to quit. It's the devil's work; hot, dirty, and dangerous. My heart goes out to these folks, and my contempt goes out to the people so desperate to get a story out first that they emotionally destroyed the families.

------------------------------------------
He looked bigger when I couldn't see him.

Anyone wanting to continue a discussion off board is welcome to email me - check bio for details.

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Wednesday, January 4, 2006 3:18 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Yeah, I know, Hero. The mine operators would make mining a really cushy job if it wasn't for those damn unions and gummint agencies trying to make it as hot, difficult, and dangerous as possible.

Sheesh!

---------------------------------
Please don't think they give a shit.

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Wednesday, January 4, 2006 5:07 PM

FLETCH2

I'm from a mining family that included both grandfathers, all my uncles and some cousins of my generation. My Great Uncle died in a mine disaster in the 1950's that killed 80 men and didn't leave one family in our village without loss.

Those poor people.

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Wednesday, January 4, 2006 5:13 PM

SPINWARD

It never ceases to amaze me that 12 men dies, one is on the ventilator, the company was cited numerous times for safety violations....

But the big story was..THE STORY. The media makes their own buzz. Not the tragedy but...

why did it take 3 hours...
Why did the execs say...
Where was the spokesperson...

I guess that's the hardest part. Lets stick a camera in these peoples faces. "How does it make you feel?" Rather than the guy in the hospital. What can be done to fix this?

I realize this is dangerous and people are truly made for this work!!

Just keep prayin'!!

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Thursday, January 5, 2006 9:53 AM

RUE

I have a vote and I'm not afraid to use it!

Too much interest in being first and not enough in being right. They should have at least called them 'unconfirmed reports.'

Anyway, the one survivor who was 'doing well', squeezing his wife's hand, making 'appropriate' expressions etc is now said to have possible brain damage. The sedatives are wearing off and the coma is traumatic, not medically induced.

Nearly everything I know I learned by the grace of others.

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Thursday, January 5, 2006 11:18 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Well, "the media" apparently don't believe in fact-checking or independent reporting or verification. It's just one big rumor-mill. But hell, they haven't gotten much right for the past 20 years. Why break w/ tradition now????

As far as mine safety goes- the current MSHA head- a Bush appointee, what else?- has a history of managing mines with twice or three times the national rate of accidents. Not that that says anything about his commitment to safety or anything....

F*CK

PLEASE, PLEASE...

---------------------------------
Please don't think they give a shit.

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Thursday, January 5, 2006 1:11 PM

OLDENGLANDDRY

Our media (UK) says that the mine concerned was cited 205 times in the last year for safety violations. Is this par for the course in the US or just one particularly bad incident?

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Thursday, January 5, 2006 3:33 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Not sure if thsi is par for the course with mines of similar size, but I HAVE heard that this particular mine had a record of 17 injuries per 200,000 man-hours in 2005, which was way higher than the industry average (which is about 4 per 200,000 man-hours, if I remember the new article correctly).

---------------------------------
Please don't think they give a shit.

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