Explosion in Raleigh County underground leaves miners dead (Farmington: layoffs, college)
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Earthquakes, in the past, have caused shattered faults in the coal strata and these cracks are filled with mud or sand. When they are mined, they are very dangerous because of the weakening area of the coal seam. At times they can be enormous and cover thousands of feet.
Actually, the lowering of the Barometric Pressure causes a spiked increase in liberated methane.
Storms passing through are the culprit. Methane is odorless and tasteless.
If a roof fall occured, methane would build up in the unsupported higher, open cavity.
Men might have been working in that roof fall pocket and could have ignited the gas, if it were not properly ventilated.
This is 'low coal...under 48" high and impossible to work from a standing view point.
Every job is done from a sitting or laying position.
It will take some time to get the full story:
When State and Federal people come in to take charge, everything goes into slow motion.
Nobody wants the responsibility of anything until the company can be blamed fully.
Thank you for that explaination David. I wonder if it's possible for the methane levels to increase so quickly that even with warning, it would be to late to get out of a big mine like that?
Some of the comments on the national news sites are upsetting to me. I had to stop reading them. Some people are just so mean!
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Kennedy
Earthquakes, in the past, have caused shattered faults in the coal strata and these cracks are filled with mud or sand. When they are mined, they are very dangerous because of the weakening area of the coal seam. At times they can be enormous and cover thousands of feet.
Actually, the lowering of the Barometric Pressure causes a spiked increase in liberated methane.
Storms passing through are the culprit. Methane is odorless and tasteless.
If a roof fall occured, methane would build up in the unsupported higher, open cavity.
Men might have been working in that roof fall pocket and could have ignited the gas, if it were not properly ventilated.
This is 'low coal...under 48" high and impossible to work from a standing view point.
Every job is done from a sitting or laying position.
It will take some time to get the full story:
When State and Federal people come in to take charge, everything goes into slow motion.
Nobody wants the responsibility of anything until the company can be blamed fully.
My brother is in the mines and I was a Mine Foreman for 17 of 21 years.
The mines are filled with inexperienced and incompetent workers...
Poor management practices have made the mine envornment very unsafe.
In the 80's, a purge was effected to get the older experienced miners out of the coal companies.
The rationale was to hire college grads to take their places. DuPont was a leader in this insanity.
A worker in the mines gets his knowledge gradually, through experience. It takes about five years to get a rudimental basic knowledge of the underground working conditions. Much like moving to a foreign country, assimilating and learning a new language...
A vaccume was created in the workforce....older experienced men retired until the mining industry were left with a second rate workforce. Drugs have been a problem...many workers still sneak and smoke in the mines...particularly in the southern fields where they were once considered 'non gassy.
Everytime I visit with my brother, the same topic comes up...Which mine will go up first?
The State Agencys cannot get inspectors because of the horrendously low wage...and that's only the begining. Why would a man want a $60,000 job when he can make double that with less responsibility.
Work in Fear???
You bet...the Foremen (remember the falsified records just last month) and the workers...that the mine will blow on somebody elses shift and not their own...
What got me out of the mines?
The Grace of God...3 layoffs and just to much cocaine, booze and sex on my side of the fence...
Nobody was really interested in competition, safety and the professional mining of coal...
My heart goes out to these families...it really does.
I worked the recovery effort of a huge mine for over 4 years...a dedicated and sacred effort. The very best of my career. My crew brought out the last of the recovered bodies at the Farmington # 9 Mine on Dec. 22, 1978.
These men who work in the mines are truely heros...unsung.
They literally give their lives for that paycheck...and always kicked in the face...
Black Lung denial...Safety denial...pension and health benefits denial...all for the good of Wall Street and the green back dollar..lol
When an explosion occurs, gases fill the area and some are unburnt...Carbon Monoxide...
Death is quick and painless...just like going to sleep.
A belt/ or satchel rescuer is on each person but it is only effectual if a small amount (2%) of carbon monoxide is present. These rescuer-filters get hot from the chemical reaction and will burn your face...
Ventilation is disrupted in an mine explosion too...
It's like a fireball traveling through the mine tunnels seeking air to keep it alive. As it goes through an area, smoke, unburnt gas and carbon monoxide remains.
In the aftermath, ventilation devices are shattered and must be replaced to restore the flow of ventilated breathable air.
The hope of these men..(those who might be alive) is to reach the safety chambers that contain food, water and breathable air.
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