Miners Trapped In WV Coal Mine

[Lesleegp]

....to walk down there in person, and tell these folks the truth. I'm not talking about suing anyone for this miscommunication....I'm talking about "doing the right thing." ....the "right thing" was not done in this case...

If you are the CEO of a company, it is your responsibility and duty to do things like this...whether or not the situations are good or tragic....you do not pick and choose....you ALWAYS do the right thing....

That is what Giuliani did during the 911 crisis...He did the "right thing" ... he communicated and was out there with the families....I may not agree with him politically, but I appreciated how he handled the 911 tragedy...

The CEO and the execs. of this company should be ashamed that they could not walk their polyester-covered asses a few feet down the road to the church where these families were to tell them the truth...

...better to tell them that everyone died and it ends up that one happened through a miracle to survive than the other way around...

Also, thank you BadRx for the information on the change of ownership of the mine...I am never offended by learning new information...There is an unfortunate history, as government inspectors will tell you, of gross noncompliance in this industry....way worse than for, the railroads, or restaurants, etc...Almost a "we don't hafta, we won't fix anything" type of attitude among many, many mine owners....

If these new owners were the exception, they would have sat with the families and told them the truth...

Um, I think they DID go to the church and correct the information. Just not in the timeframe that everyone thought they should. Walk in their shoes and then make statements like this. You have NO idea what kinds of things were going on in that command center.

 

[JDB]

Um, I think they DID go to the church and correct the information. Just not in the timeframe that everyone thought they should. Walk in their shoes and then make statements like this. You have NO idea what kinds of things were going on in that command center.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

You know we could all place blame anywhere we want.But we were not there we do not know what happened.And I doubt anyone that was not there will ever find out what happened and why?
Les you are correct they did go to the church. In fact I read a report this morning from one of the Family memebers actaully were trying to attack the officals. Until cooler heads prevail.
The one main fact that we all no is 12of 13 miners are dead. Which means we have 12 families grieving today. That is the one Fact we know.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Come on ya'll. Settle down. Obviously mistakes were made. Let's not take it out on one another.

 

[Lesleegp]

Come on ya'll. Settle down. Obviously mistakes were made. Let's not take it out on one another.

I don't think we are taking it out on one another. Are we? If my post came across that way, it sure wasn't intended to.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

I don't think we are taking it out on one another. Are we? If my post came across that way, it sure wasn't intended to.

I'd just like to see everyone take a step back. We obviously can't "walk in their shoes," (THANK GOD FOR THAT), but I'm sure that this didn't turn out the way anyone wanted it to.

 

[JDB]

I'd just like to see everyone take a step back. We obviously can't "walk in their shoes," (THANK GOD FOR THAT), but I'm sure that this didn't turn out the way anyone wanted it to.

I agree . You know I was thinking and asking myself how this all happened.An I came up with this. Anyone ever play that game where you sit in a circle and the 1st person whispers something to the 2nd person and so on tilll it goes all the way around? Well how many times if you have played this game has exactley what was siad by #1 match what is finnaly said at the end? Which to a point I think happened here. The person hears 12 found. And makes the call. The person on the other end says they found them. And it took off from there.
And yes the more I play the tape in my head from last night. I hear we have unconfirmed reports that they have found them alive by the media.

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Last night in my post #161 I stated what the media may be saying, and what is fact are not always the same, and I stand by that.

At this point the only thing those of us who weren't there can do is speculate on the "hows" & "whys" of this tragedy.

Many inaccurate reports were coming out last night and were being posted, but they weren't factual, just what each had heard from their media source.

 

[IdahoMom]

And, for what it's worth, I do think that the decision to NOT correct bad information with "unknown" information (beyond the assertion that word was sent through police channels that 12 live was not confirmed) was the proper course of action. As cruel as it seems, 1 crushing blow is better than repeated ups and downs.

Wise post!!!!:clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[poco]

....to walk down there in person, and tell these folks the truth. I'm not talking about suing anyone for this miscommunication....I'm talking about "doing the right thing." ....the "right thing" was not done in this case...

QUOTE]

Okay, call me confused. I'm not following you here - tell these folks the truth - now??? about what???? What's the truth???

 

[Cypros]

I think the problem in this story is that possibly more than one miner was alive when the rescuers found them, but dying quickly. I have no proof of this, it's just my gut feeling of how a message of survivors got out. .

I suspect that the scenario you propose -- originally more than the one survivor -- is what happened. Somebody jumped the gun to get the word out to the family and the public and, in the meantime, 11 didn't make it out alive. If this is the case, I do think that the people in charge of the rescue should have made an effort to communicate more facts to the families, but then they were busy trying to save lives.

Can you imagine the degree of survivor's guilt Mr. McCoy will suffer once he becomes aware of what happened? I hope that the families of the deceased are able to express a genuine happiness for his survival.

 

[christine2448]

I'd just like to see everyone take a step back. We obviously can't "walk in their shoes," (THANK GOD FOR THAT), but I'm sure that this didn't turn out the way anyone wanted it to.

Exactly Jeana...what is making me the most sad, everyone is concentrating on the 'miscommunication'...we should be focusing on the lives lost and the families dealing with the tragedy today.

 

[IdahoMom]

....to walk down there in person, and tell these folks the truth. I'm not talking about suing anyone for this miscommunication....I'm talking about "doing the right thing." ....the "right thing" was not done in this case...

QUOTE]

Okay, call me confused. I'm not following you here - tell these folks the truth - now??? about what???? What's the truth???

Thank you for saying that. What was he to do?? Go and speculate? I highly doubt the CEO was responsible for the initial "good news" getting out and spreading like wildfire!!

 

[ember]

Here's something for y'all to sleuth on...


It was stated early on in this accident that the fire boss had gone in first on Monday, came back out and declared that the mine was safe, which is procedure...OK, but here is where my quetion lies...Terry Helms WAS the fire boss. His was the first body found. So that information couldn't be correct.
What do y'all think? I'm a little confused on this one...



*SNIP from WV state journal online:



The Explosion

Early Monday, a Sago Mine "fire boss" inspected the mine for air quality and structural soundness, Hatfield said. The mine had been inactive for about 48 hours because of the holiday weekend, but the fire boss found nothing unusual.

After the initial inspection, which was confirmed by the mine supervisor, two cars of miners entered the mine. The workers reportedly felt an explosion, but only the second car, which held six miners, was able to escape the mine. The miners who escaped have told onlookers they felt the heat from an explosion. Four men tried to rescue the trapped miners soon after the accident, but a lack of breathable air forced their return to the surface. The 13 miners, one of whom is the fire boss, are trapped roughly 260 vertical feet below ground and an estimated 11,000 to 13,000 feet into the mine. Coal officials still do not know the cause of the explosion. Speculation has included a lightning strike or a spark when idled equipment was restarted.


Link:
http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=7713


*SNIP from CNN.com:
Helms, 50, of Newburg, who had worked at the Sago mine about six months, was a fire boss. He was the first one to enter the mine Monday morning for inspections, according to Helms' sister, Judy Shakelford.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/04/miners.bios.ap/index.html

 

[Cypros]

One thing that really confuses me... there is an interview with family members that keeps being aired on TV and they are saying that, following the initial report of 12 alive, someone told them that the miners had said that they wanted to be reunited with family right away. It is pretty clear that, if this is true, SOMEBODY was just making chit up. Was it intentional or is this an extreme case of that old party game called "telephone"??

 

[gamegirl]

Here's something for y'all to sleuth on...


It was stated early on in this accident that the fire boss had gone in first on Monday, came back out and declared that the mine was safe, which is procedure...OK, but here is where my quetion lies...Terry Helms WAS the fire boss. His was the first body found. So that information couldn't be correct.
What do y'all think? I'm a little confused on this one...

In one of the press conferences yesterday it was stated that the mine has more than 1 fire boss. And that depending upon what other role they have in the mine once they certify safety they may go back in with a crew, may work on the belt line, etc.

Just because a fire boss died in the mine doesn't mean that he (or another fire boss) had not gone in, certified safety and then returned with the crew.

 

[Tom'sGirl]

One thing that really confuses me... there is an interview with family members that keeps being aired on TV and they are saying that, following the initial report of 12 alive, someone told them that the miners had said that they wanted to be reunited with family right away. It is pretty clear that, if this is true, SOMEBODY was just making chit up. Was it intentional or is this an extreme case of that old party game called "telephone"??

We had some great members on here last night that were reporting what they were hearing on T.V., YES, that was just one of many things that supposedly happened that wasn't factual!

 

[Details]

Sounds like there's more than one fire boss. The name suggests it's the person responsible for the explosives?

 

[JDB]

Here's something for y'all to sleuth on...


It was stated early on in this accident that the fire boss had gone in first on Monday, came back out and declared that the mine was safe, which is procedure...OK, but here is where my quetion lies...Terry Helms WAS the fire boss. His was the first body found. So that information couldn't be correct.
What do y'all think? I'm a little confused on this one...

I think helms first went and and declared it was safe to reneter. I listened to a realtive last night of his that knew the first body was going to be his. I also seem to recall that after decalring it was safe he went in with the other miners.

 

[Sassygerl]

I think helms first went and and declared it was safe to reneter. I listened to a realtive last night of his that knew the first body was going to be his. I also seem to recall that after decalring it was safe he went in with the other miners.

That's what I understood too, also that he rode (I'm assuming back) into the mine with them and they dropped him off, at which time those miners continued on to the second left when the explosion occurred.

 

[Buzz Mills]

A look at the rapid run-up in coal prices over the last few years.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/coal/page/coalnews/coalmar.html