US coal mine collapse traps six-Utah - Thread No. 3

[Earthbound Misfit I]

Disaster aftermath
Mine boss: Good, bad or ugly?

A vow to get the trapped men 'dead or alive' comes back to haunt Murray's reputation

By Christopher Smart
The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 08/25/2007 04:10:24 AM MDT

PRICE - Crandall Canyon mine operator Bob Murray is either that wonderful old guy who has done everything to save six trapped miners or a dirty so-and-so who went back on his word to retrieve the men.

The day after the massive Aug. 6 tunnel collapse at the mine west of Huntington, Murray claimed that the men were the victims of an act of nature - an earthquake. But, he declared, "It's up to Bob Murray to get them dead or alive. I won't leave here until I do that."

After three rescuers were killed and six injured Aug. 16, things changed. Mine managers, federal regulators and other experts said conditions in the coal tunnels were too dangerous to re-enter for the foreseeable future.


Miner's Families Want Answers
Click here for multimedia


Earlier this week, Murray told the families of the trapped miners that their loved ones - or their bodies - may never be recovered.

The families voiced outrage through their spokesman, Sonny Olsen, who said Murray "went back on his word."

"It's heartbreaking and unacceptable," Olsen said.

Some in Utah's coal country agree, while others say Murray did all he could to rescue the men.

"He said at the very beginning he'd get them out, dead or alive," said Price resident William James. "Now he's backing out; I guess his money is worth more than their lives."

More at link: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6717366

 

[SewingDeb]

So he is going to blame the governor for 700 miners losing their jobs? What a nice man.

 

[Earthbound Misfit I]

August 25th, 2007 @ 11:42am


HUNTINGTON, Utah (AP) -- A narrow hole is continuing to be drilled deep into a mountain today in search of the fate of six missing men.

Mine owners and federal safety officials say this is likely the last effort to locate them before they close the mine.
The U.S. Department of Labor says the drill was expected to break through 1,703 feet of rock and coal early tomorrow. It's expected to break into a tunnel where the miners were last believed to be working before the cave-in.

More at link: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=1695807

 

[Earthbound Misfit I]

I think Huntsman as well as Murray are playing mind games.

So he is going to blame the governor for 700 miners losing their jobs? What a nice man.

 

[Earthbound Misfit I]

Progress slow on sixth borehole
By Mike Gorrell
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 08/25/2007 02:46:04 PM MDT

Posted: 2:48 PM- A sixth borehole being drilled into the Crandall Canyon mine in search of six trapped men is expected to break through late tonight or early Sunday.

Officials said late last night they were just half way through the job of boring down some 1,700 feet to the area where the miners were working when a catastrophic collapse of the mine's walls occurred during the graveyard shift on Aug. 6.

Mine co-owner Bob Murray has said the sixth borehole will be the last if it yeilds no sign of the miners.

Previous boreholes were aimed in areas rescuers thought the miners could have fled - and survived with breathable air. But cameras and microphones lowered down the boreholes showed no sign of the missing men: Brandon Phillips, Luis Alonso Hernandez, Don Erickson, Juan Carlos Payan, Kerry Allred and Manuel Sanchez.

Mine Safety and Health Administration [MSHA] officials have said they do not expect to find conditions capable of sustaining life in the sixth borehole. The families of the miners have urged officials not to give up on the men, and say they must be recovered from the mine - dead or alive.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6719986

 

[dark_shadows]

To my dearest RKnowley,:blowkiss:
I appreciate the time that you take to keep us informed.

All of my Love and Respect to you,
dark_shadows

 

[Earthbound Misfit I]

dark_shadows, you are very welcome. Thank you for all you do here at WS. Websleuths is such a wonderful community.

To my dearest RKnowley,:blowkiss:
I appreciate the time that you take to keep us informed.

All of my Love and Respect to you,
dark_shadows

 

[Earthbound Misfit I]

Sixth Drill Hole Breaks Through into the Mine
August 25th, 2007 @ 6:01pm

Sarah Dallof Reporting

Today crews at the Crandall Canyon Mine completed the drilling on the sixth borehole. They broke through around 4:00 p.m. There is no word on what they found in the mine.

They started the borehole Thursday afternoon and had to drill through about 1,700 feet into the earth.

CEO of Murray Energy, Robert Murray, says this will be the last drill hole.

While some in the town of Huntington strongly disagree with that decision, it's clear life there is beginning to return to normal.

During the first weeks of the search, the canyon road leading to the mine's entrance was packed with media, sheriff's deputies, and the Salivation Army. Today, all that remains is the sheriff's command post.

More at link: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1695807

 

[Earthbound Misfit I]

Sixth Hole Yields No Signs of Life for Trapped Miners
August 25th, 2007 @ 7:01pm

Update: A lawyer for several families of six trapped miners says rescue workers have completed drilling a sixth hole deep into a mountain where the men may be and have found no space capable of supporting human life.

Mine officials have said the sixth hole would be the last one drilled before rescue efforts are canceled and the mine is permanently sealed.

However, the families' attorney, Colin King, says there's a possibility a seventh hole could still be drilled in search of the men.

Source: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1695807

 

[Earthbound Misfit I]

The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 08/25/2007 06:55:10 PM MDT

Posted: 6:40 PM- A sixth borehole being drilled into the Crandall Canyon mine in search of six trapped men has broken through to a tunnel filled to the top with rubble.

Mine Safety and Health Administration officials said only that the borehole reached the mine before 5 p.m. Colin King, an attorney representing a majority of the trapped miners' families, said the families were told the tunnel was filled to the top with rubble. The borehole had targeted the area where the miners were working when a catastrophic collapse of the mine's walls occurred during the graveyard shift on Aug. 6.

"I don't think I have to say what their reaction was," King said of the families' response to the news, which virtually guarantees their loved ones have not survived.

Mine co-owner Bob Murray has said the sixth borehole will be the last if it yields no sign of the miners. Mine officials left the meeting with the family without comment to media waiting outside. A news conference has been scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

Previous boreholes were aimed in areas rescuers thought the miners could have fled - and survived with breathable air. But cameras and microphones lowered down the boreholes showed no sign of the missing men: Brandon Phillips, Luis Alonso Hernandez, Don Erickson, Juan Carlos Payan, Kerry Allred and Manuel Sanchez.

The families of the miners have urged officials not to give up on the men, and say they must be recovered from the mine - dead or alive.

Source: www.sltrib.com

 

[panthera]

This was just updated within the hour by msnbc.com ~

6th Hole Reveals No Sign of Trapped Miners

Updated: 43 minutes ago

HUNTINGTON, Utah - The latest holed drilled into a collapsed mine where six men are trapped broke through an area too small for the men to survive, a lawyer for several of the men’s families said Saturday.
“The only thing they told us is there is no void where the sixth hole is; there is no space,” attorney Colin King said after a meeting between the families and mine officials.
King said the families were disappointed by the news.

“They are distraught. They’re very frustrated for good reason,” he said.
The Crandall Canyon Mine’s co-owner has said this hole, the sixth drilled more than 1,500 feet into the mountain, will be the last effort to find a sign of the men, who may not have survived the massive cave-in Aug. 6.
However, King said, mine officials did not rule out the possibility of drilling a seventh hole.
Drilling on the sixth hole was completed late Saturday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Labor said, reaching a depth of more than 1,700 feet. Department of Labor spokesman Matthew Faraci said the same testing done on previous holes — air samples, signaling in hopes of a response from the miners and dropping a video camera into the mine shaft — would be done. An update was expected Sunday afternoon.
Rob Moore, vice president of Murray Energy Corp., co-owner of the Crandall Canyon mine, said he had no comment on the initial findings from the sixth hole.

No sign of trapped men
Previous holes have yielded only grainy video images and poor air samples, and efforts to signal the miners have been met with silence. Tunneling into the mine was abandoned after another collapse killed three rescue workers and injured six others on Aug. 16.
Families and friends of the missing miners have pressed for the efforts to continue, if only to find the bodies of Kerry Allred, Don Erickson, Luis Hernandez, Carlos Payan, Brandon Phillips and Manuel Sanchez.
“At this point, we’re very disappointed at the Murray Energy group of companies, which seem to have given up on these people in the mine. They’ve been unresponsive to our efforts to learn why a large diameter drill hole from above could not have been done and has not been done,” King said.
Federal officials and mine company executives have said the mountain’s instability makes it too dangerous to drill a hole wide enough for a person-size capsule unless there are signs of life.
Seismologists say the mountain is crumbling upon itself, bursting support pillars as it shifts in phenomena known as mountain bumps.
It has never been clear whether the men survived the initial cave-in.

Holding out hope
The thunderous collapse blew out the walls of the mine shafts, filling them with rubble more than 6 feet deep in some places. If the men were not crushed by rock, they could have been killed by the immense air pressure generated by the collapse, mining executives and federal regulators have said.
But people here believe in miracles. Tammy Pierce, a friend of Allred’s, cites stories she has heard over the years about miners surviving underground for long periods. Miners are hardy people use to extreme conditions and trained to survive, she says.
“Until you really know, you can’t give up,” she said. “There’s always the ’maybe,’ always the ’if.”’

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20442193/

 

[Earthbound Misfit I]

Thank you for your post panthera.

This was just updated within the hour by msnbc.com ~

6th Hole Reveals No Sign of Trapped Miners

Updated: 43 minutes ago

HUNTINGTON, Utah - The latest holed drilled into a collapsed mine where six men are trapped broke through an area too small for the men to survive, a lawyer for several of the men’s families said Saturday.
“The only thing they told us is there is no void where the sixth hole is; there is no space,” attorney Colin King said after a meeting between the families and mine officials.
King said the families were disappointed by the news.

“They are distraught. They’re very frustrated for good reason,” he said.
The Crandall Canyon Mine’s co-owner has said this hole, the sixth drilled more than 1,500 feet into the mountain, will be the last effort to find a sign of the men, who may not have survived the massive cave-in Aug. 6.
However, King said, mine officials did not rule out the possibility of drilling a seventh hole.
Drilling on the sixth hole was completed late Saturday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Labor said, reaching a depth of more than 1,700 feet. Department of Labor spokesman Matthew Faraci said the same testing done on previous holes — air samples, signaling in hopes of a response from the miners and dropping a video camera into the mine shaft — would be done. An update was expected Sunday afternoon.
Rob Moore, vice president of Murray Energy Corp., co-owner of the Crandall Canyon mine, said he had no comment on the initial findings from the sixth hole.

No sign of trapped men
Previous holes have yielded only grainy video images and poor air samples, and efforts to signal the miners have been met with silence. Tunneling into the mine was abandoned after another collapse killed three rescue workers and injured six others on Aug. 16.
Families and friends of the missing miners have pressed for the efforts to continue, if only to find the bodies of Kerry Allred, Don Erickson, Luis Hernandez, Carlos Payan, Brandon Phillips and Manuel Sanchez.
“At this point, we’re very disappointed at the Murray Energy group of companies, which seem to have given up on these people in the mine. They’ve been unresponsive to our efforts to learn why a large diameter drill hole from above could not have been done and has not been done,” King said.
Federal officials and mine company executives have said the mountain’s instability makes it too dangerous to drill a hole wide enough for a person-size capsule unless there are signs of life.
Seismologists say the mountain is crumbling upon itself, bursting support pillars as it shifts in phenomena known as mountain bumps.
It has never been clear whether the men survived the initial cave-in.

Holding out hope
The thunderous collapse blew out the walls of the mine shafts, filling them with rubble more than 6 feet deep in some places. If the men were not crushed by rock, they could have been killed by the immense air pressure generated by the collapse, mining executives and federal regulators have said.
But people here believe in miracles. Tammy Pierce, a friend of Allred’s, cites stories she has heard over the years about miners surviving underground for long periods. Miners are hardy people use to extreme conditions and trained to survive, she says.
“Until you really know, you can’t give up,” she said. “There’s always the ’maybe,’ always the ’if.”’

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20442193/

 

[panthera]

Thank you for your post panthera.

You're most welcome! It is so sad though that these men may never be found, and instead be buried forever inside the mine.

 

[Earthbound Misfit I]

It is very sad. Even if they were able to locate their bodies (which is doubtful) there would be no way of getting them out of there. At least none that I (or experts) can come up with. I'm wondering how many mountain bumps there has been since some of the rescuers were killed and injured? I wonder if it's possible that some of the pressure has been released and there won't be as many bumps now.

You're most welcome! It is so sad though that these men may never be found, and instead be buried forever inside the mine.

 

[panthera]

It is very sad. Even if they were able to locate their bodies (which is doubtful) there would be no way of getting them out of there. At least none that I (or experts) can come up with. I'm wondering how many mountain bumps there has been since some of the rescuers were killed and injured? I wonder if it's possible that some of the pressure has been released and there won't be as many bumps now.

That's a good question! I know nothing about mining other than what I've read following this story, but I do agree that there doesn't seem to be any way of trying to get them out without risking more lives ~ like before when the rescuers were killed. Even then, imo, I don't think these men were alive. At least I hope they weren't and didn't suffer.

 

[Buzz Mills]

King said the families were disappointed by the news. "They are distraught. They're very frustrated for good reason," he said.

The Crandall Canyon Mine's co-owner has said this hole, the sixth drilled more than 1,500 feet into the mountain, will be the last effort to find a sign of the men, who may not have survived the massive cave-in Aug. 6.

However, King said, mine officials did not rule out the possibility of drilling a seventh hole, but did not provide any specific plans or possible locations for another hole. "They left the possibility open that they were possibly considering another hole," King said. "It didn't sound like that was uppermost on their list of to-dos."

The thunderous collapse blew out the walls of the mine shafts, filling them with rubble 8 to 10 feet deep in some places. If the men were not crushed by rock, they could have been killed by the immense air pressure generated by the collapse, mining executives and federal regulators have said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070826/ap_on_re_us/utah_mine_collapse

 

[beagledog]

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6722893

PRICE - Crandall Canyon mine co-owner Robert Murray began telling nearly 300 workers Saturday they will lose their jobs because he plans to shutter the Tower mine.
Murray began what miners say he described as 270 temporary layoffs Saturday afternoon. Miner Jared Simms, a 32-year-old father of four from Helper, said Murray told miners the Tower mine would remain closed "until I can make it safe."
Miners say Murray met with about 50 people during the afternoon shift at the West Ridge mine, apologizing for the disaster at Crandall Canyon mine. But he also said it has become impossible for him to do business in Utah.
Simms said Murray told the miners some of the Tower employees would be transferred to West Ridge while others would have the chance to work in Murray Energy's coal mines in Ohio and Illinois. Simms quoted Murray as saying the company would pay for the miners' way back to the Midwest and for their board in a bunkhouse, but that miners would have to pay their own way back to Utah if they wished to visit their families during their one week off after working three weeks.

THERE'S MORE AT THE LINK LISTED ABOVE

 

[Buzz Mills]

SNIP

However, (families' lawyer Colin) King said, mine officials did not rule out the possibility of drilling a seventh hole, but did not provide any specific plans or possible locations for another hole. "They left the possibility open that they were possibly considering another hole," King said. "It didn't sound like that was uppermost on their list of to-dos."

SNIP
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070826/ap_on_re_us/utah_mine_collapse

The above is a lawyer doing what lawyers do, create controversy. I haven't heard further reference to a seventh hole, leading me to believe it is lawyer speak.

 

[Buzz Mills]

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6722893

PRICE - Crandall Canyon mine co-owner Robert Murray began telling nearly 300 workers Saturday they will lose their jobs because he plans to shutter the Tower mine.
Murray began what miners say he described as 270 temporary layoffs Saturday afternoon. Miner Jared Simms, a 32-year-old father of four from Helper, said Murray told miners the Tower mine would remain closed "until I can make it safe."
Miners say Murray met with about 50 people during the afternoon shift at the West Ridge mine, apologizing for the disaster at Crandall Canyon mine. But he also said it has become impossible for him to do business in Utah.
Simms said Murray told the miners some of the Tower employees would be transferred to West Ridge while others would have the chance to work in Murray Energy's coal mines in Ohio and Illinois. Simms quoted Murray as saying the company would pay for the miners' way back to the Midwest and for their board in a bunkhouse, but that miners would have to pay their own way back to Utah if they wished to visit their families during their one week off after working three weeks.

THERE'S MORE AT THE LINK LISTED ABOVE

This is the hard part. The loss of jobs because of the necessity to close down the mine.

The loss of 300 relatively high paying jobs will have an impact on the area. There aren't a lot of people in the area to begin with, and most jobs in that area are low paying.

Price has a population of about 8,000. Median Family income $30,000.

 

[cheko1]

Is part of the reason for the mine closing due to the fact/ Murray knows his rights & if he shuts the mines down. Nobody can suit him?

Also its a very real possibility that by him giving workers there walking papers that its a good way to shutting the families of the 3 dead / 6 injured & 6 going to be entombed families into submission!