Miner's note: Alive for 10 hours

[Marie26]

PHILIPPI, W.Va. - A coal miner left a detailed note showing that he and other trapped workers were alive at least 10 hours after an underground explosion, a family member said Saturday.

The daughter of 61-year-old Jim Bennett, who was a shuttle car operator in the mine, said the note has three or four entries, the first coming Monday at 11:40 a.m. and the last, in words that trailed off the page, at 4:25 p.m., nearly 10 hours after the blast.

“Each time he documented, you could tell it was getting worse,” Ann Merideth told The Associated Press. “Later on down the note he said that it was getting dark. It was getting smoky. They were losing air.”

Monday’s blast killed one miner immediately and 11 more who were found nearly 42 hours later huddled together behind a plastic curtain erected to keep out deadly carbon monoxide.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10749747/

[Marie26]

1. Rescue teams delayed 11 hours

I wanted to combine this with another article from the NY Times:

"There was no rescue team on the mine site, so teams had to be called in from other mines, a process that might have been slowed by holiday vacations, rescue officials said. The closest federal team, in Morgantown about 70 miles away, had lost members to attrition and took several more hours to deploy, said J. Davitt McAteer, a former assistant secretary of mine safety and health under the Clinton administration.

And once the teams arrived at the site, equipment had to be mustered, maps reviewed and air quality tested. There were concerns about fire. The result was that the first teams did not enter the mine until more than 11 hours after the explosion, the mine company's owner, International Coal Group, said.

Those delays might have been unavoidable, and it was not clear that the men could have been saved even with a faster response. But some experts assert that the delays point to broader problems in the nation's mine rescue system."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/07/national/07mine.html?hp&ex=1136610000&en=b67a1701816d2a30&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Why didn't the coal mine have a rescue team on-site? This is a mine that had 200+ violations last year, w/more than 20 roof collapses. One section of the mine was still closed off after collapsing. Didn't they think these conditions posed a danger to the miners? IF you're not going to clean up the site, at least be prepared to rescue the miners you're sending into such hazardous conditions.

[acmavm]

2. Why no team on-site or even in the area? Because the owner is a

greedy dirty old man who only wanted what he could get out of the mine and the men. He didn't want to have to expend any resources for their safety.

[Marie26]

5. I believe it

ABC News had an interview with the billionaire owner of the mines, Willbur Ross III. He displayed no concern at all for the families of the miners, dismissively said that the mines were safe, and refused to address any of the violations the reporter asked about. He's not contributing one dime of his own money to a fund for the miner's families, yet recently threw a multi-thousand dollar wedding for himself & his trophy wife. He hasn't made a statement of condolence, or even left his New York City office since the accident occured. And looking at him during the interview, I didn't see any sorrow, guilt, or any emotion at all. He truly did not care; these men were just there to make money for him. I kind of wanted to slap him. If the rescue team wasn't making money for him, it was cut.

[Petrushka]

8. But . . . but . . .

. . . haven't you heard? Here, in West Virginia, Mr. Ross's own International Coal Group is asking the public to send donations to a fund that has been set up to help the grieving families--a fund set up, of course, by the International Coal Group! I mean: Wouldn't you like to contribute a little something to help the widows and orphans by using ICG as your middle-man, hm-m?!

[Marie26]

9. Not unless I want the funds diverted to Abramoff!

No, I'm sure (or I hope) the foundation money would go to the families. People should donate. But it's just amazing that the mine owner is asking the public to give to a fund for the families, while refusing to give any money himself.

[Petrushka]

27. Rumour has it that . . .

. . . he (or ICG) donated two million to start up the fund that he (or it) started. Wonder if he (or it) can afford it?

[acmavm]

34. It was not him. The original money (the two mil) came from ICG I believe.

He was asked in the interview the other night if 2 mil wasn't rather stingy and he claimed that it was just a beginning. Then what's his face (Primetime guy) remarked that he hadn't given a dime personally and his justification for that was that 'he was waiting to see what the fund' came up with.

In other words, he kills these guys through depraved indifference and he skates telling the public that they need to kick in for the families.

[Petrushka]

36. ICG and Ross are one and the same thing . . .

. . . Greed personified!

As I said elsewhere: Enough isn't enough for the greedy!

Edited to add: See Post # 26 below to see what Wilbur Ross, the Bottom-Feeder King, has been feeding on lately.

[Lindacooks]

10. He definitely needs to spend some time in the mines.

Preferably one of his very unsafe mines, with limited safety equipment. And by himself, too.

[Marie26]

24. Good idea

Yeah, it could be a very quick safety test. Sort of like that moment in "Erin Brockovich" when the company wouldn't drink its own water. Would Mr. Ross enter one of his own mines?

[ladjf]

11. Not to mention working pre-placed rescue equipment such

as a robot-probe equipped with air, tv, radar, telephone, water and infra-red camera. Further, auxiliary air and telephone stations could and should have been placed every 500 ft for the entire lower length of the tunnel. The men could have easily made their way to one of these before holing up.

There seemed to be absolutely NO pre thought out rescue process.

[cantstandbush]

25. How is it we (US) can go to the moon and send rovers to mars and not

be able to come up with a safety mask to convert CO to something harmless is beyond me. I am not a chemist but it seem that it ought to be pretty simple to do. Instead of wasting resources on how to avoid paying much needed taxes our government ought to be able to come up with something to prevent CO poisioning. Am i naive?

[brer cat]

33. I'm with you cantstandbush.

We live in a country and in a world that has accomplished marvelous and wonderful things in space, health care, etc., yet mine safety remains trapped in the dark ages. I can only believe it's because the workers are relatively poor, have few other employment options, and now have little union representation. It's a damnation on the soul of America that we have so little regard for the safety of these workers.

[Petrushka]

43. Local TV news reports indicate that . . .

. . . Wheeling Jesuit University is working on a new miners' safety mask . . . thanks to federal funding made possible (if I'm not mistaken) through the untiring efforts of Senator Robert C. Byrd.

Also: In case anyone wondered what The Honorable Senators Byrd and Rockefeller of West Virginia had to say about the mine disaster: Local newspapers, almost as an afterthought, said that both senators have asked for a thorough investigation.

That's it?! <**shrug**>

[hedgehog]

3. This touches a story I've been trying to follow.

Did Bush cut back on the group that rescues miners after an accident? I heard something yesterday to the effect that it took 12 hours to get rescue operations started. I'd like to hear more details on that; and to know if that is a result of Bushcut-backs and/or Bush cronyism. I'm not convinced that coal mines can be made accident-proof, but if Bush tampered with a functioning system designed to rescue trapped miners, I want to know about it.

[nashville_brook]

4. if it's not a profit center, you can bet it's been eliminated

or it's elimination has been BLESSED by Lord Jr.

[ladjf]

12. Greed, cruelty and stupidity were the cause of those miners

deaths. Period.

[zann725]

46. QUITE similar to the greed and cruelty & delay in New Orleans that killed

by that delay, thousands in New Orleans. A pattern emerges. Poor lives mean as little to this Admin. as in Dickens time...or less.

If these families, and many of those in New Orleans do NOT file a Class Action...

Calling ALL attorneys...all attorneys. We know you're out there in HUGE numbers. At least the ACLU, Please speak for the inhumane delay in these...and certainly similar cases in the future.

[Petrushka]

6. But . . . but . . .

. . . the Feds (MSHA) did provide the expertise of a "rescue robot" and--ya gotta believe it, taxpayer--robots don't come cheap!

But . . . but . . . unfortunately, unlike the human rescue teams--coal-miners who risked their lives to rescue others free gratis--MSHA's robot wasted time by getting itself bogged down in mud!

[ladjf]

13. Unfortunately, the robot wasn't designed for the type of floor

surface int he Saga mine. The fact is, the rescuers could have ridden all the way to the miners site on the regular shuttle cart. There were NO obstructions in the tunnel. Think about that. One man, on the shuttle cart could have simply driven down and picked those men up.

[Marie26]

7. Especially since the mine was unobstructed

Yeah, you have to check for safety, but I don't understand how they needed 12+ hours to even send a robot down. How long does it really take for emergency workers to get equiped to enter? The mine shaft was completely unobstructed, there was nothing to prevent rescuers from getting in. In fact, there was nothing to prevent the miners from getting out - they didn't know it, but they could've walked out of the mines. Instead, they trusted the emergency rescue system and did what they were told to do. If the miners are on their own out there, at least let them know it. I guess my only point is that it's especially disturbing now that we know that the miners could have been saved had rescue workers only acted more quickly.

There's definitely a connection to Bush's policies. As in every other industry, Bush is pro-corporation & makes an effort to weaken or eliminate regulations that can hurt profits - that includes safety regulations. I stole this from another thread: "Enforcement of Mine Safety Seen Slipping Under Bush (Knight Ridder)- http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2027600

[ladjf]

14. The deceased miners were only 2,000 ft. walking distance from

good air. That about 800 paces. Think about that. A functioning robot-probe, pre-placed, could have ascertained all of that in minutes. Why wasn't such a device required by law? Why were there no
air, water and communication stations placed regularly down the entire tunnel length? Why did a half day pass before anyone sent anything or anyone into the mine?

The owner of this company should be prosecuted, fined 100's of millions and banned from mining for life. Will it happen? No. The same group that was in charge of the rescue will investigate itself.
Any miner that speaks out will never work again in the industry. In America, the fascist crooks are running everything. The middle and lower income classes in America are totally disenfranchised.

The miners need legislative, court and union help. They don't need any more speeches about how proud they are, how much faith they have in God. They need to get mad as hell, realizing that they are being treated less well than a good piece of industrial machinery.

[BikeWriter]

15. Mine Tragedy Highlights Decay of Regulations, Enforcement

While experts and government officials begin investigating the West Virginia mine accident that killed twelve men, organized labor groups and their allies are calling for renewed government action on workplace safety.

The Bush administration has weakened mine safety enforcement during its tenure. Meanwhile, the nation’s largest labor federation has itself cut funds for health and safety advocacy and training.

As The NewStandard reported earlier this week, labor groups have criticized the Bush administration for cutting staff at the Mine Safety and Health Administration – the federal agency in charge of inspecting and enforcing mine safety.

http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=2727

[ladjf]

16. The same federal group that was in charge of the rescue will

be in charge of investigating itself. That is not good. Fascism reigns in America. That's it in a nutshell, a government of big business , for big business and by big business. They rest of us are simply their dupes and slaves. I am profoundly offended. How about you?

[BikeWriter]

17. I retired from big industry. Our regional OSHA Director...

called me by name several years later when he saw me in their office building. I'd been a frequent and vocal visitor. ;-)

[ladjf]

20. I think it might be time for you to come out of retirement and

use whatever clout you might have to do something for American workers.

[Petrushka]

23. "There was no rescue team on the mine site, so . . .

. . . teams had to be called in from other mines, a process that might have been slowed by holiday vacations, rescue officials said. The closest federal team, in Morgantown about 70 miles away, had lost members to attrition and took several more hours to deploy, said J. Davitt McAteer, a former assistant secretary of mine safety and health under the Clinton administration.

"And once the teams arrived at the site, equipment had to be mustered, maps reviewed and air quality tested. There were concerns about fire. ..."
<snip>
"Two teams from nearby Barbour County, who had a contract with the Sago Mine, were summoned, but supervisors knew that would not be enough, so they requested help from other mining companies.

"One of the first teams to arrive was from Robinson Run near Fairmont, W. Va., owned by Consol Energy, about 50 miles away. Jeff Bienkoski, a 54-hear-old member of that team, had just finished a 10-hour shift when he got the call at about 10 a.m. He gathered his equipment and raced to the mine, arriving after 12:30 p.m., he said, about six hours after the explosion is believed to have occurred. Mines are not required by federal law to have rescue teams on site provided such teams can arrive within two hours. Company officials declined to comment on when the first teams arrived in Sago.

"In the next few hours, several more of the specially trained teams arrived. But they were not allowed to go into the mine until nearly 6 p.m., more than 11 hours after the explosion, company officials said."

<snip>

From: "Miners Went by Book, but Time and Air Ran Out" . . . for the complete article, see: http://nytimes.com/2006/01/07/national/07mine.html?ei=5094&en=b67a17021816d2a30...


Maybe off-the-subject, but:
As a West Virginian, it surprises me to read that a member of a mine rescue team was able to get his act together and, then, drive 50 miles in about 2-l/2 hours--considering the condition of the county, state, and U. S. roads in our state! (The Interstate system is a whole 'nuther animal.) For instance: It takes me approximately 25 minutes to drive to the county courthouse, about 8 miles from here . . . and, the last 7 miles of that drive is on a U.S. route with a 55 mph speed limit--except, of course, when you encounter one of those 20 mph kiss-your-own-ass horseshoe bends in the road! (Won't even mention anything about pot-holes and road-slips, etc.)

Edited to correct typing error.

[MountainLaurel]

31. Fairmont to Buckhannon is easy

I-79 to Rt. 33: four lanes the whole way. I'm not sure how far it is from Buckhannon proper to the mine, but the majority of the trip should take no time.

[Petrushka]

38. 33 is four lanes? Here, 250 is two lanes--paved, at least! (eom)

[MountainLaurel]

45. From Weston to Elkins

As part of the Corridor H project. The plan is to widen it to the VA border; I'm not sure how goes that end of the project. There have been debates for at least 15 years over the route to take, because of all the sensitive environmental areas in the mountains.

Incidentally, where along 250 are you? My parents live near Fairmont, and I took 250 to high school every day.

[Petrushka]

47. Live about 5 minutes away from US250 on a Marshall County backroad.

If you know where the Palace of Gold is located . . . well, we're three hilltops to the west of there. When weather conditions are right, we can hear them chanting as the sun comes up; and, if we stroll out to the edge of the hayfield after the trees shed their leaves, we can see sunlight reflected from all of that gold-leaf.

[MountainLaurel]

48. That sounds cool

To hear the chanting: A friend in Tokyo lived next to a Shinto shrine and got the same experience. (Unfortunately, he also got the experience of listening to the music-playing garbage truck coming up the alley at 6 am.)

Last time I was on that stretch of road, I got royally carsick despite the fact that I was the one driving. Urgh.

:hi:

[Petrushka]

49. Imagine, for now, that . . .

. . . one of those smilies is waving right backatcha. For some reason, the smilie lookup table doesn't display properly and I can't scroll down to find it.

Have a nice day!

[daleo]

29. A bit off-topic but somewhat reminiscent of the World Trade Center

"In fact, there was nothing to prevent the miners from getting out - they didn't know it, but they could've walked out of the mines. Instead, they trusted the emergency rescue system and did what they were told to do."

I seem to recall that people could have left at least one of the towers, but were told to stay put. Maybe its just one of those unfortunate things about disasters, but it makes you think.

[MountainLaurel]

32. Part of the problem there

Was that authorities were worried about evacuation of the second tower after the first was hit due to the danger of falling debris (e.g., human beings) in the area where most people were supposed to evacuate to.

[daleo]

35. Well it was a dreadful scene

And I grant that playing next day quarterback about it seems bad. But, these things make you wonder if you shouldn't just follow your instincts sometimes. I hope I don't ever find myself in any predicaments like this to test it personally.

[Yupster]

40. It tells me that

if you're in a crisis stuation, you need to take matters into your own hands. Relying on others to find you doesn't look like the way to go even though that's what you're told to do in most situations.

From the miners to the people in the tower who were told to just stay where they were to people in the airplanes who were told to just cooperate and you'll get released.

It seems like you need to take care of yourself and the others with you more than experts say.

[daleo]

41. I suppose there are times where that could make matters worse

But, like you say, you can't always believe in what the authorities say either. I think the best plan is to follow your own instincts, but not in the sense of just responding to unreasoning panic. You are right about the people in the airplanes, too.

[DS1]

18. Unacceptable response time

[Gatchaman]

19. Willbur Ross is scum

His various companies specialize in buying up troubled heavy industry concerns and selling them as packages to foreign interests, who simply close most of them in order to "streamline" their businesses, i.e., eliminate the competition.

[ladjf]

22. A jail sentence, a 200,000,000 fine and a lifetime ban from

mining might make a good point. (It won't happen though.) "Hello fascism, you hideous bastard"

[Petrushka]

26. Check it out here . . .

http://www.newshounds.us/2006/01/03
(Scroll down to the article titled Mega-Financier Wilbur Ross Owns the Mine Where Disaster Occurred)

[ladjf]

21. Unacceptable and unbelievable.

What in the hell were they waiting on?

[spinbaby]

28. It took them an hour an a half to call 911!

The delays were unforgivable.

[54anickel]

30. I can only respond with tears of both sadness and anger. Right now I am

bawling...there are no words.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

37. Let me join you. I've had an awfully busy day and this

the first time I've had a chance to log onto DU.

There are no words. I only hope and pray these miners families can deal with this. If I was in their position, God help the owner and his minions.

This horrific incident shouldn't have happened.

[Harper_is_Bush]

39. Go here and act NOW!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=72438&mesg_id=72438

[Petrushka]

42. Hm-m . . .

. . . Just checked out the link you posted (left a message over there) but can't help wondering why you're even paying to watch CNN! I mean: Get a TV roof antenna and join those of us who were sorta forced to watch very little coverage of the Sago Mine disaster. If you're a sports fan or a late-night talk show buff, you'd love our local TV station!

Seems like, in the Appalachian coalfields, mine disasters are nothing new . . . so, some TV stations wouldn't think to bother viewers by interrupting the regular scheduled programming--not to mention, upsetting any sponsor(s) of the news?!

You don't like CNN's round-the-clock coverage of the Sago Mine disaster? Well . . . click the remote, forcryinoutloud!

[Harper_is_Bush]

44. It's part of the basic package we get....and surfing is a vice of mine...

so I swing past it, and when I stay long enough to see what they're chirping about.

I don't like it so I email them! And hopefully others who don't like it will do the same.

They need to learn that it's not acceptable to treat a localized tragedy as a filler for thier supposed news station. It's not OK to dredge up every last individual willing to sit down with them who has ANY REMOTE connection with the tragedy and ask how it feels or how others are reacting...just go fishing for all the little human story tidbits they can find like they think we all have a sick fascination with the private grief of others.

[zann725]

50. What ticks me off most is MSM "coverage"...implying Lightening as cause

(meaning "natural cause"...NO liability under most Insurance policies. What good luck for Mine owners.)

11 Hours...how inhumane. "Just like falling asleep"...that part of the one ALLEGED note MSM keeps repeating to assure mid-America that it was NOT 'that bad.' YES IT WAS! 11 Hours is a VERY LONG time to await one's inevitable fate. Even an executed convicted prisoner on death row is allowed to expire within 15 minutes-1/2 hour.

More reprehensible, "Countdown's coverage last night implied that it was the miners' fault for NOT just walking out...they were SO close to the entrance...'just didn't know'...'just didn't walk out.' Saying this CLEVERLY shifts the legal liability away from Mine owners. These were EXPERIENCED mine workers who died. Do NOT blame them for the 20-some safety violations, and 15 explosions in 5 years in THIS NON-unionized mine. Do NOT blame it on the miners' failure to "just walk out"...or on a "natural cause"/"lightening." BLAME those on whose shoulders this loss of life REALLY falls...the OWNERS of these mines, and the legislators who changed safety regulations to allow things like this to happen.

These surviving mining families no doubt desparately NEED the "settlements" they're entitled to. Let them file and WIN a BIG Class Action settlement. Do NOT blame it on lightening OR foolish failure to "just walk out." Do NOT allow ONE other miner have to sit for 11 hours awaiting his death in some underground coal grave while authorities above ground wait and do nothing.