Tragedy: Loved Ones Lost for Families; Money Lost for Business PART IJan 05 '06 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line A town, a state, a nation, a world stunned and horrified... how did it happen? No one knows... or do they?
On January 2, 2006 the prospect of a bright New Year ended abruptly in the State of West Virginia. In the town of Tallmansville, in Upshur County, West Virginia, an explosion occurred inside the Sago Mine around 6:31 a.m. The explosion caused a power outage at the mine. Two crews had just entered it in order to resume production after the long holiday break. The first crew in consisted of 13 miners. The second crew in consisted of six miners. After the power outage occurred, the six-miner crew reported the loss of power and began exiting. At that time, the mine superintendent entered the mine t investigate and sent out orders for dispatch to begin notifying the chain of command of the occurrence. The superintendent made it approximately 9,000 feet into the mine before coming in contact with dangerous and possibly deadly levels of carbon monoxide, then making the decision to turn around and exit the mine. This was not an option for the first-in 13-miner crew, unable to get out of the mine. Fast-forward to 5:00 p.m. EST: at this time, drilling crews have arrived at the mine site and begun to survey the situation. Nearly an hour later, an 8-member rescue team starts into the mine along with a foreman from the coal company. The air is tested approximately every 500 feet, measuring levels of carbon monoxide and methane gas. The rescue team reports normal levels of both gases up to 1,000 feet into the mine around 6:30 p.m. By 8:30 p.m. drilling equipment is positioned over what is believed to be the exact location of the miners. This location is approximately 2 miles from the entrance of the Sago mine and nearly 260 feet below the surface of the earth. Drilling is scheduled to begin around 10:30 p.m. A small diameter hole is begun with the hopes of providing fresh air to miners trapped below. The estimate of the hole being drilled to reach the miners’ expected location is four to six hours. At this point in time, the miners have been trapped inside the mine for approximately 16 hours. They were equipped with only a one hour supply of oxygen inside the mine. At approximately 10:45 p.m. the rescue crews are continuing to report safe levels of carbon monoxide and methane gases at a distance of 4,800 feet into the mine. They have located no damages to the structure of the mine at this point. All conditions appear fine to the rescue crews. Fast-forward to Tuesday, January 3, 2006. The first hole to provide fresh air to miners has been drilled and a second hole to be used for air quality monitoring begins around 6:50 a.m. There is no news concerning the miners at this point. Nearly 8:00 a.m., Ben Hatfield, CEO of the International Coal Group (ICG) who took over the Sago mine in the fall of 2005, announced that no signs of life had been detected as of yet. A camera dropped into the completed drill hole did show little damage to the area. Air tests showed discouraging results with dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the area where the trapped miners were assumed to be stationed. At approximately 10:30 a.m., the rescue crew reached 10,200 feet into the mine. The miners were expected to be located between 11,000 and 13,000 feet in. The rescue teams must move forward without the search robot. It is at this time that the search robot is believed to be bogged down with mud inside the mine. At 9:10 p.m., Ben Hatfield (ICG) announces that a body of a miner has been found inside a mine car, apparently killed by the explosion. Rescue crews are still attempting to locate the 12 remaining miners. Not long after, reports surface of hope for the remaining miners as their track-mounted car was located deeper in the mine in a completely undamaged state. Now, the situation begins to take a vital turn. At 11:15 p.m., rescue crews signal to those at surface level that the remaining miners have been found at last. At 11:49 p.m., church bells begin ringing at Sago Baptist Church. Reports surface that the 12 miners have been found alive. Families rejoice; gatherers around the church burst out hymns of praise. West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin repeats his stern belief in miracles and instructs everyone to continue believing in them. Approximately 12:10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 4, 2006, officials of International Coal Group and Governor Joe Manchin learn that the initial report claiming the survival of the 12 remaining miners is grossly incorrect. ICG CEO Ben Hatfield claims that the reports of the erroneous information were expressed to members of the State Police and they were directed to advise the clergy of the church to pass along to those gathered within. Hatfield claims that this order apparently was not initiated as directed. Sometime between 1:30 a.m. - 2:15 a.m., one trapped miner, 27 year old Randal McCloy is rescued from the mine shaft and taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in critical condition. He had been trapped for nearly 40 hours inside of the Sago mine. McCloy was the youngest of the miners, a husband and father of two, and a licensed electrician. At 2:30 a.m., Dr. Susan Long of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Buckhannon, West Virginia announces that McCloy is critically injured but preliminary tests were negative for carbon monoxide. Stage left; enter the ugliness… around 2:45 a.m., nearly three hours after the news was spread of the miraculous 12-live-miners, Ben Hatfield of ICG breaks the news to the family members that the earlier reports were indeed mistaken. Only one miner has survived, that being Randal McCloy. The others have perished in the disaster. At this time, witnesses report that the church erupted in chaos, with family and friends screaming, crying, and some even attempting to physically attack Hatfield and other mine representatives. West Virginia State Police had to subdue one family member who attempted an attack, by wrestling him to the ground. News footage captured blood-curdling screams and large volumes of grief escaping the walls and doors of the church from many hundreds of feet away. What originally appeared to be a New Year’s miracle agonizingly became a nightmare to a town, a state, and a nation. Join me for Part II And the conclusion: Part III  |
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