Prayer for our fellow heating associates...............

Unknown

Well I guess I know a little about that subject. I grew up in a coal mining town in Southwestern PA not to far from the coal mines of W. Va. The same kind of folks work those mines all over that area. They are God fearing people who wear the American Flag proudly. They are a hardy people who are not afraid of hard work. Family is important to them and they treasure the time they spend with loved ones. They are also sometimes very quiet and shy people who do not take to strangers right away. Once you get to know them they will tell you to sit a spell and have a drink and stay for dinner. Attendance at church is something they do not have to be pushed about as they know the Lord needs to watch over them in the mines.

Once they are riled up about something they can be some very tough folks to deal with. They have a stubborness born out of hard work, hard times and hard lives.

As a boy growing up in PA my Mom had nine sisters who all married and there were 22 of us first cousins. Six of those aunts of mine had husbands and sons who worked in the mines. My Uncle Art was the Secretary Treasurer of the United Mine Workers under John L. Lewis. He lost a leg in a gun battle the took place during a strike. The battle broke out between company scabs and mine workers and Uncle Art was shot and later lost his leg. He finally died many years later of "Black Lung" disease.

There was a saying among young men in the 1950's when I grew up it went like this, "when you graduate you have three choices The Mines, The Mills (steel mills), or the Military." We called them the three "M's", I thank the good Lord I chose the military.

For many families it is sort of expected that if Dad worked in the mines so will you. If Dad died before his time it was not unusual for the company to offer a job to his oldest son so the family would still have a provider. I remember a friend of mine who was real bright in school and had a great future but he quit school at sixteen when his Dad was killed in the mine and went to work in his place. He never left the mine and never finished his education.

Twelve good men gave there lives that energy may still be produced and people can enjoy the luxury of living in America and have lots of power. God Bless the men who work those mines every day. My prayers are with those who lost loved ones.

Mad Dog_2

Those poor West Virginia Coal Miners and their kin.

Sorry for your loss. Praying for you'll. I wonder what kind of safety equip or gas masks they had...if any. Mad Dog

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ChasMan

Yes Very Sad

In normal conditions they are required to have an hours worth of oxygen.

Brian (Tankless)

> Sorry for your loss. Praying for you'll. I

> wonder what kind of safety equip or gas masks

> they had...if any. Mad Dog

>

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> 210&Step=30"_To Learn More About This

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Brian (Tankless)

After feeling very sad, I'm

very, very mad.

I served my apprenticeship as an electrician in the coal mines of Northern England.

We had two 1,030 HP extraction ventilation fans which kept the workings (coal faces) ventilated at all times. THAT WAS IN THE 60's. Does anyone see something WRONG with this Effing picture???????

I am so mad I can hardly breathe.

When I calm down, I'll be back later.

Right now, I'd like some mine managers lined up & shot.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.

I attended too many funerals in five years to sit back & say nothing.

Brian.

Dave Yates (PAH)

mine safety

My mother was recalling a 1938 explosion in the St. Claire coal mine. Eight died and several of her classmates lost a father or brother. She remembers the whole town being in a funeral procession down main street. St. Claire was home to the Molly McGuires & she remembers hushed wisperings about their secret meetings at local taprooms. Her Grandfather opened the first store in St. Claire that wasn't owned by the mines & evidently his life was in jeopardy for a number of years as goons hired by mine owners sought to catch him offguard.

Looking at the historical list of mine disasters, explosions were (and remain) one of the major dangers.

The odd thing about this current explosion, is that it occured in a walled-off section of the mine where (according to the reports) no equipment or people were present to create a spark. Some speculation on a violent thunderstorm lightening strike potentially driving a jolt into the mine & causing the explosion.

Seems odd (to me) that if we can drill and ventillate a mine so accurately and quickly following a disaster, why not do so prior to an incident? No doubt it's the cost involved.

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jwade55_4

Still live here in SW PA.

And coal mining is a big part of our lives, my sisters husband, my father in law, and most of his family work in the mines, it is a long way from the mines of yesteryear, but is dangerous none the less. I've been in four mines myself, and it takes a special person. Some of the technology used underground is just amazing, a operating long wall is something to see.

J

Brian (Tankless)

Exactly right, Dave.

Money, money!!

It costs money to crank up those powerful fans for a pre-entry purge.

Not nearly as much as it's going to cost the **** when they are sued twelve times for wrongful death or negligent homicide.

I pray to God that someone gets prison time for causing this disgraceful thing.

Timmie is right about mining communities being very close-knit.

In Wallsend-on-Tyne, where I'm from, and most of northern England, men were miners, shipbuilders, farmers or joined the military.

I went down the "Pit" as Timber Lad when I was fifteen and was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship at sixteen (my Mom went to school with the electrical sup't, Alby Fothergill, who had four thumbs:). As an electrician, I got to move throughout the entire Pit, as well as work on the suface. There were 2,300 hard working men at the "Rising Sun Colliery" and I knew every single one of them by first name. I felt honoured to have the "Pitman" badge.

My prayers go the grieving families. They have every right to be very angry.

Must go take care of my dog. He got badly infected during his fight with the Pit Bull.

Take care, & be safe guys.

Brian.

Edit: I have a theory about the explosion. There were two rail cars, the first one passed through a methane pocket, it (rail car) caused a spark which exploded the gas, causing the roof fall which prvented the second car from going any further.

An air pre-purge would have extracted the methane. I wonder if the "Rocket Scientists" up there will figure it out? I'm done.

Cosmo_3

Now is the time to mourn

Lets pray for the guys who lost their lives, and the families they left behind. lets pray for the healthy recovery of the one of thirteen that made it out alive, last I checked he was still critical?

After mourning, let get some stiff standards set for mine ventilation.... can't believe that this may have been avoided that easily....that gets me p*$$ed off.


Cosmo Valavanis

Dependable P.H.C. Inc.