Already they are starting. Never mind the resourcefulness, skill, and
courage of the miners to keep themselves alive and the brave rescuers
who went down and got them out. "Goddidit!"

I'm glad that they are out though.

Already they are starting. Never mind the resourcefulness, skill, and
courage of the miners to keep themselves alive and the brave rescuers
who went down and got them out. "Goddidit!"

I'm glad that they are out though.


---
12 trapped miners found alive in "miracle"

By Jon Hurdle 13 minutes ago

Twelve missing miners were found alive in a West Virginia coal mine
about 40 hours after they fled an explosion that spread lethal gases and
killed one of their colleagues, family members said.

Rescue workers located the 12 men, who had been trapped underground
since 6:30 a.m. EST on Monday and were bringing them out of the Sago
mine in central West Virginia.

Kay Weaver, whose brother-in-law Jack Weaver was in the mine, said
family members learned of the rescue when a man burst into the nearby
Sago Baptist Church where relatives were waiting, shouting: "It's a
miracle, it's a miracle!."

Anna McCloy, whose husband Randall McCloy was rescued said "This is
wonderful, wonderful news, they are coming out."

Officials said the man who died appeared to have been dropped off the
vehicle carrying his colleagues and was close to the explosion site,
while the other 12, many of them veterans of the mine, had been deeper
inside.

Church bells rang at the church, where relatives waited fearfully and
cheers broke out when the announcement was made. West Virginia officials
had tried to maintain hope among the families, saying they should pray
for a miracle.

Any hope of finding the men alive had been tempered with heavy caution
because early tests found lethal levels of carbon monoxide in the tunnel
where they were believed trapped. Each man carried about one hour's
worth of clean air.

There had been no communication with the miners since the explosion,
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin told reporters.

There was no explanation for the explosion, which occurred in a recently
closed section of the mine, that is owned by the International Coal
Group Inc. and employs about 145 miners.

"We know that there had to be methane gas, or a buildup of fuel if you
will, back there, and there had to be something that sparked it. And no
one can speculate on ... what could have happened," Manchin said.

EXPLOSIVE GAS

He said there had been no cave-in but the explosion had broken seals
preventing bad air from circulating in the mine as well as gas from the
explosion. "Our employees were no doubt trying to find a safe way to
exit the mine," he said.

The men had been trapped more than 13,000 feet (4,000 metres) inside the
mine.

The man who died was Terry Helms, a 35-year veteran of the mine, his
niece Michele Mouser said. "He was a great guy. He was willing to help
anybody. He always put anybody else first and himself last," she said.

The incident came four years after nine Pennsylvania coal miners were
rescued following a 77-hour ordeal in a flooded mine shaft 240 feet
under ground.

The explosion happened when the mine was reopening after being closed
for the holidays, said Manchin's spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg.

Since October, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued
50 citations to Sago mine, some as recently as December 21, including
citations for accumulation of combustible materials such as coal dust
and loose coal.

The mine produces about 800,000 tons of coal annually and employs about
130 people.

(Additional reporting by Chriss Swaney in Pittsburgh, Claudia Parsons in
New York, Adam Entous in Washington)


---
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060104/ts_nm/minerals_explosion_dc
--
John Hachmann aa #1782

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire

Contact - Throw a .net over the .com

Already they are starting. Never mind the resourcefulness, skill, and
courage of the miners to keep themselves alive and the brave rescuers
who went down and got them out. "Goddidit!"

I'm glad that they are out though.

Already they are starting. Never mind the resourcefulness, skill, and
courage of the miners to keep themselves alive and the brave rescuers
who went down and got them out. "Goddidit!"

I'm glad that they are out though.

Already they are starting. Never mind the resourcefulness, skill, and
courage of the miners to keep themselves alive and the brave rescuers
who went down and got them out. "Goddidit!"

I'm glad that they are out though.

---
12 trapped miners found alive in "miracle"

By Jon Hurdle 13 minutes ago

Twelve missing miners were found alive in a West Virginia coal mine
about 40 hours after they fled an explosion that spread lethal gases and
killed one of their colleagues, family members said.

Rescue workers located the 12 men, who had been trapped underground
since 6:30 a.m. EST on Monday and were bringing them out of the Sago
mine in central West Virginia.

Kay Weaver, whose brother-in-law Jack Weaver was in the mine, said
family members learned of the rescue when a man burst into the nearby
Sago Baptist Church where relatives were waiting, shouting: "It's a
miracle, it's a miracle!."

Anna McCloy, whose husband Randall McCloy was rescued said "This is
wonderful, wonderful news, they are coming out."

Officials said the man who died appeared to have been dropped off the
vehicle carrying his colleagues and was close to the explosion site,
while the other 12, many of them veterans of the mine, had been deeper
inside.

Church bells rang at the church, where relatives waited fearfully and
cheers broke out when the announcement was made. West Virginia officials
had tried to maintain hope among the families, saying they should pray
for a miracle.

Any hope of finding the men alive had been tempered with heavy caution
because early tests found lethal levels of carbon monoxide in the tunnel
where they were believed trapped. Each man carried about one hour's
worth of clean air.

There had been no communication with the miners since the explosion,
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin told reporters.

There was no explanation for the explosion, which occurred in a recently
closed section of the mine, that is owned by the International Coal
Group Inc. and employs about 145 miners.

"We know that there had to be methane gas, or a buildup of fuel if you
will, back there, and there had to be something that sparked it. And no
one can speculate on ... what could have happened," Manchin said.

EXPLOSIVE GAS

He said there had been no cave-in but the explosion had broken seals
preventing bad air from circulating in the mine as well as gas from the
explosion. "Our employees were no doubt trying to find a safe way to
exit the mine," he said.

The men had been trapped more than 13,000 feet (4,000 metres) inside the
mine.

The man who died was Terry Helms, a 35-year veteran of the mine, his
niece Michele Mouser said. "He was a great guy. He was willing to help
anybody. He always put anybody else first and himself last," she said.

The incident came four years after nine Pennsylvania coal miners were
rescued following a 77-hour ordeal in a flooded mine shaft 240 feet
under ground.

The explosion happened when the mine was reopening after being closed
for the holidays, said Manchin's spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg.

Since October, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued
50 citations to Sago mine, some as recently as December 21, including
citations for accumulation of combustible materials such as coal dust
and loose coal.

The mine produces about 800,000 tons of coal annually and employs about
130 people.

(Additional reporting by Chriss Swaney in Pittsburgh, Claudia Parsons in
New York, Adam Entous in Washington)

---
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060104/ts_nm/minerals_explosion_dc
--
John Hachmann aa #1782

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire

Contact - Throw a .net over the .com