Oh My Goodness!!!! Today was the BEST day ever!! If I didn't have a career, I do believe I would be applying to become a coal miner.
Today we were able to go underground at Rocksprings Development in East Lynn, WV. I know from the media and the horrible accidents that have happened over the last 10 years, that coal mining has gotten a bad rap. Coal miners themselves have to. But as I stated yesterday, don't form any opinions until you have checked all the facts yourself.
We first went through safety training learning how to use our self rescuers. We were also taught how to find others that are stored underground. Each rescuer would last 30 minutes and they are placed at intervals throughout the mine so you could pick up another one if you needed it. There were also "tents" that you could get in (I believe that they said 35 miners could fit in) placed certain distances apart. The amount of safety techniques that have been implemented were amazing. Things like "Man Doors" and "guide lines" all made me feel completely safe while I was under ground.
They took us about a mile underground. We rode on a rail for part of the way and then wheeled buggies after that. The ceilings were about 14 feet high so you didn't feel closed in. They explained to us how the ventilation in a mine works and how some "rooms" had to be blocked off to force the air to flow in a safe manner, allowing fresh air to come in and "bad" air to flow out. The Man doors I mentioned earlier were located in these walls to allow for escape if necessary without interfering with the air flow. Once we got out of the car, the fun began.
We were shown the continuous miner first. If you have been watching the "Coal" show on SPIKE TV, then you know what I'm talking about. Being able to stand right beside the machine as it "chews" the coal off the face was such an awesome experience. Literally, I was brought to tears. It is such an awesome piece of machinery. As the miner mines the coal, a sensor on the front of the miner (called a sniffer) sniffs for methane. There is a visible screen on the back of the miner that shows the level of methane in the mine. If certain levels of methane are present, the miner automatically shuts down. Miners themselves also carry a smaller methane detector as well. Once the (continuous)miner is ready to mine coal, a shuttle pulls up behind it under the conveyor and the miner loads the coal onto the shuttle . . . approximately 4 to 7 tons of coal were loaded in less than a minute. Even thinking about it now gives me goose bumps. (that was for you Dan!).
Next we were shown how they place the roof bolts that help hold the "top" up. The roof bolter was a huge piece of machinery too. On the front of it, it had a "tree" that worked with hydraulics to help hold the roof up as the bolting was taking place. It reminded me of a waitress using her fingertips to hold up a tray. The bolter was on a platform that was placed in the center of the roof bolter machine. (they said they used to have one where he was on the side but there was a risk of the "rib" or wall of the mine caving in on the miner). This platform would raise up and down making it easier for him to put the bolts and glue in the hole once it has been drilled. The platform also had a metal roof over it so none of the "top", if it fell before bolted, could harm the miner. Once the hole was drilled, he would put in a long skinny "bag" of glue. It was two different colors and once the bolt started turning, it would pierce the "bag" and mix the stuff together making a bonding agent that helped to hold the bolt in and fill any cracks that may have been made in the drilling process. The bolter was so good, he could tell just by watching the drill, how much "hard top" or "soft top" he was drilling through. If there wasn't enough hard rock to drill through, then they had to use longer bolts and drill further into the roof of the mine. They also showed us how they kept kettle bottoms (petrified tree stumps) into the top.
They then took us to show us the scoop. It essentially does the clean up in the mine, both at the face when the mine if finished and at the conveyor where the shuttle dumps it. It is also a very intricate job! We were also shown how the mines are marked so that they can keep the "rooms" in their proper coordinates.
A lot of knowledge is needed for what seems like a simple process . . . mining. Too many people look at miners and see them as "dumb", but what I saw today was far from that. Even being at the mine was a welcoming experience. Every miner that I talked to was so welcoming and proud of their chosen profession . . . and I would be too. I would definitely be proud of my child if they were to become a coal miner. I'm anxious to go back myself. I even asked about summer work and they said "sure". I don't think they thought I was serious!!!
Today we were able to go underground at Rocksprings Development in East Lynn, WV. I know from the media and the horrible accidents that have happened over the last 10 years, that coal mining has gotten a bad rap. Coal miners themselves have to. But as I stated yesterday, don't form any opinions until you have checked all the facts yourself.
We first went through safety training learning how to use our self rescuers. We were also taught how to find others that are stored underground. Each rescuer would last 30 minutes and they are placed at intervals throughout the mine so you could pick up another one if you needed it. There were also "tents" that you could get in (I believe that they said 35 miners could fit in) placed certain distances apart. The amount of safety techniques that have been implemented were amazing. Things like "Man Doors" and "guide lines" all made me feel completely safe while I was under ground.
They took us about a mile underground. We rode on a rail for part of the way and then wheeled buggies after that. The ceilings were about 14 feet high so you didn't feel closed in. They explained to us how the ventilation in a mine works and how some "rooms" had to be blocked off to force the air to flow in a safe manner, allowing fresh air to come in and "bad" air to flow out. The Man doors I mentioned earlier were located in these walls to allow for escape if necessary without interfering with the air flow. Once we got out of the car, the fun began.
We were shown the continuous miner first. If you have been watching the "Coal" show on SPIKE TV, then you know what I'm talking about. Being able to stand right beside the machine as it "chews" the coal off the face was such an awesome experience. Literally, I was brought to tears. It is such an awesome piece of machinery. As the miner mines the coal, a sensor on the front of the miner (called a sniffer) sniffs for methane. There is a visible screen on the back of the miner that shows the level of methane in the mine. If certain levels of methane are present, the miner automatically shuts down. Miners themselves also carry a smaller methane detector as well. Once the (continuous)miner is ready to mine coal, a shuttle pulls up behind it under the conveyor and the miner loads the coal onto the shuttle . . . approximately 4 to 7 tons of coal were loaded in less than a minute. Even thinking about it now gives me goose bumps. (that was for you Dan!).
Next we were shown how they place the roof bolts that help hold the "top" up. The roof bolter was a huge piece of machinery too. On the front of it, it had a "tree" that worked with hydraulics to help hold the roof up as the bolting was taking place. It reminded me of a waitress using her fingertips to hold up a tray. The bolter was on a platform that was placed in the center of the roof bolter machine. (they said they used to have one where he was on the side but there was a risk of the "rib" or wall of the mine caving in on the miner). This platform would raise up and down making it easier for him to put the bolts and glue in the hole once it has been drilled. The platform also had a metal roof over it so none of the "top", if it fell before bolted, could harm the miner. Once the hole was drilled, he would put in a long skinny "bag" of glue. It was two different colors and once the bolt started turning, it would pierce the "bag" and mix the stuff together making a bonding agent that helped to hold the bolt in and fill any cracks that may have been made in the drilling process. The bolter was so good, he could tell just by watching the drill, how much "hard top" or "soft top" he was drilling through. If there wasn't enough hard rock to drill through, then they had to use longer bolts and drill further into the roof of the mine. They also showed us how they kept kettle bottoms (petrified tree stumps) into the top.
They then took us to show us the scoop. It essentially does the clean up in the mine, both at the face when the mine if finished and at the conveyor where the shuttle dumps it. It is also a very intricate job! We were also shown how the mines are marked so that they can keep the "rooms" in their proper coordinates.
A lot of knowledge is needed for what seems like a simple process . . . mining. Too many people look at miners and see them as "dumb", but what I saw today was far from that. Even being at the mine was a welcoming experience. Every miner that I talked to was so welcoming and proud of their chosen profession . . . and I would be too. I would definitely be proud of my child if they were to become a coal miner. I'm anxious to go back myself. I even asked about summer work and they said "sure". I don't think they thought I was serious!!!
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