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Look Inside Abandoned Mine

Aired July 30, 2002 - 14:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: As we just mentioned, the nine Pennsylvania miners will receive overtime for the time they were trapped 240 feet below ground. The owners plan to reopen the mine in several months once a commission determines what caused accident in the first place.

CNN's Jeff Flock joining us now live from a nearby abandoned mine to give us an idea of what the men went through. You can imagine, Jeff, is 6 foot even, is that right, Jeff?

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing up now. I'm in an area of the mine, the main shaft of the mine, which I can actually stand up in now.

And of course, Kyra, this is an abandoned mine. It's like the Saxman mine, which was adjacent to the Quecreek mine, the one that was filled with water, and this is partly filled with water, too.

You know, you asked earlier about the danger, keep out area, and you know, obviously we see a danger keep out sign, and our first reaction is to see what's back there. And Jake Miller kind enough to say this is reasonably safe where we are.

JAKE MILLER, RETIRED MINER: I come back and I examined it, and I've 38 years in the coal mine, and certified to do it. If it wasn't safe being here, I wouldn't be here.

FLOCK: Well, I appreciate this opportunity to get far back beyond. What am I seeing as I look well off in the distance, because you said way back there, and we can't see it in our camera view, this mine is flooded, also.

MILLER: Back here about a quarter mile, the mine sort of takes a dip down the other side of the hill, and the water up to the roof on that side of the mine. You never come to this side, because we're higher than what that is over there.

FLOCK: If we take a farther walk back there, the problem is with mines like that, that have water in them, they're ticking bombs in some senses, because a lot of them, they haven't been mapped properly. Some have suspected that's what happens with the Saxman mine, and that could happen anywhere.

MILLER: Yes, it could, because back in the earlier 1900s and stuff like that, there wasn't the laws that made the operator to keep an up-to-date map, and after the mines closed down, they had to have map exactly where they took the coal from. Now they do that, but then they didn't.

FLOCK: Take me over here, too, because this is -- what do you call this area? We're in an area where can stand up here. This is pretty good. But what are we looking at back here?

MILLER: This area is called the main heading, and that's why it's high here, because motors and cars and everything.

FLOCK: Now this was the old rail that went through here.

MILLER: They salvaged them, so.

FLOCK: Now off to the left here, and I don't know if John is able to get down low, which he has been able to do all day, so I imagine he will be, see back in here. We've got the other men back...

MILLER: I will show you -- that's only about four feet high back in there, about 20 feet wide, and that's what the entries in these modern mines look like today. They drive them about 20 feet wide, and just as high as the coal seam. Most coal seams are anywhere from 36- 40 inches, but this one here happen to be four feet high, and that's one down there at Somerset; their coal seam four feet high.

FLOCK: Take me in just a little bit if you can, Jake, and I'll try not to fall down or do anything stupid, but on the side of the wall, just to show me, is that coal back in there?

MILLER: That's coal. You just take it off rock, dust on the outside of it, and you just hit it with a hammer or something like that, it falls off. But this what they call a block of coal or pillar. This stump of coal may be 75 foot square or 100 foot square, and that holds the roof up while you're mining in, and then when you're mine back up, you take these stumps of coal out with you. That's what they call pillar mining.

FLOCK: Quickly, as soft as this coal is in these old mines, I mean, if somebody does get close with new mine, they are going to break through.

MILLER: Yes, the water pressure on the other side is going to push this through. Maybe you got 100 feet is not going to push through. But you get down to maybe 30 feet or 40 feet, that water pressure is going to push the rest of that out of there.

FLOCK: Good deal. Jake, I appreciate it. We are going leave you perhaps with a shot of what it's again look for guys back there. That's about the same size of it.

Interesting. Thank you. Appreciate your time.

Thanks, Jake.

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