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American Morning
Water from Flooded Mine Pushed through Soft Coal
Aired July 30, 2002 - 07:33 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: As promised, going to get back to Jeff Flock. Two hours north of Somerset in an abandoned mine about 500 feet below the earth's surface.
Jeff, one of the critical points about saving these nine miners was that they were able to find a higher elevation in that mine shaft below.
Can you get a pretty good guess from where you are about how the elevation changes there underground?
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. In fact, we were just talking about that, Bill, because we were looking at what this ground is like. And, you know, the floor of the mine is not coal. I don't know if John's able to look down and see this or not. But this is clay down here now. And you see what this looks like. And, of course, this is very damp.
This mine, which hasn't had water running through it or anything, is still very wet. And this is not unlike that Saxman Mine, right, Jake, that was flooded out?
ELVIN "JAKE" MILLER, RETIRED MINER: No.
FLOCK: The only thing is you haven't had, you've got portions of this that are flooded out like that one?
MILLER: Yes, on the other side. The oldest mine is flooded out. But this mine's been idle for 50 some years so naturally the bottom's not as wet. But in an active mine, mining coal, they have water sprays on the mine to keep, to settle the dust. So that would make the bottom wet when they're working it.
FLOCK: And in terms of, if you had water through here, now in terms of what would have happened, come over here with me, guys. And if we look at the side of the -- and I don't know if John, and pardon my rear end here -- but they would have been mining through here, not with a thing like I've got here, but they would have been with heavy machinery. And this is what happened. When they cracked through here, they busted into the old mine and that's where the water came through.
MILLER: Yes, that's -- they cut a hole through there with a miner and once they cut the hole through, the water started coming through. Well, you know the force of water. It forces everything out of its way. So that what coal they didn't have cut there, it just broke that in through so that there...
FLOCK: Now, this isn't that all -- and this isn't that hard, the coal. I mean this coal is not that hard. If the water's hitting on this, this is not like it's limestone or something. It's a softer material, correct?
GLENN KERR, SCHOOL TEACHER: Right. Very friable.
FLOCK: So this would have come blowing right through?
MILLER: And the water would have no trouble forcing that little bit of coal that he didn't cut. It just works that straight out of there.
FLOCK: Guys, appreciate the time.
MILLER: OK.
FLOCK: Thanks for hanging down here with us and perhaps later on CNN we'll talk a little bit more about it.
That's the latest, Bill. This was, as I said, our goal, to kind of get down deep and see what these men were up against. And I think you're seeing it up close and personal this morning.
HEMMER: You gave us a great illustration.
FLOCK: Thank you.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jeff. See you a bit later today.
FLOCK: 10-4.
HEMMER: Jeff Flock again in Pennsylvania still on the mines.
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