BELMONT, OHIO Planned collapse of coal mine gives farmer grounds for concern

The mining company vows damage will be minimal to a historic farmhouse.
BELMONT, Ohio (AP) -- Like a giant subterranean mole, the longwall mining equipment moves 550 feet beneath the surface of the Earth toward Floyd Simpson's Country Mile Farm.
Soon, the 900-foot-wide chamber will reach Simpson's 140-year-old brick farmhouse and, with the coal extracted, purposely be collapsed.
The James Kinney Farmstead, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, and part of Simpson's farm will drop about 4 1/2 feet as the ground -- and everything on it -- settles to fill the void below.
Simpson, a 70-year-old hay farmer, amateur historian and author, frets that his piece of history will not survive the drop without major damage.
"Timbers are going to crack, bricks are going to pop, windows are going to break. It's going to be traumatic. It is troublesome. It keeps you awake at night," he said.
Preparations
However, officials of The Ohio Valley Coal Co., which owns the mineral rights underlying Simpson's 560 acres, say the company is taking unprecedented steps to protect the farmstead from its longwall mining.
Cables are being cinched around the two-story house and its separate summer kitchen while the corners of the structures are being braced with timbers to retain structural integrity and minimize damage.
The state's largest mining company will repair any damage while also complying with the specifications of the U.S. Department of the Interior, said Steve Cohen, a company spokesman.
"If there is any damage to the Simpson property, it should be insignificant, but the company will make immediate and thorough repairs," he said of the hilly Belmont County farmstead about 100 miles east of Columbus.
The property Simpson and wife Shirley acquired in 1957 borders the Ohio University-owned Dysart Woods, which also is at the center of a fight over Ohio Valley Coal's mining rights and plans.
Drovers Trail
Simpson is passionate about the history of his place on the Drovers Trail, on which 19th-century Ohio settlers drove their livestock to Eastern markets. For years, he staged the Drovers Trail Arts and Crafts Festival on his spread.
"They're going to have to rebuild the house, but they're going to want to patch it," he said. "I believe they'll try, but how can you replace a massive two-ton stone foundation block?"
The Simpsons have yet to agree with the mining company for repairs.
Longwall mining
In longwall mining, a cutting head moves back and forth across a panel of coal and the cut coal falls onto a conveyor for removal. Hydraulic roof supports are advanced as the seam is cut and the roof behind them collapses.
Companies with mineral rights under privately owned land are allowed to use longwall mining to extract coal, but they must restore damaged structures to their original condition, said Michael Sponsler, chief of mineral resources for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
State inspectors are monitoring the damage-mitigation efforts to Simpson's historic farmstead in what is believed to be the first attempt in Ohio to shelter a historic site from subsidence damage, he added.
If property owners and mining companies cannot agree on needed repairs, the state will attempt to mediate disputes, Sponsler said.
Still, Simpson waits and worries about what he can't see as he and his property prepare to take the plunge.
"Since I don't know what is going to happen, I'm apprehensive. All I can do is hope," Simpson said.