UMW study confirms suspicions of many in mining community

By DOUG DIERKES, ADRIENNE SABO and ASHLEY TATE
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
James Burr was fishing when the United Mine Workers of America released its study over the cause of the explosion in the Sago mine.
As he pumped gas into his pick-up truck, Burr fixed his faded black ball cap on a rainy day in Buckhannon, W.Va. The retired coal miner said he did not need a study to confirm his long-held suspicions that something other than lightning caused the explosion.
He said, "All these companies, not just the coal ones, if they can claim an act of God, they will."
The UMWA study found that frictional activity, not lightning, caused the explosion that killed 12 miners in January 2006. In a 124-page report, the UMWA blasts the company that operates the Sago mine and state and government officials for failing to enforce or enact proper safety measures.
International Coal Group Inc, the company that operated the mine, advanced the lightning theory and a study commissioned by West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin did not address the cause.
In a house directly across the street from the now idled Sago mine, where his cousin died, Terry Hamner sat in his living room watching afternoon television on March 15.
Hamner, whose cousin George "Junior" Hamner died in the disaster, said that he never believed the lightning theory, but is not sure what to believe.
Point of view
Students at West Virginia Wesleyan College share the same feelings as Hamner.
Sarah Beckett, a senior, was in town during the Sago mine explosion and experienced what many other residents went through.
She said she does not know what theory to believe. She said, "I think at this point either explanation is plausible. That night there were a lot of storms moving through the area so it really could have been lightning, but it also wouldn't surprise me if the company was trying to cover something up."
Just down the road from West Virginia Wesleyan at Alburgher, a restaurant in Buckhannon, cook Kerri Hinkle agreed with Burr.
She never believed the lightning theory, she said, adding, "I didn't see no sign of lightning or thunder at all ... I always thought it was faulty wiring myself."
Hinkle said she wished more emphasis would be placed on safety. "They ought to be more careful. Maybe send the safety crews in first and have them check everything. Make sure the beams are secure, the lights are secure, no wiring problems."
Progress
Beckett expressed similar safety concerns, but said that the state is taking the right steps in correcting the safety issues.
She said, "I think that a lot of the recent coal safety legislature that has been passed in West Virginia was partially due to the fact that all of the citizens of the state were made aware of the fact that the mines weren't really as safe as everyone had claimed. Thankfully, now the state government has gotten more involved in pushing for mine safety."
Speaking outside the Wild Rose Salon, a few miles outside of Sago, Jimmy Adams and his wife, Jennifer said they do believe lightning was the trigger.
"You always see lighting on the towers up there, so it kind of makes sense," Jimmy Adams said.
Jennifer Adams said that like Beckett she remembers the morning of the disaster: "There was an awful bad storm that morning, so who knows what happened?"
Union view
Speaking at his office in Charleston, W.Va., Ted Hapney, international representative for the UMWA dismissed the lightning theory.
A few blocks down the road at the West Virginia Office of Miners Health Safety and Training, Ron Wooten director of the office said, "We look at things that we know are wrong, and try to do everything to fix it. Instead of arguing about who caused it -- who cares what caused it? Whether frictional support or lightning, I'm not sure we can do anything to fix either of those."
Hapney disagreed.
"If we know there are areas where there are mistakes, we should fix them. We should know the root cause and take everything in its entirety."
Hinkle said she is skeptical about whether the truth will ever surface, adding, "I'm not sure we'll know what really happened, why [the company] sent them guys down or why it took so long to find them."