Tragedy In 33 Men

In 1907, two miles south of Centralia, Illinois was the Centralia Mine No. 5. The Mine was there to provide coal during World War II. This particular mine employed 250 men and produced 2,000 tons of coal each day. During the next several years there were several complaints made regarding the safety of the mine. On March 25, 1947, the mine exploded, killing 111 miners. (Stillman, 2010)

In addition to long working hours, miners paid for the supplies including open head flame lights and detonators. The miners were more or less like craftsmen using their tools and self-acquired skills to produce the maximum output. Consequently, the explosives led to numerous accidents leaving the miners injured badly and dead in many instances. Numerous workers (about 60 each year) were killed as a result of these explosions. The families of the deceased were rarely compensated. Occupational hazards, deterioration in health overtime, inadequate pay in the form of “strips” resulted in conflicts between the labor and the management.

In the film, “October Sky”, the main occupation during that era was to work at the coal mine; almost every man worked as a miner to obtain money to raise their family. The coal mine is a very dangerous place to work however: a large amount of dust in the coal mine can cause respiratory damage to the miners and the rocks and debris can kill the miners if it falls on them.

Reforms were made during industrialization to help improve the poor working conditions present in mines and factories that had been created by the rapidly expanding workforce. Workers often worked in conditions that had detrimental effects on their long term health and had many hazards. Miners were exposed to heavy falling rocks, excessive smoke, poisonous gas and bad air. They often got what is known as miners’ asthma and many died from it (Doc 1). Factory workers worked in cramped, unclean buildings that had many fire hazards and safety issues.

It is unfortunate that I have to make this announcement to our company today, August 5, 2010, but I want to reassure you all that I am doing everything I can and using every resource that is available to bring our miners home safely. We have begun digging to make contact with the miners, once we reach contact with them we will be providing them with all the supplies that they need to

little after 10 A.M. that morning the two mines exploded causing the ground to shake violently as far as eight miles away. The explosion shattered buildings and pavements, hurled people and horses violently to the ground, and knocked streetcars off of their rails. Willing volunteers rushed to the mines to help rescue as many miners as possible. Black coal filled the mines and the atmosphere outside. The explosion derstroyed a ventilation fan which was installed to circulate the clean air. The volunteers at to make its way through the fallen timbers, wrecked cars, mining equipment, coal dust and other rubble. As the rescue parties made there way deeper in the mine they used canvas curtains to restore ventilation. Many volunteers found the conditions

Financial assistance would be the number one need, spiritual, and counseling to help them cope with the accident. The company must keep the families updated with the progression of the rescue mission. The representative must make sure the information that will be communicated to the families is current and correct. However, the President Sebastiàn Piñera took the initiative to use his communication skills to inform and to keep the miners' families, and the community at peace.

“Blasting itself produced immense quantities of mineral particles. The common practice of returning to the work face soon after the detonation of charges meant entering an area filled with particulate matter. (Derickson 3)” Also, as labors transported, unloaded, and cleaned the extracted material dust was inhaled even though they were away from the mine. So no matter what technique used the coal dust still made it in the air and into the miners’ lungs. There were no safety regulations in place about how long to wait after blowing up coal, no regulations about how many particulates in the air were safe, no mask or safety precautions and no mandatory venting. Although some of these things were easily usable to the safety the company felt it was too costly. “An elaborate system of fans and blowers was ‘too costly’, so the miner had to pay for the bad ventilating by ‘miners’ asthma’ and other ailments caused by bad air. (Derickson 4)” Basically the coal operators did not care enough about the miners safety to provide vents and things that could have helped the air quality.

Resource: “Over 30 Workers Trapped After Chilean Copper Mine Collapse” article found in the Electronic Reserve Readings.

The Face of Decline proceeds with the chronological coverage from the start of the mines/mining industry to the decline of the mines/mining industry. First, the book gave a very clear and concise description of the different topics that would be discussed. Also, they discuss how many people’s lives were affected from the mining industry. According to the many different details listed throughout the book, the book focused generally on the importance of the coal mines, the employees, and the hard times that everyone went through during the rising and declining on the mining regions. Next, the book focuses on how being in the mines led to many health problems and even death. Many health problems led to “black lung” which is caused from inhaling the fumes and dust from being in the coal mines. The integration of the personal input and interviews about how their lives were directly affected by the coal mining industry was a very effective strategy.

In his book “Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free,” Hector Tobar recounts the story of 33 miners who spent 69 days trapped more than 2000 feet underground in the Chile’s San Jose mines following the collapse of the mine in 2010. According to Tobar (2015), the disaster began on a day shift around noon when miners working deep inside the mountain excavating minerals started feeling vibrations. A sudden massive explosion then followed and the passageways of the mines filled with dust clouds. Upon settling of the dust, the men discovered that the source of the explosion was a single stone that had broken off from the rest of the mountain and caused a chain reaction leading to

The graduate at graduation characteristics outline the ideal man or woman for others. They define how a person should live their life. These characteristics include: open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice. In Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose, Juror 8 is committed to doing justice and Juror 4 is intellectually competent. While, in Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Dr. Ellie Sattler is loving.

Along with the dangerous gas that filled up the mines, many other dangers lingered. Maheu and his gang worked "up in hell" (48) in the sixth where The galleries, spaced one above the other at fifteen-metre intervals, seemed to go on forever, and the climb up this narrow fissure was scraping the skin off his back and chest. He was gasping for breath as though the rocks were crushing his limbs beneath their weight, he felt as though his hands were being torn off and his legs were black and blue, while the lack of air made his blood ready to bust through his skin. (48-49)

The changes resulting because of the disaster are numerous. It is foolish to even begin to imagine what the families of the miners are experiencing. Then there is the Greymouth

In an Area near Boca Colorado is an 70-year old priest from spain taking care of the dead miners and he is talking to his colleagues, who are traumatized by the dead bodys and people.