|
  |
|
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
First miner rescued from Quecreek is first to return to mine
SOMERSET, Pennsylvania (AP) -- The first of the nine men rescued from a flooded Pennsylvania coal mine last summer has become the first to go back down in the hole. Randy Fogle returned to the Quecreek Mine outside Somerset last month, bolting roofs and loading coal in the dark, 4-foot-high tunnels where he was trapped with eight other miners for 77 hours in drama that ended triumphantly with their rescue. The eight others have remained above ground -- many of them vowing never to return to mining. But Fogle, 45, said Tuesday he always knew he would go back. Mining has been in his family for three generations, and he said he cannot think of any better way to spend his days than underground with his hard hat and flashlight. "It's like a car wreck; you have to go forward," Fogle said. "You can't keep going over it in your mind or you'll drive yourself crazy." On the night of July 28, when they were rescued, Fogle, having complained of chest pains, was the first one lifted out of the mine shaft 240 feet underground via a yellow rescue capsule. He surfaced to the cheers of rescuers who had labored to bring the men back. Fogle was fine, and the chest pains are gone. These days, he is not a foreman, as he was when the flood occurred. Rather, he is filling in wherever work needs to be done for Black Wolf Coal Co., which operates the mine about 55 miles east of Pittsburgh. On the night of July 24, Fogle's crew inadvertently broke through an adjacent, abandoned mine filled with millions of gallons of water. Cold water rushed into their mine. Over the next three days, the men huddled in a cramped, partially flooded chamber, waiting to be rescued. As for some of the others, Blaine Mayhugh, 32, accepted a sales position with U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. last week. Mayhugh, a father of two, said the pay will be about the same, but he will have better health benefits and a company van. Mayhugh said he did not envision himself as a coal miner for life and, while he was trapped, decided not to return. Ron Hileman, 50, said he respects Fogle's decision but has no plans to go back either. He spends most of his days helping his wife running a day care center and enjoys hunting and fishing. "I spent 27 years underground. That's enough," he said. Fogle, who in 23 years has worked in more than a half-dozen mines, conceded the job can be dangerous, but he said he is optimistic his and the other men's experiences will result in stronger safety standards. A final report on the cause of the Quecreek Mine accident is expected soon, and it will be shared with prosecutors. Fogle said he made his decision about returning, told his wife and got clearance from his doctor. He said his three children, ages 15 to 21, raised more objections than his wife, who also comes from a mining family. "It has to be bred into you," Fogle said. "I just love it. You're going someplace you haven't been before." Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
It has to be bred into you. I just love it.
