Coal Age

AUG 2016

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August 2016 www.coalage.com 51 captain mine fire continued sitioned all over the machine. We started using these as fast as we could, but the fire seemed to increase rapidly and we were running out of extinguishers in that area. At that point, we realized we need- ed help, so I reported the fire to the mine office. Meanwhile, Gary went up the ele- vator to the roof to get some more extin- guishers." The mine's two small fire trucks were sent to the scene. They carried 200-lb dry chemical fire extinguishers, soon found to be of little use because the main fire was some 30 ft above ground. Access onto the machine was deemed unsafe because of the intense fire and smoke. Because of the rapidly increasing fire, the mine office also requested help from the Cutler Fire Pro- tection District. Fire Chief Larry Bennett received the call at 9:44 p.m. He also called for assistance from other fire brigades, and before the night was over, brigades from local districts Pinckneyville, Percy, Camp- bell Hill, Steeleville, Coulterville, DuQuoin and Sparta had also joined the battle. Welder Gary Andrews continued the story, "I made three trips up the elevator to the roof to bring down fire extinguishers. By the time I went up for the third time, ac- rid smoke was filling the house. It was thick and black and you couldn't see anything. What's more, smoke was starting to come up the elevator shaft, so thick I couldn't descend. By this time the other crew mem- bers had descended to the ground by the ladders. I was doing everything I could to save the machine. I waited a short time on the roof to see if the rough terrain crane with man basket that arrived on the scene could reach me. But it did not, and the roof The fire on the night of September 9, 1991, that destroyed the Captain. The firefighting vehicles in the foreground are on a bench some 25 ft above the pit floor on which the shovel is standing. foreground are on a bench some 25 ft above the pit floor on which the shovel is standing. (Photo with special permission, Copyright 1992, J. Monroe) cast from Discovery Channel's hit TV show "Gold Rush." PaneLite™: Tough performing lighter weight screen panels. Metaldex™: Our new line of modular steel sections. VST: Unique vector slot design for better drain rates. DMax: Ultra-high open area designs for greater output. MEET some of our newest products and innovations including: SEE PLAY Patent Pending

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