GENERAL31118

• Permit No: C1981022
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 2/10/1999
• Doc Name: OXBOW MINING INC PROGRESS REPORTS
• Permit Index Doc Type: NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

MINING INC.

Progroee Rsporte
Vol. 1, No. 1
February 1, 1999
To the ~11orth Fork Valley Community:
Thank you very much for your
overwhelming support in our time
of need during the recent fire at
Sandborn Greek. The incredible
outpouring of assistance - in
many different forms - is deeply
appreciated, and it underscores
the Importance of the close rela-
tionships we all share. We want to
keep everyone Informed about
what happened, the current situa-
tion, and our future plans.
Most importantly, thanks to the
professional action of everyone at
the mine, there were no injuries.
There have been no layoffs as a
result of this Incident, and there
will be no layoffs during February,
with health and other benefits to
continue. At the beginning of
March we are hopeful that our
employees will be able to come
back and help with the recovery
efforts.
What Happened?
On Tuesday afternoon, January 26,
in the course of our normal moni-
toring activities, we detected ele-
vated levels of carbon monoxide
in the mine. Upon this indication,
all employees were immediately
and safely evacuated from the
mine. Oxbow contacted the Mine
Safety 8. Health Administration
(MSHA), the federal, agency
responsible for mines and mine
safety, and MSHA representatives
arrived at the mine on Tuesday
evening. The mine was sealed, to
stop oxygen from feeding the fire-
Early Friday morning, the mine
experienced a methane explosion.
The pressure from this was
relieved through the explosion
4
doors on the Sanborn Creek fan.
This was not an unexpected event
as methane built up and came Into
contact with a hot spot under-
ground. The mine has again been
resealed.
Immediate Plan
We have hired one of the fore-
most authorities on coal mine fires
to work with us. We will drill an fl-
inch hole from the surface to the
longwall gob area, a distance of
about 900 feet. This hole will be
used to pump water Into the back
of the current longwall district to
extinguish the fire. Governmental
approvals for the pumping of this
water have been obtained. Several
other holes will also be drilled
which will be used to monitor the
gases. Once it is determined that
the fire is out, we can go back into
the mine. Our immediate goal is
to be able to start rehabilitation
work underground during March.
The rehabilitation plan is under the
control of MSHA, and the safety of
our workers and their surround-
ings is our primary objective-
Future Plan
All of the progress of the mine
and the related activities will be
communicated to the local com-
munities through newsletters and
the local paper. Additional infor-
mation can be obtained on the
Internet at MSHA.gov
Oxbow is committed to working
with the utmost effort to ensure
that the mine is returned to active
work as safely and as quickly as
possible. Again thank you for
standing by us.
P.O. Box 535 3737 Highway 133 • Somerset. Colora.tlo 81434 USA
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TEL [phone] FAX [phone]