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on August 8, 1990. Although this alone does not indicate workings existed at <br />exactly this time, it does indicate that the mine workings, if not there already, <br />were planned to soon be under the intake shaft location. <br />2. By July 1993, the mine was requesting the installation of the fan structwe on the <br />opening. They also, at that time, referred to the site location as "already <br />disturbed" which would likely indicate that the disturbance was created by the <br />activities associated with drilling the 16 foot diameter hole. If the 16 foot hole <br />had been drilled using raised bore methods, the workings existed under the Third <br />North Intake fan at this time. <br />3. Technical Revision #8 (TR-08) requested approval to alter their mine plan and <br />mine to the north of the Purgatoire River. This application was found complete <br />on June 20, 1988 by the Division. As stated in a letter dated May 17, 1988 from <br />Wyoming Fuel Company (WFC) to the Division, "Recent problems in the eastern <br />area of the mine have required a revision in the mine plan, accelerating <br />development in the Third North Development section". The problems they were <br />referring to were lazge inflows of water and methane gas which was encountered <br />in the eastern azea of the mine (south of the river). This unexpected inflow <br />stopped progress of the mine to the east and forced the mine to move under the <br />river to the north. Development mining is creating entries underground which <br />establish Mains for men and equipment movement or delineate a block of coal to <br />allow the longwall machine to be set up and mine out the block, or "panel" as they <br />are commonly referred. Development mining does not normally produce <br />subsidence for the simple reason that the development entries are needed for safe <br />passage of men, materials and airflow. Development mining prepares an area to <br />be longwall mined at a later date. Attachment A highlights an area where the <br />mine needed Federal approval to enter the mineral estate as of June, 1988. The <br />subject azea can be defined as NW1/4 NW1/4 of Section 28, T33S, R67W. This <br />is very close to the location of the Third North fan. <br />Also included in the TR-08 file is a correspondence from WFC to the Division <br />which indicates the mine under-mined the railroad tracks, moving from the south <br />to the north for the first time. <br />"...no subsidence has been measured between March and May (1988) when [he <br />monuments were undermined by seven entry development". The monuments are <br />eight survey points, located on and parallel to [he railroad tracks at the mouth of <br />Ciruela Canyon. <br />4. Based on the above, the following is a re-constructed chronology; <br />a. Entry development mining proceeded under the railroad tracks at the main <br />facility area approximately in April, 1988, moving to the North. <br />b. By August 22, 1988, the mine was very close to entering the area <br />