One Rescued, Another Trapped in Utah Mine Collapse
HUNTINGTON, Utah -- A miner was killed and another injured Friday following a roof collapse at the Rhino Mine in Bear Canyon, about 10 miles west of Huntington.
The collapse occurred just before 3:15 p.m. with reports that two coal miners were buried inside the mine, a vertical longwall mine known officially as Castle Valley Mine #4.
The deceased miner was identified by relatives as 28-year-old Elam Jones. His mother, Huntington City Councilmember Julie Jones, said her son had previously survived two avalanches and an ATV accident that left him with 72 stitches.
He was also part of the failed rescue team in the Crandall Canyon mine collapse which claimed six miners and three members of the rescue team in August 2007. It, too, was a longwall mine.
"(Rhino Company) loves their workers, and their workers love them," Julie Jones said. "It was an accident, and I'm so blessed that the other man that was also in the cave in, that he's OK … I know their prayers are with us, and I'm grateful he's OK."
The rescued miner was identified by the Emery County Sheriff's Office as Dallen McFarlane. He was transported to Castleview Hospital in Price by ambulance, treated and released. His injuries were not immediately known.
Elam Jones was an adventurous man who loved life, his wife and his children, Julie Jones said. His body was recovered about 6 p.m., the sheriff's office reported. No other details about the cause or nature of the collapse were available.
The two men caught in Friday's collapse were friends, and their families enjoyed hunting and snowmobiling together, Julie Jones said. Their parents called each other repeatedly in the uncertain time following the collapse, hoping for good news from the mine Elam Jones loved.
Julie Jones' husband also works in an area mine. Through the years her family has seen minor accidents and major disasters, but both father and son never considered changing their profession, she said.
"It's so everybody else can have a job," she said of their commitment to hard work. "You guys get to turn on your power, you guys get to turn on your microwaves, because my guys dig coal."
When Elam Jones' wife called her mother-in-law to tell her about the collapse, Julie Jones said both women knew "in our hearts and in our stomachs," that Elam was involved.
"I don't want those guys to feel bad, I don't," Julie Jones said. "He loved those guys."
Huntington Mayor Hilary Gordon said memories and feelings from another disaster were fresh in her mind when she got word of the collapse. Gordon was also mayor when the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster claimed nine.
"Whenever there's a cave-in at any of the mines, you hold your breath," she said. "Coal is very powerful, and Mother Nature is very powerful."
The Castle Valley Mine was acquired in January 2011 by Rhino Resource Partners LP, primarily an Appalachian company that has recently been moving west, and is operated by Castle Valley Mining LLC.
Like the Crandall Canyon Mine, Castle Valley is a longwall mine. As the coal flakes away, the roof can become compromised. Following an investigation of Crandall Canyon Mine collapse, criminal charges were filed against the mine operators for not following a roof control plan that banned mining in a specific location.
According to the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, in 2012 the Castle Valley Mine maintained an accident injury rate below the national average. It also reported a decrease in safety violations.
On Oct. 4, 2012, a roof fall was discovered in the mine. No injuries were reported, and it is unclear whether the fall occurred in the same area as Friday's collapse.
On a company website, Rhino Resource Partners reports the company received seven Sentinels of Safety awards from the U.S. Department of Labor last year.
Copyright 2013 The Deseret News Publishing Co.
