Reader comments: Crandall Mine owners, MSHA condemned

13 comments  |  Read story

What a relief | 7:51 a.m. July 25, 2008
What a relief for the family's of those that were lost in this tragedy. Hopefully things can improve from it in the mining industry.
Enter name A Miner | 9:57 a.m. July 25, 2008
Bob Murry’s engineers designed a death trap and MSHA approved it.
MoJules | 10:14 a.m. July 25, 2008
I do not doubt Bob Murry's sincerity in wanting to get the trappers out and I know that it was heart wrenching for him. But it also was a day late and a dollar short. Sometimes our greed to get one more ounce is so not worth the risk of life and damage to a community. I hope that the families can heal and that they can forgive, that is part of the healing, to let go of any resentments or anger. I also hope that lessens will be learned to protect future miners from this kind of disaster.
Comments continue below
Miner 49 (Gazillion) | 10:26 a.m. July 25, 2008
Uh, things like this do the heart good. I know profits are important to "motivate" us and help so funds can eventually trickle down to poor folks, but I hope people can learn to treat their employees with a little more respect. I mean, this isn't 19th Century China here. This is the United States of America! Let's represent!
M. Packard | 10:51 a.m. July 25, 2008
Stickler should be fired!

MSHA's finger-pointing report and the incompetence shown by their 'A' TEAM on the day the three rescuers were killed shows them to be a self-preserving bureaucracy that must be changed.

As I recall, the day before the three rescuers died, there was another cavein that injured a couple of men and damaged an excavator. This put the handwriting on the wall that the MSHA "A-TEAM" didn't understand or respect the dangers from the explosive pillar collapses or the inadequacy of the bracing and containment methods being used to protect rescuers.

I have some experience in safety engineering and, when I heard the rescuers were going in again--- the day after the smaller collapse--- I cussed a blue streak for the mistakes the MSHA "A-TEAM" was showing. The subsequent three deaths were proof of that.

The top leadership in the Air Force was just replaced on much slimer justification than this.

Like I said, Stickler should be fired!
Luke | 11:16 a.m. July 25, 2008
The non union coal mines should be taken over by the miners and incorporated as cooperatives. The Feds should help with the transition the same as they are helping with Fanniemae.
Justice | 11:50 a.m. July 25, 2008
MSHA, is an agency that fails consistantly and always blames the lower personel in its ranks. Strickler, Stricklin should be fired a long time ago. Congress and there worthless hearings,,,who do they call before Congress,,,,high ranking MSHA officials,,,,,,,they need to call the inspectors who can't do there job because of politics.....then when something goes wrong,,,,,,,we know who gets the blame........
Frank T | 1:08 p.m. July 25, 2008
The fine issued to eugene murray is pocket change. What a joke. murray will appeal and the fine most likely will be lowered. murray is untouchable and he knows it. Laws must be changed to make the owner responsible, ( I'm talking jail time ) for mine fatalities like Crandall Canyon. Fourteen (14) men have died in mines owned by eugene. What about it eugene?
Callie | 1:40 p.m. July 25, 2008
What a relief for those families A relief from what. Does this means their loved one will be returned. They know what happened to them so that's not the relief. I don't see the relief here unless your thinking momentary relief. All the money in the world will not bring them back. As far as the owner, is that where the relief is because you have an official notice who to blame. Please explain the relief here. I'll be watching for the answer.
O2bRich | 3:18 p.m. July 25, 2008
I'm not normally pro-union but the coal mining industry has a long, long history of exploiting and abusing their workers and this whole incident is prppf again that this is one industry that still has great need of unionization. I tried years ago to get on with a couple of the mining companies in Emery and Price County but with no luck. But repeatedly since then I've been grateful that my prayers for work were not answered with a job in the coal mines. Those that do work there certainly could use everyone's prayers. Every day is a gamble.
Phil | 10:23 p.m. July 25, 2008
Well this would not have happened if you baby boomers would not have let Cater kill the Nuclear industry. i,e, save the coal industry.
Rock Dr | 5:40 p.m. July 28, 2008
M. Packard, you are quite the Monday morning armchair warrior! I never heard your name as part of the panel of mine design experts called in after the second fatality, and I'm on a first-name basis with most of the people on that committee--Chris Mark, Hamid Maleki, Tony Ianniachione, etc. You obviously were not there, so it is not your place to criticize. What you don't understand is that continuing with the rescue was a political decision that had already been made, and the engineers on site had no choice but to do the best they could. In fact, there was no ground support that could have withstood the forces generated by the meta-stable conditions, including "angled brackets" on the RocProps, or tunnel liners, at least not that could have been installed in a timely manner needed for a rescue. I would have recommended against even trying to send more people in, but that only means I would have been sidelined, because the decision was already made. The MSHA A-Team, as you call them, were a lot braver than I would have been in making a decision, and they are a lot braver than you are, too.
Frank T | 7:59 p.m. July 28, 2008
Kevin Anderson a murray lackie said the msha report was tainted and lacked expert testimony. murray ( a self proclaimed expert in hyperbole) claimed an earthquake caused the death of the miners. murray is very consistent in that he is never accountable for his failures, Crandall Canyon, Maple Creek, Canterbury, LIFE.
murray swears by and worships his decision tree. Yes I said decision tree and guess what, this anomaly is were the worker comes last.

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.

Richard Stickler, right, talks to Robert Jensen (son of Gary Jensen, killed in Crandall mine) after briefing the family on official findings. (Michael Brandy, Deseret News)
Michael Brandy, Deseret News
Richard Stickler, right, talks to Robert Jensen (son of Gary Jensen, killed in Crandall mine) after briefing the family on official findings.