Show Local Load Phone Company Accepts Challenge I s 1 I j BRE 4 p tOT Ly NY y II t v s rr r ri i i i n f t r I i I PLANNED LOCATION If Grand county voters approve airport bond issue on Sept 24 the new modern Canyon Canyon- lands Field will be constructed in this area near the railroad railroad rail rail- road underpass between Moab and Crescent Junction This is according to state and federal officials the clos closest closest est area to Moab with adequate area and clearance for foran foran an all purpose all purpose airport August 27 was just a normal nor norr I mal day for the Midland Telephone Tel Telephone ephone Company with headquarters head headquarters quarters at Moab They had the normal amount of 01 plant activity and about the same amount of calls caUs as any other Tuesday That is until pm p.m. when a tremendous explosion explosion ex ripped through the Texas Gulf Gull Sulphur potash mine loca located d approximately 20 miles ou out but t of Moab The explosion trapped 2 23 miners their fate was un unknown known This created a demand demand de de- mand for telephone circuits between the mine and the Moab central office way beyond be yond any expectations Initially all the circuits to the mine were being used to summon aid In the form of rescue crews and supplies doctors ambulances and other other other oth oth- er emergency equipment Shortly after the news was released the area was swarmIng swarming swarming ming with reports from the newspapers news agencies agencies agen agen- cies Gies television and radio sta sta- All had one purpose and that was to secure the news and get it to the outside out side world as fast as possible This is where Jack Corbin president and Wally Corbin Moab district manager of the MIdland Telephone Company stepped In They made available available avail avail- able to the news people all aU of the spare telephone facilities fad facil flies lUes between the mine and Moab In addition two mobile mobile mo mo- mo bile bUe radio cars were placed at their disposal These mobile mo mobile mo mo- bile bUe units were used so extensively extensively ex ex- that the tire automobile automobile automo automo- bile bUe motors were so hot they had to shut down at Intervals to cool As a further aid to the reporters re re- porters In news of this disaster to the outside world Mr Corbin made several several sev sev- several eral rooms In the company central office and plant lant office available to them During the next few days the Midland Telephone office was more like the press room of a n large paper than a With the rescue of two men shortly after the explosion explosion sion slon and a report that a aleast at least 5 more miners were still sUll alive an even greater Demand on the overloaded communication facility was created People throughout the nation nation na na- na- na tion lion wanted up-to-the up minute news on the rescue ions Additional operators were placed on the switchboard switchboard switch switch- board while plant men worked work ed cd around the clock on additIonal additional addi- addi circuits Mobile radio cars from the Mountain States Stat Stat- es Telephone Company were sent from Salt Lake on a stand-by stand basis Installation work began on portable television television tele tele- vision equipment to provide live lave telecast for a major TV network The needs of the mine th the reporters the community ant and the anxious relatives were met thanks to the outstandIng Ing effort put forth by the employees of this Independent Independent dent telephone company With the rescue some 50 hours later of five more survivors survivors sur sur- and the announcement that the remaining 18 men were dead the demand for telephone service died almost almos as fast as it had arisen n. n The Spirit of Service that on so many occasions has come through in the time of need again played Its part In a remote area to handle an unprecedented unprecedented un un- un calling load created cre ere by a major disaster r |