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Show ' 2 Sun Advocate Price, Utah Thursday September 14. 2000 Resale team member relives Willow Creek mine fire: (Continued the mine rescuer. 1) . r miner, Cory Nielsen, erfirstjnkling of trouble was ? As they approached the last when Dave called at 5 a.mr to tell open cross cut they came face to her he was out of the mine and that he was OK. face with a wall of smoke.' Details were sketchy at that The temperature of the air increased noticeably, spointed out point. Dave could only say that Wood. The air was heated by the it was bad and that two Willow machinery and the lack of venti- Creek employees had died in the 'accident. lation. "At that point, I made the deMethane readings were at 5 issue - no fatalities It was while they were and there wouItTbe ' ' after all.'' ing stretchers for Hales and Bur-- . While rescuers prepared ' ton and unloadlngthe mantrlp to Hales for the ride out, they heard make room for the injured that Shane Stansfleld was located. , Bill Burton yelling: I beard someone scream, .. Searching through twisted1 metal, chunky of coal and dis- said Wood. "It was the guy who lodged mandoors, rescuers found Shane." found Burton sheltered beneath ; Shane had been wrapped around a timber by the Impact the parts car. : Despite broken ribs, a broken Of the explosion. We had' been leg; a broken collar bone and a doing all that searching, and all broken back, as well as severe, the time he was right there by burns, Burton had dragged him- the manlrip. But It was so dark self nearly 300 feet from the we didn't see him, continued the mine rescue team member. face. longwall ' Bill knows who Three of the' mine rescue Anyone knows his sense of humor. There team members look the injured he was, torn apart and burned, out of the section. Three of the men, Wood but his sense of humor was still in tact. He was the same old Bill, among the undergound workers, and he was telling us where to continued, to search for the last search for the others, explained unaccounted for Willow Creek . . : cision that were done, use remains under debate. .The wMMgt was recently delivered by five panelists discussing the recent proliferation of state and local fees. Tbui Hardy Bountiful efiy manager, urged less legislative meddling in focal affairs.-- ., Ib say that more regulation Is welcome and wanted at the local levd, I think, would be a little disingenuous "Hardy said. "I think it would be about as welcome as Mr Milosevic would be at a Kosovo refugee camp; and the answer is not very he continued. ; atDespite Hardy's remarks, survey results of the conference overtendees showed 65 percent supporting additional legislative sight state and local fees, according to theUtah Taxpayers Asv. sociation. constrained are local signifisaid already governments Hardy cantly in the taxes and feeswhich they may impose. Alot of pmiple think that government has an unbridled appetite nnhridlari ahllity to cnPect that money pointed far Hifwwy anil 99 percent of our revenue is regulated," he indicated. ; Hardy ejq)re88ed concern about tiie growing trend of remote purchases and its impacton Main StreetbusinMses and the revenues level.. Mine rescue team members knew they faced another - . pos- sible explosion. A telephone call was subsequently made for to obtain fur; . ther Instructions. But there was no question of whether to continue the search. They found Cory at the headgate. "There was no way I was leaving without COry. I couldn't live with myself If 1 did, stated : True friends will never - . . . :. But the unexpected has a way ot Inserting Itself, and once Wbod, com- -, ' ; v mented Becky. Dave explained that his wife has made it very clear that she does not want him going back to : Willow Creek. "She thinks Fm playing Russian roulette, he said. Dave disagrees. "It is far more likely that I could die In an automobile acciC dent, he commented. Even though the Willow Creek .coal production facility has ev ery adverse condition known to coal mining, Dave feels that the local operation is a safe environment due to the cooperative ef-forts of the employees, the company and representatives from , the United States Mine Health . and Safety Administration. "I consider It a real positive that the Incident, was contained to such a small area and that 90 men lived through the explosion," he pointed out. v ' :. The. Willow. Creek rescuer stressed, that hO did not want to' diminish the two deaths which ; he felt so deeply. However; he pointed out that the Castle Gate cemetery Is a testament of the what could have happened as a result of thelncl-den- t, ; . .v- ; are veiy worried that we may be on the economic sideli nes v t; v : of the coming prosperity he said. Transof of Utah Department Tbmrne, executive director the thprovide.-';'-..'v;;-vV."v- : again Wood experienced trouble ailow friends to drive impaired! Vfclley . - percent, theTowest explosive icked. The memory of coding In similar conditions flooded his consciousness; ., ? T wanted to get out of there. .' But RayHaggler looked me in the eye and told me In no uncertain, terms to fix my strap. I fixed my strap," said Wood, and we waited for the return of the rest of the team." 7 Wood said the cool head of Haggler kept the rescue operari tlon functioning smoothly. During the approximate 25 minute wait, methane readings Increased between 5.2 and 5.8. Flour mine rescuers returned to the longwall. Together, the . crew members prepared Cory for the trip out; covering the victim the man to the and securing ' - 7 7 stretcher,'; fit was a matter of respect," commented Wood. . The Willow ! Creek mine, rescuers eyes focused on a, prominently placed plant in the Wood living room.'-me that. I. "His widow-sen- t ... couldnt save him, but still, she sent me a plant, revealed the rescue team member. Waiting at home, Becky indicated that she had no Idea Dave had actually gone in the mine. '' ! : . . . portation, dlscussed recentUDOT requests for fees and legislative for foes for telecommunication along interstate proposals allowing 1. v.; butdidnt.; : . . .. ' right-of-w- ay , : .Jany(hdKiyd,attmmyfQr the Right-of-Wj- iy fpprftntlngrninjnr tpWrtrtiriunLMrilnrt Coalition, anorgSp, t ywldeni, rejected : foes to generate ; y- i.-- A 9 y UDOTs proposal to use Interstate, '..: revenue. fries becomes a source of 4,: "If suddenly the cost revalue, then rate payers are going to make up that difference," riit-of-wa- . right-otw- . ; . rt - " sy id . e V J (hdroyd acknowledged the advantages of negotiating with a single propoty owner instead of numerous owners. However; he . ; - famt-lie-s are experiencing as they wait for a decision regarding the future of Wmow Creek is magnified In thei Wood household by Beckys medical condition.' Five years ago, Becky began experiencing symptoms of a', mysterious disorder that was later diagnosed as muscular dys- ii ; : ' - Vacation translates into: ; The group helped build school (Continued from pege l) nated soil and littie available buildings and churches in New j Cholutecha while Wheeler and clean drinking water. : The people had to travel miles Mathis attended to the peoples J needs. V by foot to obtain water that must ;medical then bb carried by hand back to ; : The two women were again trophy. Her disease requires hot only families, ' , armed with medical supplies, that Dave be. the sole wage, - Wheeler treated people for three suitcases edch, donated by earner for their family of eight, skin Infections, bronchial condI--r Castle Valley health providers. but the caregiver for the children tions, parasites and malnutri; Other local businesses as- and wheelchair bound.wife as tion in her makeshift diqic as stated in the effort, by donating 1 "well. well as travefingln the bade of a breakfast biars and Raman i ...V '' 1 pave can not leave his family pickup truck three days a week noodles. ; to work in coal production opera to nearby villages'' Wheeler explained that they J tions outside the Carbon County She qutckfy can out of medi- were lodged by a family Who area as so many laid off Willow cal supplies, and though she had spoke, no English, hut who ' Creek miners have done. ', money, from nationwide church opened their home to strangers ; Nor can he choose to sever his . donations, she had to go to the as a way of contributing to their ties to the. employment that pro- city dally to beg for supplies, ..cause; V'.-...Fbr one month. the women ate vides Insurance for Beckys nonetheless. ; Her husband, Frank, also vismedical needs. a small helping of beans and a Becky Insists she will forgo :. ited the devastated nation to as- tortilla each day. The breakfast 7 the experimental medication sist in the buildingof homes for bars, and noodles were . a treat that slows the progress of her the 15 million homeless Hondu- that the women shared with the f, native people. disease rather than have Dave rans. 7 ' return to' the mine which she The church group was responThe womens day began at sible for the construction of 50 sunup and ended at sun down; considers a threat to his life. Dave insists that he will abso- houses In a new subdivision out-- ! and that is a much longer day there than it is here, pointed ont y lutely return If recalled In order, side thedty of Cholutecha. V " to provide the medication his Many other groups also built Wheeler.-- ' , ;i wife needs. Half of each day was spent ;! houses, lududing the Lions Club, Day to day, the local family ; pointed out Frank. He further ex- treating patients in the clinic, struggles to survive In the void plained that the Honduran gov- and half of each day the women ; of indecision surrounding the, ernment designated the land for spent traveling in; the back of a 5 truck to outtying villages:" ; v, . opening of the Willow Creek" the new development. ' ,! mine.. The people must pay $110 There were people who had Not knowing is the hardest over a period of seven years for Dot received any medical atten- the property along with sweat tlon since I saw them on my last ;.! part,? concluded Dave. ... equity in which the family pnh visit; people with serious condl-tides labor in the actual con- tions like diabetes andhyperten-sio' said Wheeler ; ,. struction of the building. : When Wheeler returned to She displayed a photograph of ( Cholutecha in Juiy of this year It one such man. His lower leg fes-WSSHife to was an established clinic with tered with an open sore symp-- ; a cement floor and a real exami- tomatic of his untreated diabe- - S.' ; nation table, primarily due to v tea.:'. 5i3u.!li il ii- iil' I j t' .," Next summer, Wheeler will va--1 that first humanitarian effort by j! people from throughout the cation on the Mosquito Coast of liCbS&Vr ' J! ; Honduras. world..,Virginia was accompanied on . The coast is where local real-;-! her mission by Donna Mathis, a ; doits travq) as many as three family nurse practitioner from days in a dugout canoe to receive Ferroq, as well as 16 members of medical treatment. the Church of ChriBt from across That is an entirely different the nation. :7 story, commented Wheeler. . . . . . . . . - . ZZ ! , ... y nrm ri n rw n rr ri nrinri rw rv . , - The limbo that so many u only since l996 wifli passage of the Ibleoom-- ; Act the United States Congress could states peK,-- j munications by The f mit tetecommunfoatiou facilities in interstate rihtsof-way- . access remains undetermined, appropriate fees for A : Ihe pnblfaj pohey issue is vrimt is charged for access. Should .1 the state allow free aocesa, should they charge fair market valndf for the property ot some number in between, said Wame. J : . . riitsfway Wkrne mded that - V":- ; - - . :. : - .. with bli breathing apparatus.; The strap broke, and Wood pan- -, the use of fees continues to grow throughout the Castle and the state of Utah, public policy regarding appropriate While ; ; ! .. : ; .. . v . , . -- . n, . Ste ( i - ti.i3-.-- . Maverik Country Store FREE Nestle I I candy I r I bar with the I purchase of any 8w Hoagie I . (Limit of 2)' ' r , lt i. J JU COKE l Ltrs. J 990 FREE SMALL FROZEN YOGURT CONES FREE DRAWING IMOUNTAIN BIKE mtnm to to L:- Ariorabie black pup with, fawn j 7 colored markings, to & 4th one FREE to M. FREE Z ! BAKERY i iSmFLESj need a home with come I : . to ' . 637-665- . :: 4 - V. 5:- - J;-- : 7' Sponsor.. V Betty Wheeler to Hemindipg you to help control our pet . popqtotloff. ttaveypur petepayed or tie utered.-- - n. ! ' - : tender loving care. 4 -; 1 37 to fie to I- 1 wonderful with children. & to : r energetic, obedient and to to Playful, ; i-n- FOR A 11111' for 990 and get a with purchasbof any PIZZA (Kids Electric Riding Car) n mr & & &a Buy 3 Cookies Fountain Drink . FORMULA RACER r w & ' raRRMin. FREE GALLON OF PURIFIED WATER . j FREE DRAWING -'v for H'-- v ,, Located Price .. at : 295 East Main, ... J 2 MILK GALLONS ONLY $1.99 ea. 249 W to lie |