Cape Breton's Magazine

hear is when the stone or the floor. If you you maybe hear a few pebbles falling, but actually what you hits the pavement don't hear that, then you're proba? bly underneath it. It's real? ly no major warning. The roof usually works with small little bits of stone, little pebbles falling. And then it usual? ly comes down in a major fall. And. like I say, there's no real warning. The first thing you hear is when it hits the pavement. We felt that this area would be a last resort. And at that Phalen Mine Rescue Team • winners of Mine Rescue Competition 1986. Back row, left: Cameron Bresson, Craig MacNeil (also at Westray), George Muise, John Baldwin. Front, from left: Blaine Poirier, Tom Wilcox (also at Westray), Leo Nikelo. time it was too dangerous to send a team over that fall and down into the north mains, because they may not have if the material did come in. way out At that time I had left the remainder of my team back in a safe area in Number 2 deep. The roof started to work in Number 2 deep behind us. One of my team members felt that he may be trapped in the mine if the roof worked behind us , and he started to get a little shaky. And at that time I decided that the whole team would have to retreat. We retreated - back up to Number 2 deep, back up to the fresh- air base. Gave our re? port at the fresh-air base at 8 crosscut, and again were told to report to the surface. On reaching the surface, I had a talk with the team member. At that time, after 24 hours without sleep, and not eating right. We left that area and went through 11 crosscut to check on the possibility of getting into north mains on Number 1 deep. Glenn Jones and Jay and myself, we climbed up on top of that fall. That fall was about 200 feet long. The roof was still working some. We went into that fall about 150 feet, underneath the open roof. There was a hole there which we felt dropped down un? derneath the arches. We were actually on top of the roof supports. We thought that the hole dropped down, and that if we went down that hole, we would be underneath the roof supports again, with all this loose material on top of them. We may be able to get into the north mains that way. 25th ANNIVERSARY! Visit an Underground Coal Mine BETTENS CONSTRUCTION"'" General Contracting j Residential & Commercial FOUNDATIONS • FLOORS REINFORCED CONCRETE SLABS RAISING OF BUILDINGS Serving Cape Breton Since 1929 849-6566 849-7639 (FAX) • (PHONE) 157 MAIN STREET. GLACE BAY BIA 4Z1 Glace Bay, N.S. One of the Foremost Museums in Nova Scotia! Bring your family to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of touring an actual Coal Mine with a retired miner as your guide. After touring Museum and Mine, visit the well-stocked Gift Shop and the Miners' Village Restaurant on the same 15- acre site located just one mile from downtown Glace Bay. The Miners' Museum Is Open Year Round and Welcomes Group Tours For information on Hours & Rates: PHONE (902) 849-4522