Page 13 - Cape Breton Dragerman at Westray: George Muise, New Waterford

ISSUE : Issue 62

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1993/1/1

screen--whatever was there--to wiggle our way further into the southeast section. I would go first. Once I knew that we had an opening on the other side of the fall so that we didn't have to spend too much time underneath the unsupported roof, I would signal with my light to the next team member. And he would come over the top of the fall to the safe area where I was at. The falls here came close to the roof. The metal screening that was in place to hold the roof up when the mine was in normal operation was actually col? lapsed and had made sort of a caged-in ar? ea. When you were on top of the fall you were kind of caged in. We had to take wire cutters and cut this screen out enough to pass a man down through it. This continued on over three or four major falls in the southeast section. We got up in? to the last section in the southeast. There we noticed some of the machinery was parked there. The vinyl that was on the machinery for the seats and such was burnt off. We headed up into the southeast section. There we encountered another fall. This one completely closed the tunnel off. Again, we were determined to get over it. Employers Are Educators, Too! At U.C.C.B. Co-Operative Education Works It works for students. It works for you. 'M '''''''''''''R"''' m'': Co-op employer beneFits: • Reduced Hiring Risks • Reduced Recniitment and Training Costs • Higher Employee Retention • Students Available on a Year-Round Basis • Better Utilization of Personnel • You will work with U.C.C.B. to develop a highly trained work force, keeping our Technology Programs relevant to your needs. Information & possible funding: Funding Programs are now available to assist Nova Scotia employers who hire co-op students. Co-operative Education Department University College of Cape Breton P.O. Box 5300, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P6L2 (902) 539-5300, Ext. 109, 350 We started to remove some of the debris. At that point one of my team members no? ticed what to him looked like part of a boot, and he called to me. I went down and examined the area. What appeared to be a foot was there. There was a roll of wire there that was normally used to keep the roof up, which made it hard to examine the area. I had the guys cut a section of this screen out. I crawled in through the screen. And I became aware at that time that it actually was a foot, and that we had discovered a body. The body was unlike any of the other ones that we found. The body was completely to? gether- -all the body parts were there. But they were in a condition that I had never seen before. The only thing that I could recognize as being human were the two thigh bones and a foot. I tried to search through the body in order to get a piece of identi? fication, so that we could get a name on the victim. After about 15 minutes, it was unsuccessful; I gave up trying. At that point we had been in that heat for over two hours. And I decided that we would head out. We started out. Some of the passageways that we crawled through to get in, the area had been closed off with stone. We had to dig some of these areas again, to get through them. This time the breathing area of the machine was becoming extremely hot be? cause of the humidity that was there. The air became uncomfort? able to breathe. Metal parts around the facepiece of the ma? chine became extremely hot--too hot to touch. I rested the team periodically on the way out, so as to slow down the overheating as much as I could. Co-op Programs Include: Business Technology Computer Information Systems Management Paralegal Marketing Accounting Engineering Technology Civil/Construction Environmental Mechanical Electrical/Electronics. Chemical UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF CAPE BRETON We did manage to come out of the area safely. And once we did, one of my team members mentioned that if we had to go any further or over another fall that he may not have made it. We gave our report to the coordinator at the site at that time. And again we were in? structed to head out to surface. At this time the four bodies that were discovered in the BATTERED WOMEN AND YOUR CHILDREN If you need help: 539-2945 TRANSITION HOUSE

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