Tooele Transcript Articles
Tooele County Transcript gets it wrong:
Link to Article in Tooele TranscriptDangerous mines remain in county by Sarah Miley
State officials cap old shafts, urge curious to keep out
Tooele County’s history is rich with mining. Place names like Ophir, Jacob City and Gold Hill evoke images of days gone by when mining was an economic mainstay and a way of life. But this heritage has also left the county with a legacy of hidden dangers, according to state mining officials. According to the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, there are an estimated 17,000 abandoned mines statewide. Hundreds of those are located within Tooele County. Problems start, however, when the lure of those mines attract backcountry recreationalists. “Tooele County is heavily populated in abandoned mines,” said Jim Springer, spokesman for the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining. Springer said there are typically two groups of people who go into these mines: those who may stumble onto an old mine while perhaps recreating, and those who may explore old mines as a hobby. The state’s Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program, which was initiated in 1982, aims to close mines that pose the greatest risk to people who may choose to access them. The state also conducts the ‘stay out and stay alive’ campaign, started in 1985, to educate people about the dangers of an abandoned mine. Completed reclamation projects in Tooele County include Serviceberry Canyon, Jacob City and another recently finished this spring at Gold Hill, which is south of Wendover. The Gold Hill project involved closing less than 100 mines. Hundreds more there have not been touched yet, Springer said. “There are probably more that should be done in that area, but there’s a limited number of mines that can be sealed each year with funds and staff available to do the work,” Springer said. “Usually the Abandoned Mine Reclamation is able to close 200 to 300 mines a year. With 17,000 scattered around the state, you can see it would take a while to get to them all.” Another project in the Lakeside Mountains is planned to close 33 mine openings, which are mostly on BLM land. Springer said most of these will be backfilled, but a few will be grated. Funding for these reclamation projects comes from a tax on coal production in the state. The allotment this year, according to Springer, is about $3.5 million. Mines that are to be sealed are prioritized, for example by public safety hazards. But before any work is done, there’s an evaluation of the site, Springer said. “The whole area is evaluated in regards to history, endangered species and wildlife,” said Springer, adding the National Historic Preservation Act, state historian, archeologists and the Environmental Protection Agency are all consulted. “We don’t want to destroy the historical flavor if there’s some history to be preserved there,” Springer said. Springer said while the division seals mines, private landowners may do additional work, such as removing buildings, because there are liability issues. Entering a mine, whether on private or federal land, is almost always a trespassing violation without the permission of the landowner. The division’s official position is abandoned mines are unsafe, however, if a landowner willingly accepts liability and lets people go in and explore a mine that’s OK. “We wish there were more opportunities for enthusiasts to do just that,” he said, adding he knows of four mines in Colorado that are open for exploration on a commercial basis, while there are currently none in Utah. Specific entries to abandoned mines can be closed several ways. The easiest, Springer said, is to backfill the hole with dirt. That’s usually done in instances where there’s not a lot of history to be maintained at the site. Or, a block, such as a brick wall, can be put up to prevent access. If wildlife is involved — like bats that often live in mines — a bat grate, which looks like a jail cell door, allows bats to come in and out of the mine, while preventing people from getting in. Springer said working mines can be dangerous — which is why they’re regulated by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration — but abandoned mines are infinitely more so. “Support timbers become old and can be rotten, and no longer support the weight of the mine itself,” Springer said. “They can be subject to cave-ins or rocks sluffing off and falling in on you.” Inside a mine, there is an ardit — a mine opening going horizontally in the mountain — and once inside there can be shafts or winzes, which are guts that go straight down. Sometimes these can be covered by old, rotten boards and some are hundreds of feet deep. There’s also the possibility of bad air. “Many mines required at one time or another machinery to pump oxygen into them,” Springer said. “It’s possible there’s just bad air in an abandoned mine, no longer any oxygen, and that could overtake you before you noticed. You can black out and suffocate.” In addition, explorers can run into old explosives, and dynamite that’s been left for many years becomes unstable, Springer said. “Of course animals can take up residence that may not get along with you,” he said. “Little things like that.” According to the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, since the early 1980s, 10 Utahns have died and another two dozen others have been injured while exploring or happening upon these abandoned mines — and Tooele County is not exempt. On Jan. 13, 1996, Jeremiah Etherington died after falling in a mine near Stockton called the Honorine Mine. Robert Bartholomew was killed in the Thorpe Hills, near Five-Mile Pass, when he drove his ATV into a 50-foot deep mine shaft on Jan. 23, 1999. In 1971, there was a fatality at a Gold Hill mine when a man died from a rock fall. And on Sept. 23, 1989, Joshua Dennis was lost for five days at Hidden Treasure Mine near Stockton and rescued after an intensive search, according to Springer. Springer said it’s best for people to enjoy the history of the mines at a distance. “You still get the feel and historical flavor without actually entering the mine,” he said. “It’s best to enjoy the area that way. If you come across an old mine, we’d be happy to hear about it.” Sarah Miley: swest@tooeletranscript.com related stories
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comments (1)« Gold_Rush_Expeditions wrote on Monday, Aug 18 at 02:10 PM » Jim Springer is full of it. This is the history of the state they are destroying and they are telling you ghost stories to get away with it. There are less than 5 documented deaths from mine accidents. You are more likely to get struck by lightning than be injured in a mine. Use common sense and you will be fine. Jeremiah Etherington was swinging from rusted pipes when one broke and he fell to his death. - thats called Darwinism Robert Thorpe - Should have watched the road. There is no record I can find of the Gold Hill death. And Joshua Dennis, really?? Skinner could have had him out in the first day, instead he had to sneak in to get the kid out. None of these death or injuries are a result of "cave ins", "bad air" or "winzes", and there is no record of anyone suffocating in an abandoned mine. That said, these arent abandoned, they are the property of individuals that DOGM bullies into giving up their rights to. We are giving up our history, and our rights to another Government agency by listening to this. www.goldrushexpeditions.com www.mojaveunderground.com Make a difference!
02-15-2005
Destruction of Utah mines a travesty, must stop.
(As run in the Tooele Transcript - 02-15-2005)
The wanton destruction of Utah’s mining history and heritage has to stop. The recent notice of the destruction of the ancient mines in Utah’s Sheeprock Mountains and in the Ophir mining district is yet another example of this destruction. The BLM Abandoned Mine Lands Group (AML) and the Utah Division of Oil Gas and Mining (DOGM) has been promoting this destruction for years. Distributing reclamation propaganda, embellishing the dangers found in abandoned mines, relating horror stories about people finding “dead air” in mines and dieing instantly, or falling to their deaths in random open shafts.
There are large groups of people that visit these abandoned mines each year, so many people in fact, that it has become a priority for the Utah DOGM and the BLM AML (Abandoned Mine Lands) to address these sites.
The facts about abandoned mines, however, lead to an entirely different conclusion. In 1983, the DOGM began to track injuries and deaths as related to abandoned mines. According to the DOGM there have been 5 (five) fatalities linked to abandoned mines in Utah since they began tracking the statistics. Not to discount these deaths, but this is an EXTREMELY low number, especially to justify the destruction of our history.
As a point of perspective, in 2003, there were 308 motor vehicle fatalities. In 2000 there were 8 fatalities related to bicycling. This winter (2004-5) has seen 6 fatalities as a result of backcountry skiing or snowboarding. ATVs (3 and 4 wheel) reported 80 deaths in there most recent 2001 report as well.
However, we haven’t closed all backcountry trails, we haven’t outlawed ATVs or bicycles and we still drive around in cars. The answer to all of these questions has been to educate, instead of eradicate. In most cases has proved to decrease the number of fatalities. Yet, in the case of abandoned mines, we choose to destroy. It doesn’t make sense.
The History that needs to be preserved is the mine and the area surrounding the mines. There is no history left once a mine has been backfilled. It is akin to destroying the US Constitution, but leaving a piece of paper out to show what it was written on. This may seem like a radical example, but the history that is being lost is the same. The fact is that most towns and cities in the western states have their roots in mining, or railroads, which were inextricably tied to mining and the transportation of ore. Salt Lake City itself, would not be a fraction of what it is today without mining. Everyday artifacts are found that give a further insight into Utah history, be it an Indian burial in an old cave, or an old pair of Levis found in a mine, both have significant value, yet the “reclamation” continues, destroying our history and heritage, forever.
The issue that usually comes to light in this argument is liability, liability for the landowner or the BLM when people go exploring these mines. To mitigate this liability, it would make sense to gate these abandoned mines. Gate them so that they may be accessed in the future. This type of effort would preserve the history and the area.
The DOGM and the BLM ALM does not support this logic, they bid “reclamation” work out to contractors, whose common practice being to bulldoze old mines shut, and leaving a slight indentation and a tailing pile to show what was there. This is not preserving history, there is no history left after a “reclamation” of this sort. It is yet another example of big government spending. What else could this money is spent on? BLM field agents to monitor the areas? Maybe the repair of roads and trails? Instead the money is spent to destroy history that belongs to all of us and many of us don’t even know about it.
The track record of reclamation is not a positive monument to the DOGM and ALM efforts. The land is left torn up, with dead foliage and a completely unnatural landscape. Examples of this can be seen at Jacob City, in the canyon behind Ophir, at the Jennie Mine, part of Goldfield in southern Utah as well as all over the state. There is no historical preservation at these sites, just a few lines of text in an official document that says the area has been reclaimed to its natural state.
We cannot allow this destruction of history to continue, the low number of deaths and or injuries should show the relative safety of these mines when exploration is paired with common sense. I would guess a lot of people reading this have fond memories of camping with family and finding old mines and ghost towns. Consider that if we do allow this to continue, your children and their children will not be able to experience any of those journeys. Our history and heritage cannot be replaced once it is gone.
| Mine enthusiast critical of plans to ‘bury history’ |
| Written by Jesse Fruhwirth | |
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Thursday, 15 December 2005 Like an adult with deep acne scars left over from adolescence, Utah's landscape is pock marked with deep holes left over from mining in its early days. Though the prevailing forces are trying to close and reclaim the dangerous mines, one Draper man is on a crusade to preserve the unique pieces of history encapsulated in the deep holes. Corey Shuman leads a company called Gold Rush Expeditions based in Draper. He leads tours through ghost towns and old mines. He spoke in Tooele Tuesday at the Pioneer Museum. "Do not perpetuate the myth of how dangerous these mines are," Shuman said to the crowd. "Appreciate their historical value." Shuman has sharp critiques for the current effort by the Department of Natural Resources that works to "reclaim" the areas affected by past mining. Reclamation's goal is to return the land to its pre-mining condition. He said that DNR has no respect for the historical value of the mines and haphazardly closes them up without evaluation. The DNR estimates there are around 20,000 mine opening throughout Utah. Occasionally, there have been disasters. East of Stockton in 1996, Jeremiah Etherington, 18 of Magna, died in the Honorene Mine. He had some rocking climbing gear with him at the time but according to reports was not wearing a harness at the time of his fall. The mine shaft is estimated to be as much as 1,000 feet deep. Shuman said that personal responsibility dictates how people should interact with the mines. "If you go rock climbing without ropes, is it the mountain's fault if you fall down?" Shuman said. "So it's not the mine's fault." The Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, which runs the mine reclamation project, warns against the dangers of old mines. According to the Division's Web site, mines are unstable, unpredictable, and unsafe. Often the support structures are dilapidated and unventilated. Carbon monoxide & the odorless and tasteless poison that induces dizziness, unconsciousness and eventually death & can collect in the mines, according to the division. For Shuman, the dangers are certainly present and undeniable, but not reason enough to destroy the mines or attempt to cover them. They provide evidence of a legacy of which many Americans are ignorant, he said. "Talking to people out East, they say ÔGee, wouldn't it be cool if ghost towns were really out there...'" Shuman said. "But of course they're out there." He said witnessing the intricate cutting and blasting of a mine shaft is the only way to truly appreciate the West's mining roots. "Without all that time and effort we wouldn't have half of what we have now," he said. Shuman didn't offer any plan to make the mine's safer while preserving them. In the case of Etherington, historical documents showed there should have been several horizontal entries into the vertical shaft that would have assisted in his rescue. All entries except for one & the entry Etherington used & had either collapsed or been flooded. Rescue workers at the time said descending into the shaft beyond 320 feet was too dangerous due to loose debris on the sides of the shaft. Etherington's body was never recovered and was presumed dead as the three-day rescue operation ended. Shuman praised developments in Oregon where a mine has been listed as a National Historic site, rescuing it from reclamation. Shuman admitted that something needs to be done to make the mines safer but, "I don't think the best idea is to close them up and destroy them." Shuman's company Web site is www.goldrushexpeditions.com where you can find many pictures of his mine adventures. The DNR Oil, Gas and Mining Web site warning of the dangers of old mines can be found at http://dogm.nr.state.ut.us/amr/ . e-mail: jessejf@tooeletranscript.com
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