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Monday, November 22, 2010

Pike River disaster

Light a candle for the trapped Pike River miners? That's what the facebook page asked. I ticked 'maybe'.

Lighting candles might cause an explosion - is an appropriate way to hold a vigil for trapped miners really the use of a dangerous instrument in these circumstances?

Seems a bit early to be reaching for the matches. Maybe we should be tying yellow ribbons or other non-incindiary activities. Flames are a bit too emblematic of the explosion.

As for their fate, I'm not a miner and would never like to be, but the lack of any communication is a bad sign. Any collapse that can take out what I imagine is a series of intercoms/phones does not bode well.

4 Comments:

At 22/11/10 7:29 pm, Anonymous Tim2 said...

I'd tik "maybe" too. IF ONLY because (and with complete consiousness of what happened n Australia in 199), THE BEST TIME to have gone in was IMMEDIATELY followinf and explosion where anything combustable had just combusted, and before anything new had the opportunity to build up.
Had this been 20 or 30 years ago, that would have happened.
When authority is challenged, the justification for the current policy is based on what occured in 1979 when a rescue was attempted and rescuers erished - EXCEPT that situation was actually somewhat different.
Personally I agree that it is dangerous to NOW attempt a rescue, but I do so as long as the authorities also recognise that the ball was dropped and there was an opportunity lost.
Gary is now 20 years older, and hopefully substantially more experienced than he was when he was prepared to put 2+2 together and come up with 10 - I'm sure he is, and is a better judge of character, trust and personality than he once was. He certainly appears to be. (In his own words - hopefully he's less "half-assed" than he once was).
It is time however to consider the idea that anyone now emerging from that mine alive will be a miracle.
And when it comes time to look at the cudda shudda wudda - let's look at it in very wide context.

There are a number of things already I could point to (for example) that are only NOW occuring whicj might in future occur BEFORE mining begins.
(the current reasons for drilling for example; the gas evacuation being electrically driven versus diesel driven; etc;etc;et fucking c!)
What's occuring NOW is as it should be - and if you're not convinced of that - JUST consider the images now widely broadcast of the blackened trees and munted ventillation system -(i.e. 2point fucking 3 kilometers AT LEAST downstream from an explosion).

There may yet be a miracle! Let's hope so, pray so! THEN look at the fuckwits actually responsible - they're actually no different from those over 110 years ago

 
At 23/11/10 11:56 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Perhaps it is unjust, but this reminds me of the liquor store owner shot a couple of years ago. In spite of assurances from bystanders that the culprits had fled, the cops did not go in until they received 100 percent assurance that this really was the case. Only then did they move in after half an hour of standing around. By that time the poor guy had died. If the cops had moved in earlier there was a chance he would have been saved.

The cops in this case were not willing to accept even the tiniest bit of risk, even when a man lay shot and dying.

But rescuers and cops should expect some risk, especially when there is a life at stake. In the case of the cops who are paid by the public to bear such risks. Members of rescue teams are volunteers and willingly sign up to the dangers inherent in these types of operations.

Surely the same low threshold of risk rightly applied to everyday industrial and work situations, surely should not apply to a rescue operations which are inherently dangeroud. If the people holding off this particular rescue are applying a zero risk threshold then that would be ludicrous, and even morally wrong.

 
At 23/11/10 8:01 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Frank, from whay t I have heard about mine explosions they probably were gone before they knew what hit them. If they are gone I hope I am right.

KiwiM

 
At 24/11/10 11:42 pm, Anonymous Frank Macskasy said...

KiwiM - I suspect you're right.

And if the first blast didn't kill them, then the gradual build-up of carbon monoxide would've put them to sleep; coma; and then death. A peaceful way to leave this world. (And I hope I don't sound callous in saying this... )

 

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