Today we went for a tour at the Coal Mac Mine near Logan. On the way we stopped at the Walmart on Corrider G near Logan. The Walmart was built on the site of a former mine. This area was specifically cut out of the hill and leveled in order to build the Walmart and other stores in the complex. The original openings for this mine were across Corridor G before the hill was cut away and leveled. Now they are exposed in the rock face at the back of the parking lot.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day 4 Beckley Exibibition Coal Mine
Today we went to the Beckley Exibition Coal Mine, Terex Equipment, the McDowell County Court House and Matewan. I have never been in a mine before today. I wasn't sure what to expect. I learned something new today. I knew that calcium carbide made a gas when mixed with water, but didnt know it was acetelyne. Our guides name was Marvin. He used to be a coal miner, but now he is a guide at the exibition mine. Marvin gave us a great tour. This coal from this mine comes from the Sewell Coal Seam. This is the same seam that the coal camp that I researched got its coal from. After seeing Marvin demonstrate how the early miners got the coal out and then seeing how the highwall mining machine at the Terex Plant worked - wow what a difference. It gave me a greater appreciation of what my grandfather and great grandfather went through when they worked the mines. Great grandpa was almost 67 yrs old and still mining coal by hand. He had a heart attack died on his way home from work. I really enjoyed the museum at the mine as well. The miners house reminded me of how it used to be out at my dad's aunts and at grandma's house. It was a very pleasant trip down memory lane.
The highwall mining machine we saw at the Terex Plant was really something. Josh's dad works there and was instrumental in getting us in. The high wall mining machine is huge. Someone said it looked like something out of StarWars. Stuff like that that is made right here in WV is something we can all be proud of. The folks at the plant actually listen to what the miners who use the highwall machnine tell them so that they can make it a better product. What a thought. I found it especially interesting that the plant manager told us that younger people catch on to operating the high wall mining machine better than the older folks do. Something good comes out of playing video games.
We left the Terex Plant and headed to Welch to see the McDowell Co. Court House. We got our pictures taken where Sid Hatfield was shot as he went up the steps. We also went to Matewan and got hear Mike Little tell us about the Matewan Massacre. The folks who run the museum opened it up for us. The gentleman who works there gave us some additional background about what happened as well. Dr. Little took us over in town and walked us through what took place there. There are conflicting details of what actually happened that day and why. I would have thought it was pretty open and shut especially since so many people saw what happened. The actual drive we made today was my least favorite thing we have done on the trip. It was sad to see the condition of the towns and surrounding areas. We spend alot of taxpayers money helping people over seas. We need to help our own first. I don't see a whole lot of difference in what we saw today and what Lyndon Johnson saw 40 yrs ago when he came through this area and started his programs to help the poor in Appalachia. We are fortunate in that when this trip is over we can return to our nice comefortable homes and lifestyles and walk away from this. These folks don't have that option. Unfortunately I don't see much comeing into this area that will give it the shot in the arm it needs to be revitalized.
The highwall mining machine we saw at the Terex Plant was really something. Josh's dad works there and was instrumental in getting us in. The high wall mining machine is huge. Someone said it looked like something out of StarWars. Stuff like that that is made right here in WV is something we can all be proud of. The folks at the plant actually listen to what the miners who use the highwall machnine tell them so that they can make it a better product. What a thought. I found it especially interesting that the plant manager told us that younger people catch on to operating the high wall mining machine better than the older folks do. Something good comes out of playing video games.
We left the Terex Plant and headed to Welch to see the McDowell Co. Court House. We got our pictures taken where Sid Hatfield was shot as he went up the steps. We also went to Matewan and got hear Mike Little tell us about the Matewan Massacre. The folks who run the museum opened it up for us. The gentleman who works there gave us some additional background about what happened as well. Dr. Little took us over in town and walked us through what took place there. There are conflicting details of what actually happened that day and why. I would have thought it was pretty open and shut especially since so many people saw what happened. The actual drive we made today was my least favorite thing we have done on the trip. It was sad to see the condition of the towns and surrounding areas. We spend alot of taxpayers money helping people over seas. We need to help our own first. I don't see a whole lot of difference in what we saw today and what Lyndon Johnson saw 40 yrs ago when he came through this area and started his programs to help the poor in Appalachia. We are fortunate in that when this trip is over we can return to our nice comefortable homes and lifestyles and walk away from this. These folks don't have that option. Unfortunately I don't see much comeing into this area that will give it the shot in the arm it needs to be revitalized.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Day 3 Joe Knob, Buck Lilly and Nuttallburg
Today we started out with a trip to Joe Knob. This is an area that is a reclaimed strip mine. We also toured an area called Buck Lilly which is a working surface mine that is adjacent to Joe Knob. In order to have access to either area Boozie Scarles, an employee of the Department of Environmental Protection had to be with us at all times. We had to consolidate all of us into 2 vans for our tour. We were unable to get out of the vans to take water quality samples as planned because of poor weather. It poured down rain all morning. As it turned out we ended up getting to see more of the area by staying on the vans. According to Boozie, most of the reclaimation at Joe Knob was done in the 1970's and 1980's. The topography of the reclaimed area is completely different than it was originally. The photos below show an almost flat area in some places that is grassed over with some trees growing here and there. Mostly they are black locust trees.
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Most of the plant life that is in this ecosystem is not native to the area. The grassy areas were planted with the same types of grasses that are used along highways. They grow fast and put down roots so the soil is not eroded away. They have a thick matted appearance on the ground almost like a carpet. The down side to using the fescue type grass is that it blocks the native plants out as they try grow back. We did not see any wildlife in this area either. Dr Little said he and some Marshall students attemped to plant blueberries in this area last year. Boozie said some of them are still alive and growing. I did see some maple trees as we were on the way back down and someone else from our group noticed some wild blackberries growing along side the road. During the time we were in the area there was alot of heavy rain which caused a larger than normal ammount of runoff . The runoff from the gob piles, the current mining operation, and the rain is treated almost immediately before it begins its journey down the hill by way of Big and Little Clear Creeks. Boozie said Little Clear Creek is a trout stream. We saw several of the large white tanks shown below that contain hydrogen sulfate that is mixed in with the runoff to treat it
As the water procedes down the mountain it is treated several times again in containment ponds before it is finally released into Big and Little Clear Creeks
Some of the ponds have most of the water evaporated out leaving a black sludge.
As we left the Joe Knob area, Boozie showed us an area where more trees had been planted on the hillsides in 2005 in an effort to help speed up the recovery effort. I found it interesting to see how the reclaimation methods had changed somewhat between 1980 and 2005.
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Most of the plant life that is in this ecosystem is not native to the area. The grassy areas were planted with the same types of grasses that are used along highways. They grow fast and put down roots so the soil is not eroded away. They have a thick matted appearance on the ground almost like a carpet. The down side to using the fescue type grass is that it blocks the native plants out as they try grow back. We did not see any wildlife in this area either. Dr Little said he and some Marshall students attemped to plant blueberries in this area last year. Boozie said some of them are still alive and growing. I did see some maple trees as we were on the way back down and someone else from our group noticed some wild blackberries growing along side the road. During the time we were in the area there was alot of heavy rain which caused a larger than normal ammount of runoff . The runoff from the gob piles, the current mining operation, and the rain is treated almost immediately before it begins its journey down the hill by way of Big and Little Clear Creeks. Boozie said Little Clear Creek is a trout stream. We saw several of the large white tanks shown below that contain hydrogen sulfate that is mixed in with the runoff to treat it
As the water procedes down the mountain it is treated several times again in containment ponds before it is finally released into Big and Little Clear Creeks
Some of the ponds have most of the water evaporated out leaving a black sludge.
As we left the Joe Knob area, Boozie showed us an area where more trees had been planted on the hillsides in 2005 in an effort to help speed up the recovery effort. I found it interesting to see how the reclaimation methods had changed somewhat between 1980 and 2005.
The following photos show the Buck Lilly area where the current mining operation is going on. Quite a difference from what we saw at Joe Knob. As we entered the mining area the overcast day made it seem all the more dismal and depressing. This is our view as we went up the hill. As you can see everything is black and dirty from the coal dust. The large white truck below is a water truck that was spreading water on the road to keep the dust down.
The photo below is the actual coal seam that they are currently mining. The coal is removed and sent off to be cleaned. It is not of a high enough quality to be used for steel production so it is used for steam coal.
In addition to the strip mining operation, modern technology has made it possible to go back and remine the gob (waste) pile (see photo below) to get coal that was not cost effective to take in the 1950's.
While we were at Buck Lilly we actually got to see the miners removing the surface layers to get at the coal seam. Due to the nature of all the heavy equipment being used Boozie had to go ahead of us in his truck to be sure it was safe for us to pass by.
In the photo below waste water can be seen gushing out of the hillside just to the right of the silver hydrolic bar on the arm of the back hoe.
This water also runs down the mountain into a containment pond to be treated before it is released.
After lunch we went to Nuttallburg to do our last water quality testing. Nuttallburg was once a thriving mining town located on the lower New River. We didn't get to see much because there was construction going on. There is not much left of Nuttalburg but foundations and the old tipple which is being restored.
We ended out our day at the New River Gorge. After a brief stop at the Canyon Rim Visitors Center, we went down to see the bridge.
The rail line still runs along the river just as it did in the days when the gorge was being mined and timbered. I think it is ironic that one of the most beautiful areas in the state is adjacent to an area that is still being mined. Beauty and the Beast so to speak.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Day 2 Checking Water Quality onYellow Creek and the Blackwater River
The area pictured below is Yellow Creek near Thomas, WV. It is hard to believe that this area is mine spoilage. Dr Little said that this area was timbered and mined from the 1880's until the early 1900's. He has a photo in a book that shows this area in 1906 after the mining company abandoned it. The trees are all gone and the landscape is bare from the coal removal. I did not realize that this area was once covered with virgin forests. The ecosystem that is here now 100 yrs later developed on its own over the years. Some trees have come back and lots of blueberries. However, Yellow Creek is lifeless. The coal here like that extracted nearby in Davis does not contain pyrites so the water seen below does not have the orange rusty color like what we will see on the North Fork of the Blackwater River later today. The stream water has a brown color almost like tea or tobacco juice when it is in the stream. However when we took a test sample it was fairly clear.
This is our group checking turbidity Using the Lab Quest. Our results showed overall water quality to be 73.87 which is in the good water quality range. We took our sample downstream from the mouth of a small creek that flows into the river. We probably should have gone further downstream to get our sample. Even though the water quality tested out in the good range there is still no life in the stream.
Our next stop after lunch was at the coke ovens near Davis. The ovens are beehive shaped and made of bricks as can be seen below.
This is our group checking turbidity Using the Lab Quest. Our results showed overall water quality to be 73.87 which is in the good water quality range. We took our sample downstream from the mouth of a small creek that flows into the river. We probably should have gone further downstream to get our sample. Even though the water quality tested out in the good range there is still no life in the stream.
Our next stop after lunch was at the coke ovens near Davis. The ovens are beehive shaped and made of bricks as can be seen below.
The floor in the 2nd oven I looked at was paved with square stones.
The coal was brought in by train and dumped into the ovens from on top through a round hole in the roof.
Once the impurities were burned off the pure carbon was removed from the bottom where I am standing in the photo above. The burning process left the tarry residue that can be seen in the 2 photos below. The purified coal was loaded onto rail cars and taken to Baltimore. The tracks are gone now and the railroad right of way is now the Blackwater Canyon Rim Rail Trail which is part of the Allegheny Trail system.
Our last stop of the day was downstream from the coke ovens on the North Fork of the Blackwater River. We tested the water quality below Douglass Falls.
This river system contains pyrites thus giving the rocks and the water the orange color. The orange color is actually caused by a bacteria. We took our first water sample from the middle of the pool in the photo below. The overall water quality was 52.07 which makes the water of medium or average quality. Dissilved oxygen for this reading was 4.3 (about 50%).
We took a second sample from the white foamy area between the two rocks in the photo below. As we predicted the dissolved oxygen level was much higher 5.5 (about 63.5%)
The photo below is looking downstream from the falls. As you can see the rocks here are orange from the bacteria as well.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Day 1 Off and Running
Here we go the big day is finally here. Seems like I have a ton of electronics with me. My family is giving me alot of grief because of all this stuff I am taking.
We stopped at the windmills near Parsons to determine the velocity of the blade tips. As I was getting out of the van, I could hear the sounds, a whap, whap sound. I did not expect them to be as loud as they were or that the blade tips moved as fast as they did. We calculated the speed at 123 mph. It was sort of hard to follow one blade during the timing period. We did it twice and came out about the same each time so I guess I did it correctly.
Our 2nd stop was at Davis, WV. Dr. Mike Little talked to us about the history of Davis and Thomas. He also spoke to us about the coal seam here. It is 11 feet wide and was apparently very easy to get to. This coal did not contain pyrites like what we will see tomarrow. We also got to see the no. 3 mine portal near the post office. The signs in the parking area below town showed what this area looked like during the mining heyday.
Not at all like what is there now.
It is hard to believe that the photo below was once the location of a major mining operation.
Dr. Little also told us about how Henry Davis handled labor disputes. He did not evict strikers from their company owned houses and he did not use Baldwin Felts thugs to break up strikers. I found it interesting that the right of way dispute at Cokersly Farm involving Davis's railroad and the B&O did not involve any firearms and produced no injuries. This was totally unlike the incident at Blair Mountain in southern WV. Davis also had an opera house something you don't see in the coal towns in southern WV.
We stopped at the windmills near Parsons to determine the velocity of the blade tips. As I was getting out of the van, I could hear the sounds, a whap, whap sound. I did not expect them to be as loud as they were or that the blade tips moved as fast as they did. We calculated the speed at 123 mph. It was sort of hard to follow one blade during the timing period. We did it twice and came out about the same each time so I guess I did it correctly.
Our 2nd stop was at Davis, WV. Dr. Mike Little talked to us about the history of Davis and Thomas. He also spoke to us about the coal seam here. It is 11 feet wide and was apparently very easy to get to. This coal did not contain pyrites like what we will see tomarrow. We also got to see the no. 3 mine portal near the post office. The signs in the parking area below town showed what this area looked like during the mining heyday.
Not at all like what is there now.
It is hard to believe that the photo below was once the location of a major mining operation.
Dr. Little also told us about how Henry Davis handled labor disputes. He did not evict strikers from their company owned houses and he did not use Baldwin Felts thugs to break up strikers. I found it interesting that the right of way dispute at Cokersly Farm involving Davis's railroad and the B&O did not involve any firearms and produced no injuries. This was totally unlike the incident at Blair Mountain in southern WV. Davis also had an opera house something you don't see in the coal towns in southern WV.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Skype
Pat had us set up skype Thursday in class. I got it set up ok, but figured I would have to eat crow and get my son Jacob to help me figure it out. Muddled through on my own after a condescending comment fron junior. The "old man" isnt as dumb as they think. All this stuff reminds me of the technology they had on the original Star Trek series from the 1960's. The best part is I didn't think I would live long enough to see any of it. Those of us in the "o.t.d" category will understand.
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Posting from the tablet.
Here goes again. Lets see if i can publish a blog from this tablet. Thanks to Steve, I discovered that the one Pat wanted us to try from class was a dud.
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