SUBTERRANEAN TERROR
“I thought if
only I could get out, I’m going to get a whole new perspective on
my life, because I’ve faced death square in the face.”
* Dennis Workman, who was trapped in a mine for
56 hours
This January, a young
Utah man plunged 600 feet down a mine shaft on the same day a man
exploring an abandoned Colorado mine died from gas poisoning. The
accidents have spurred a rush to teach Westerners about the dangers
of old mines. The Utah State Division of Oil, Gas and Mining’s
brochure and video, Abandoned Mines, Stay Out and Stay Alive!, warn
that old mines often contain surprises such as pockets of deadly
gases, unstable mine ceilings and leftover explosives. Old uranium
mines can give unwary explorers a fatal dose of radiation, the
agency adds, and deep dropoffs may lie hidden beneath pools of
water. Both states say vandalism to abandoned mine sites threatens
their efforts to close old mines. The West’s mining legacy has left
behind tens of thousands of abandoned mines – Utah alone has 20,000
– which will cost roughly $44 million to reclaim, according to the
Salt Lake Tribune. The process has only recently begun, since
federal mine reclamation laws weren’t enacted until
1981.
For more information, contact the Utah
State Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Program, 355 West North Temple, 3 Triad Center, Suite #350, Salt
Lake City, UT 84180, (801/538-5340). To report an abandoned mine
call your local BLM office.
– Dustin
Solberg
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Subterranean terror.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
