Unfortunately, very few people do, in this county. My ancestors in two other counties which were originally VA counties and became PA counties owned the mineral rights - it seems to vary.

You can get mine subsidence insurance. The Bureau of Mines has maps which will tell you how much "ceiling" you have between your house & the mine. The larger the number, the less you need the insurance. My first house, there was 60 feet (ouch!), so I insured to the max. My current house is 500+ feet, so I'm not as highly insured.

My brother knows someone who had subsidence of a whole inch - and collected several thousand dollars. Honestly, you can't even tell the difference!

Most of the shafts have been filled in; it's the actual mines that are aging. They used locust posts to hold up the roof of the mines, and they should be rotting soon. I'd like to be out of here by then!

Having lived in both Kentucky AND Western Pennsylvania, I have nothing but sympathy for the families of the trapped miners. Yes, the Governor may have shown "class" by leaving the game but I also think he had a moral obligation. After all, he is the leader of the state.

My grandfather was one of those immigrant coal miners before they left Pennsylvania and came to Detroit. He had the black lung disease to show for it. Tough job.

They found one body in a mine car. :(

Frankly, during the Quecreek disaster, I was so impressed with how then-Governor Richard Schweiker stayed at the mine 24/7, I was hoping he'd go for higher office! Too many governors, even though being a "cheerleader" IS part of the job, just wouldn't have bothered.

I just don't have a good feeling about this one, though - and we are much more dependent upon coal than most people are willing to admit!

Hope you don't mind, OTW, but I wasn't able to link from your post:

"Families Are Told Body Found in W.Va. Mine By VICKI SMITH, Associated Press Writer

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. - Rescue crews found one body late Tuesday in a West Virginia mine where 13 miners were trapped after an explosion, but they held out hope that the others were still alive.

The unidentified body was found about 700 feet from a mine car, and it appeared the employee was working on a beltline, which brings coal out of the mine, said Ben Hatfield, chief executive officer for the mine's owner, International Coal Group Inc.

Red Cross volunteer Tamila Swiger, who was with miners' families inside a church, said family members were "passing out and crying and just really in bad shape" after hearing about the body from Gov. Joe Manchin.

The body was not identified.

There was no immediate word about the fate of the other 12 miners, who had been trapped 260 feet below the surface of the Sago Mine, about 100 miles northeast of Charleston, after an explosion early Monday.

Rescuers located the body about 11,250 feet from the mine's entrance. Officials had thought the miners were about 12,000 feet inside the mine.

Hatfield said it appeared that the other miners were able to get out of the mine car "under their own power."

"But we do not know from there, at this point, where they have gone," he said. "We are still operating in rescue mode and are looking for survivors."

Rescuers cannot go any further in the mine without improved ventilation systems, which the company was installing, he said.

Company officials have refused to speculate on the cause of the blast, but the governor's office said it might have been caused by lightning.

Sandy Barron, whose nephew Randal McCloy was one of the trapped miners, said families were told there was no trace of the other men. And they were still hopeful their loved ones made it to safety.

The body was found in a mine car that was undamaged. Families hoped the undamaged car meant the other miners may have been able to escape unharmed.

"That's a good thing. There's a very good chance they've barricaded themselves somewhere," said John Groves, whose brother Jerry Groves was among the trapped miners. "They don't know where they went, but they went somewhere."

Earlier Tuesday, the prospects of finding any of the miners alive appeared bleak after holes drilled into the ground yielded deadly levels of carbon monoxide and no signs of life.

"With each hour that passes, the likelihood of a successful outcome diminishes," Hatfield said, adding that the rescue effort was "clearly in the situation where we need a miracle."

Rescue teams worked their way through the mine on foot for fear machinery might cause volatile gases to explode.

The company told families that a powerful explosion had rocked the mine, based on damage near where the miners may be trapped, said Rick McGee, who works at the mine with McCloy, his brother-in-law.

Cinderblock walls meant to direct the flow of air inside the mine were knocked down by the blast, McGee said.

Given the new information, McGee said, "There's a chance, not a great chance, but there is still a chance" that the miners could still be alive if they were able to barricade themselves.

President Bush said the nation was praying for the men, and he offered federal help to bring them out alive. "May God bless those who are trapped below the earth," he said.

Rescuers had drilled narrow holes into the mine, inserted air monitors and found levels of carbon monoxide more than three times the maximum regarded as safe. Carbon monoxide, a byproduct of combustion, can be lethal.

Hatfield said it was possible the miners barricaded themselves somewhere and were still alive. But, he said, company officials were "very discouraged" by the test results.

Also, a camera lowered down a 6 1/4-inch hole spotted no sign of the miners, and drilling crews pounded on a steel pipe and listened for a response but heard nothing, Hatfield said."

(ps - am I the only one who noticed that there seem to be a lot of Hatfields and McCoys involved?)

I've been watching coverage on CNN and Anderson Cooper is trying so hard to get people to answer questions and he just keeps getting the same answers over and over. As he was talking to a mine expert from PA, he was trying to get him to use less technical terms because this mining stuff clearly has it's own language. He was trying to get him to compare it to something that people can relate to and the guy said "You really can't compare it to anything". He keeps trying to get people to say how the explosion could have happened and they keep saying "We'll have to wait for an investigation". Etc, etc, etc.. he's not getting any answers.

Sometimes, I'm not sure that 24 hour news channels are a good thing.

I don't know why you made me lol with that, but you did! We have somewhat local coverage that I've been watching (help me, Pittsburgh people - about 1 1/2-2 hours away?), so we're getting the "real stuff".

But it is true - they won't know exactly what happened until there's an investigation. There are just too many possibilities.

That has nothing to do with this. Even if they were drilling oil, this explosion would have happened. But way to get that little democratic stab in.

THANK GOD! Twelve of the men were found alive. A miracle for sure!

It is a miracle they found the men alive!!!! :)


Side question: for those of you who said your houses are on top of old mines, can't you collect some sort of royalty for the product that comes out from under your home? The first "real" job I had was at a chemical company that mined. I know we use to pay some man HUGE royalties for the stuff we took out of the ground-- I don't know specifics on the contracts, as I would just wire him the money, but they were some nice sums of cash he was receiving.
And from being on business trips into mines, it is unreal to be down there. The trip down the shaft is unreal, the darkness when you turn off your miners light, it is all overwhelming. When we were underground we asked the guys and they said they were well trained and were able to get around in the complete darkness of their mines. They said they knew what to do if something should happen. I could never imagine being trapped down there!!! It is amazing they found them alive.

Those lying CEOs of this mine....

only one survivor....

makes me sick at my stomach....

It depends on what kind of deal there was going. You can sell the rights to what is below you. When you own property, you also own the sky above in and whatever is below it. Chances are when the property is purchased there was something written into the contract about the mines. I also don't know- WV may have specific sorts of laws on this, since coal mining is a major industry there

I was driving through Huntington, WV, this morning, and someone had taken all the USA Todays and written "LIES" all over the front page and hung them up. The local news stations were on all last night with details. One of my classmates left school to become a coal miner (he makes more money there than he would with a college degree) and I worry about him a lot. Our governor, Joe Manchin, lost an uncle in the Mannington #9 mine explosion, and I know this really hurts him.

I've also been told that the Sego mine(s) had numerous safety violations.

I can't even imagine what the families are going through
 

After False Reports of Survivors, Family Members Told That 12 of 13 Miners in W.Va. Mine Are Dead

01-04-2006 7:16 AM
By JENNIFER C. YATES, Associated Press Writer

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. -- In a stunning and heartbreaking reversal, family members were told early Wednesday that 12 of 13 trapped coal miners found were dead _ three hours after they began celebrating news that they were alive.

http://centralkansas.cox.net/cci/new...e&id=D8ETSL880