The death toll rises, away from the headlines and cable news cameras of January. Neither of these men was blamed for the disaster, but apparently they could not cope with the "what ifs."
From today's Charleston (WV) Gazette:
"Mine dispatcher William Chisolm and John Nelson Boni, a fireboss, shot themselves in separate incidents, authorities said."
"Chisolm was the dispatcher on duty the morning of the explosion and Boni had discovered a buildup of methane five days earlier in the sealed part of the mine where the blast occurred."
I'm sure the loss of so many of their co-workers in such a tragic manner weighed heavily on them. Even when they did what they knew to be right, someone higher up didn't do that which might have prevented this outcome.
There are news reports of the carbon monoxide alarm going off frequently, malfunctioning. It has also been reported that mine managers allowed it to be misused to page mine employees.
I don't think a complete report of all that lead to the Sago Mine explosion has been released, but I suspect we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg. A malfunctioning CO alarm used to page miners? Reports of training faked, other safety shortcuts. The breathing apparatus that were supposedly checked as in good working order, yet they did not work.
And the current administration has placed "Heckuvajob Brownie"-type cronies in positions in many government agencies, including MSHA. With a wink and a nod, regulations have been gutted and ignored in the interests of higher profits for the mining companies. And the miners be damned.
Massey Energy President Don Blankenship is a poster-boy for Big Business Republicans run amok in this climate of corruption. He, like Robert J. Perry of Texas, has decided to spend his way to a court system that will be more favorable to his business interests. He's already paid for one member of the West Virginia State Supreme Court, Brent Benjamin. Benjamin was running against a strong incumbent when Blankenship decided to get involved. He created an astroturf organization called "And For the Sake of the Kids" which vilified a troubled youth whom the courts were trying to salvage. This young man was made into a monster in order to defeat incumbent Justice Warren McGraw.
Meanwhile, Blankenship blasted proposed mine safety reforms after Sago and termed the number of deaths in the tragedy "statistically insignificant." Yes, you read that correctly. The death toll from this one mining accident is now at 14, but Stockholders fear not - they are statistically insignificant.
Let me repeat - LET THE MINERS BE DAMNED.
Remind me about those Jobs Americans Won't Do. Bastards.