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Sullivan Mine (Kimberly, BC)

5K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  kootenaycat1 
#1 ·
Wow. I know its a bit late, but what a sobering article to read this morning.

My condolances go out to the families and friends of those who died at the site.

Its quite sobering to me as to the inherant dangers of old mines and how much we as hobbyist explorers take them for granted. I have a bad habit of walking straight into a mine without stopping to check for possible cave-in idications or whether or not there is adequate respiration.

I didn't realize that there is a problem with acid water and Hydrogen Sulphide (aka sour gas) buildup in galena mines, aleit it jolted my memory about something I read years back with Telus and Hydro having problems with this in underground access tunnels (especially if they were being supported by timber beams). It is also a standard warning you see posted in northern BC and Alberta around oil wells.

I wonder if its due to the size and magnitude of the mine vs smaller 1 to 10 person outfits that we commonly explore (less than 1000 ft deep shafts). I imagine there were a lot more chemicals used in the Sullivan Mine vs a smaller deal, but with standing water and rotting timbers inside of any mine I guess it could pose a threat.

Does anyone on here own or possess an air quality meter of any sort, and if not, does any one know their cost? I know for a fact that deactivated coal mines are a big no-no, and therefore I avoid them. But what about galena (which is what the Sullivan Mine was, and most of the Kootenays) and hard rock gold mines? LR
 
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#2 ·
I work in a pulp mill and we deal with H2S all the time. We use little air quality monitors to detect dangerous levels of both S02 and H2S. I am sure they cannot be too expensive and it would be easy to keep one on you when exploring abandoned mines.

My wife is a paramedic and was quite shocked to find out that two other paramedics were killed in the incident. The media went on and on about how they failed to use their equipment while attempting the rescue. This is not accurate. Paramedics are taught to save lives, not perform rescues. They are not issued equipment like S02 monitors or SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) gear. It is up to the likes of SAR (search and rescue) and ERT (emergency response team) personnel to get the victim to the paramedics, not get the paramedics to the victim.

At any rate, as far as I can tell, the paramedics thought they were responding to a drowned victim. I am sure they had no idea that there was H2S present at the site.
 
#3 ·
When you take hydrocloric acid and place it on galena it realeases a rotten egg smell (H2S).Tip: if you smell rotten egg don't go in any further, get away because H2S causes nevre damage and you won't smell it but it actually is alot stronger then you can reconize.However nothing can replace adiquit air sample readings and carrying a escape respirator.H2S units can cost as little as a few hundred dollars.But try to avoid long adits with dead air.If the adit has a shaft to the surface there is usally a constant draft.We usally go in to tunnels without thinking.But really we should have someone at the entrance with gear and radio etc. etc. but nowbody has that equipment or money for one.So use your own judgement and realize the dangers.Some of these areas are very hard to find for ourselfs and search and rescue.You should leave a emergency plan with someone or have someone at the entrance with a meet time so they could get help when you don't show.The Sullivan mine accident is another classic example of confined space fatalitys. One goes in and dosen't come out so another goes in etc. etc.I don't know if that was the case but sounded like it was.Remeber with any back country adventure help is a long way away and use common sence.
 
#4 ·
There has been some new info come out on the investigation into what happened in Kimberley. Apparently it wasn't H2S at all. It was a low oxygen atmosphere that caused the deaths of those 4 people. Autopsy revealed that none of the victims had any traces of H2S in their systems and they died from asphyxiation.

Very very tragic.
 
#5 ·
Very sad. And I thought I saw they weren't actually in the mine, but an outbuilding where the original worker was testing water.

A good standard to follow when entering an old mine is, do you feel a breeze in your face as you walk in? If not, it's not safe, period. If you have good ventilation, then it's almost guaranteed to have fresh air. We have gone in some big mines that open up to 100' stopes, and it's impossible to feel a breeze at that point, but in the smaller (8' and under) adits, good ventilation will feel like an airconditioner blowing on your face!
 
#6 ·
Or like camping in front of the Caroline Mines main hiking entrance, you park a couple of trucks to block the breeze but enough slips under that when you put your beer on the ground for a bit, and pick it up and take a sip, its icy cold again :D
 
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