‘It’s a rough, rough life’

Miners know risks of their job,
say local men who know the life

January 7, 2006

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

Tough men doing a tough job for a nation that doesn’t understand their culture. That’s the view of the West Virginia coal miners thrust into the spotlight this week because of a mining disaster that killed 12, says a local man who knows the life, and miners, firsthand.
Ted Hinzman, of Greenwood, was raised in an area about 30 miles from the Tallmansville, W.Va., Sago Mine were the miners died Monday. They died after an explosion rocked the mine, 11 perishing behind a barrier set up to keep out carbon monoxide and the 12th thought to have been killed by the blast itself.
“If the top of the mountain comes down, nothing can stop that much weight from coming down,” Hinzman said. “And if you’re under it, or next to it, you’re in trouble. They’re a tough bunch. Great guys.”
Hinzman’s grandfather was a coal miner. His wife’s father was a coal miner and a brother-in-law was a coal miner. His son’s godfather, who was his best friend in high school, works at the mine where the disaster happened, as does another friend and another man he hunts with. All were assigned to different shifts from the men who died.
Some of the people he knows have been miners for 35 years. “It’s what their dads did,” Hinzman said.
When he heard of the explosion, Hinzman was “not optimistic” when the trapped miners didn’t emerge right away.
“The mine’s so big, it has like eight highways coming in and out. They could have found a way out,” he said. “They followed procedure and stayed.”
The 11 victims, found nearly 42 hours after the blast, were behind a curtain-like barrier set up to keep out carbon monoxide, a toxic byproduct of combustion that was found to be present at deadly levels inside the mine shaft.
The area where the disaster happened, Hinzman said, is “a great community,” with a college and inhabited by average, hard working people. They fight a public perception of being “backward,” he said, “and some, in their grief, may have appeared that way.”
The miners’ families got word at a church that 12 miners had been found alive, and the national news media trumpeted that erroneous news early Wednesday morning. Three hours later, the awful truth was released — there was but one survivor.
John Gillespie, of Greenwood, said the media should have known better than to trust the overheard word of one miner in that emotionally charged environment. When mining disasters happen the scene is taken over by federal authorities and they, not the mining company, have the responsibility for the investigation and releasing information.
“Everybody there was trying to get people out alive,” Gillespie said. “They had better things to do (than talk to reporters).”
A coal miner for 10 years, Gillespie lived south of Charleston, about 70 miles from where the disaster happened. Both his grandfathers were coal miners, as were his father and a brother.
“It’s like the mills in the South,” Gillespie said the coal mines’ generational culture.
When he heard of the disaster, “I feared the worst.” He said explosions are more likely in the winter because the coal air makes the mines dry and more vulnerable to volatile methane gas.
“Most mines are idle just before Christmas to just after New Year’s. It’s a time when no one’s in there. Methane can accumulate,” he explained.
A safety inspector goes into the mine with a gas measuring device three hours before a shift, but Gillespie said there’s no way each inch of the mine shaft can be tested.
“One guy wrote a note that it was like going to sleep, he died of carbon monoxide,” Gillespie said. “It attaches to the red blood cells and will not allow the cells to accept oxygen.”
A self-resusitator that converts carbon monoxide to oxygen could give the miners about an hour of life, he said. Miners used to carry an oxygen device on them when they went into the mines, he said, but the law was changed because of complaints by the miners so those devices are not now required. The oxygen containers added extra weight to the miners’ gear, he said, and any extra weight hampers their ability to walk long distances through the mines.
“You’re walking two miles bent over, so the oxygen device is a problem,” Gillespie said. “Plus, it’s only good for an hour. So you get an hour off the self-resusitator and an hour off the oxygen, those guys were in there three days.
“My first thoughts were, ‘This is going to be bad. They’re going to find these guys dead.’ It was the wrong time — the first hour back to work (after the holiday). It’s a rough, rough life.” Gillespie said he couldn’t imagine what the families went through. “To go up so high, then down so low.”
“They will have a harsh life,” Gillespie said of the miners, their families and their community, now and in the future. “That first time off winter break will be a difficult time. There will be memories of what happened.”
Ironically, both Hinzman and Gillespie moved here in 1987. Gillespie ruptured a disc while he was a coal miner. It wasn’t a debilitating injury, but he decided not to go back in the mines. Both said they have fond memories of what Gillespie calls “a tight-knit community” and the mining culture of work and risk.
“It’s sad, but it happens. You know the risk when you go in,” Hinzman said. “When they interviewed the miners all but one said they would go back in. They know more about the environment they’re in. They wouldn’t go in if they thought it was dangerous.”

Laura Kathleen Cook

WARE SHOALS — Laura Kathleen Cook, 78, formerly of Ware Shoals, died Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006 at Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital, Dunn, N.C.
Born in Greenwood County, she was a daughter of the late James Herbert and Zelama Thomason Burdette. She was a member of Ware Shoals First Baptist Church and retired from Riegel Textile Corp.
Survivors include her husband, John D. Cook of Dunn, N.C.; a son, Rodger Cook of Marion; a daughter, Patricia Lynn Wells of Dunn; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Services are 2 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Leon Jones. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at Parker-White Funeral Home.
Parker-White Funeral Home is in charge.

Mattie Tolden Hardy

McCORMICK — The Rev. Mattie Mae Tolden Hardy, 55, of 503 Bryant St., wife of Amos “Possum” Hardy Sr., died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center in Greenwood.
Born in Greenwood, she was a daughter of the late Odell and Helen Maud Williams Tolden. She was 1977 a graduate of McCormick High School, a van driver for McCormick County Senior Center and formerly worked at Emerald Center, Greenwood. A member of Springfield A.M.E. Church, McCormick, she organized the Gospel Chorus in 1968 and was a Missionary Society member. She was an ordained minister and a former pastor of Holy Zion Pentecostal Holiness Church for many years. She was a member of Bethany Order of the Eastern Star No. 1, where she was Worthy Matron for several years. She was also a member of Heroines of Jericho, the Crusaders, the Ameriah, Daughters of Issac, Women’s Home Aide Society No. 86 and 100 Ladies in White.
Survivors include husband of the home; three sons, Amos Hardy Jr. of Greenwood, James Christopher Hardy of McCormick and Barry Lee Yates of San Antonio; two daughters, Mrs. Johnny (Bertha Mae) Covington of Greenwood and Charlene Elizabeth Yates of McCormick; six brothers, Reuben Tolden, Jacob Tolden, Oddie Moore, all of Greenwood, Johnnie Tolden of Atlanta, Milton Tolden of Gaffney and Calvin Butler of Ninety Six; six sisters, Mrs. Lonnie (Mamie) Wells, Mrs. Charles (Martha) Ellis, Mrs. Roosevelt (Katherine) Green and Annie Ruth Witt, all of Greenwood, Pauline Gray of Clinton and Ruth Bailey of Connecticut; 13 grandchildren, one reared in the home, Sherita Butler of Greenwood.
The family is at the home and at the home of a daughter Bertha Mae Covington, 106 Stonehaven Drive, Raintree subdivision, Greenwood.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc., Greenwood.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@nctv.com.

Bertha N. Helmuth

ABBEVILLE — Bertha Nissley Helmuth, 85, died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2006 at her daughter’s home. Born in Exeland, Wis., she was a daughter of the late Ira and Barbara Schlabach Nissley. Survivors include 16 children.
Services are 10 a.m. Sunday at Oak Grove Mennonite Church in Aroda, Va. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Visitation is 1-4 and 6-8 p.m. today at the church.
Harris Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harrisfuneral.com.

Willie Jones Jr.

EDGEFIELD — Willie Jones Jr., of 644 Ridge Road, widower of Rosie Mae Kimbell Jones, died Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006 at Edgefield County Hospital.
Born in Edgefield, he was the son of the late Willie Lee and Jessie Elizabeth Walton Jones. He was a member of Pleasant Lane Baptist Church.
Survivors include four sons, David Robertson of Greenwood, John Jones, Robert Jones and Willie Jones, all of Asheville, N.C.; three daughters, Mrs. Leo (Jean) Smith, Mrs. Freddie (Rosa) Chapman and Sara Jones, all of Asheville; five brothers, Butler Jones and Ronnie Jones, both of Johnston, Willie Thomas Jones, Virgil Jones and Henry Lee Jones, all of Edgefield; six sisters, Mrs. Hayward T. (Ella) Key and Jessie Mae Mack, both of Johnston, Mrs. Eddie (Rebecca) Moss of McCormick, Mrs. Curtis (Olethia) Culbreath of Troy, Mary Mack and Gwendolyn Morgan, both of Edgefield; 16 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
The family is at the home of a sister Mrs. Curtis Culbreath, 2607 Hampton Road, Kirksey Community.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc., Greenwood.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@nctv.com.

Clyde W. Thomas

NINETY SIX — Clyde William Thomas, 84, of 105 Lipscomb Avenue, husband of Kathleen Vickery Broome Thomas, died Friday, January 6, 2006 at his home.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of the late William Lawrence and Rebecca Lola Wells Thomas. He retired from Greenwood Mills, Mathews Plant, following over 50 years of service and was a member of Quarter Century Club. He was a US Army veteran of World War II and was a member of Abney Memorial Baptist Church.
Surviving is his wife of the home; two daughters, Kathy Price and her husband, Bobby, of the home and Vicki Skidmore and her husband, Keith, of Greenwood; a son, Larry Broome and his wife, Mary Frances, of Comer, GA; a sister, Lou Ella Yeargin of Greenwood; two brothers, James Dewitt Thomas and Ralph Thomas, both of Greenwood; eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Greenwood Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Ted Williams officiating.
Pallbearers will be grandsons, Robby Price, Tyler Helton, Christopher Broome, Travis Broome, Brandon Howard and Tim Marusarz.
Honorary escort will be great grandsons, Hunter Skidmore, Christian Hansen, Bradley Marusarz and Chase Marusarz.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.
PAID OBITUARY

Vikings take season series
over crosstown rival Greenwood

January 7, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

The Greenwood and Emerald High School boys basketball teams made sure the deciding match-up in the three-game series between the two rivals was an entertaining affair.
The Vikings downed the Eagles, 65-59, Friday in front of a large crowd at Finis Horne Arena, despite a furious 15-0 run by Greenwood in the fourth quarter. The win gave the Vikings the season series by a mark of 2-1.
“This win means a lot,” Emerald forward Tavares Gilliam said. “They think because we’re a AA school they can just talk trash and push us around. We weren’t having that tonight.”
Vikings coach Robin Scott said there were some tense moments during Greenwood’s late charge.
“I just wanted to get the ball in the basket,” Scott said. “We missed several free throws down the stretch. I am glad we got the win, though. I thought I was going to have a heart attack near the end there.”
Greenwood’s A.J. Lomax led all scorers with 18 points. Meanwhile, Peferio Strong tossed in 12 points to lead Emerald.
Both teams played at a fast and frenetic pace in the early part of the first quarter.
Greenwood’s A.J. Lomax opened the game with the hot hand, draining a 3-pointer to open the contest and getting a layup and following free throw for an “old fashioned” 3-pointer. Meanwhile, Demarco Anderson and Nick Lanier hit the boards hard for Emerald, each dropping in finger rolls off rebounds. The Eagles held an 11-5 lead with 4:35 left in the first quarter.
The Vikings began to tighten the game up as the initial quarter wore on.
Using a 1-2-2 defense, Emerald attempted to stymie Greenwood’s perimeter marksmanship. Meanwhile Anderson remained strong in the post, getting to the line and draining five free throws.
Anderson’s charity shots cut Greenwood’s lead to 16-14 at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles seemed to be more determined to go inside in the second quarter, feeding 6-foot-5 center Xavier Dye, who dropped in 7 points in the first 2:00 of the quarter. Meanwhile, Emerald looked to establish its outside game, getting a long 3-pointer from guard Matt Herring. Greenwood was ahead 23-18 with 5:02 left in the first half.
The Vikings tied the game less than a minute later when they got another 3-pointer from Herring and an acrobatic layup from center Will Taylor. Taylor’s circus shot tied the contest at 23-23with 4:20 remaining in the half.
The teams continued to play evenly as the half wound down.
Kadarron Anderson began to emulate his brother, Demarco, in terms of post play prowess. He powered his way to the basket for two layups in the final minute of the half, exciting the large Emerald contingent in attendance. Peferio Strong’s bank shot at the buzzer sent Emerald to the locker room with a 35-30 halftime lead.
The Vikings built on their lead as the second half opened.
Tavares Gilliam was seemingly the focal point of Emerald’s offense early in the third quarter, scoring six points in the first 2:58 of the period.
Meanwhile, Strong nailed a 3-pointer from NBA range, as did Herring. The Vikings were up 49-34 with 4:01 left in the third quarter.
Greenwood whittled away at Emerald’s lead before the fourth quarter began.
Lomax dialed in a 3-pointer at the 2:23 mark and Andre Day connected on a free throw after being fouled and making a short one-hander. The 6-0 mini-run made it 51-42 in favor of the Vikings as the rivals headed to the final quarter.
Greenwood forward Armanti Edwards opened the fourth with a flare. As Gilliam attempted to cap a Viking fastbreak with a dunk, Edwards swooped in from the left and demonstratively swatted Gilliam’s shot into the bleachers, inciting the Greenwood crowd.
However, Emerald quickly quieted the Eagles faithful and gave their own throng something to cheer about by going on a 6-0 burst to push its lead to 59-46 with 3:30 remaining in the contest.
Strong netted two baskets in the mini-run.
True to the back and forth nature of the game, Greenwood struck right back with a run of its own. Using an oppressive full court trap, the Eagles recorded three consecutive steals, with Xavier Dye, Lomax and Day turning each steal into a hoop. Emerald maintained a 59-52 lead with 2:06 left in the match-up.

Lady Eagles earn sweep
over rival Emerald

January 7, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

The Greenwood High School girls basketball team made it a clean sweep over crosstown rival Emerald.
The Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Vikings, 45-33, Friday night at Finis Horne Arena. With the win, Greenwood moved to 3-0 on the year against Emerald.
“We’re glad to have gotten the win,” Greenwood coach Susan Thompson said. “At the same time, the offense needed to finish better. I thought we did pretty well defensively in the first half.” Before the game began, Emerald senior center Elizabeth Nicholson was honored for scoring her 1,000th career point. Nicholson, who was the Lakelands Player of the year last season, hit the 1,000 point mark in Emerald’s Dec. 29 game at Woodruff.
“It was a surprise to me when they honored me before the game,” said Nicholson, who received a game ball signed by her teammates and coach Anarie Duckett.
“I had been working towards it. I knew what I needed to get 1,000.”
The Lady Eagles jumped out to the early lead.
Using full court pressure on defense, Greenwood generated a pair of steals in the opening moments.
On both occasions, Greenwood freshman sharp shooter Syteria Robinson converted the turnovers into swished 3-pointers. The long bombs contributed to an 8-2 Greenwood lead with 5 minutes, 25 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Greenwood continued to maintain the lead throughout the opening quarter.
Robinson continued her scoring ways, finishing the first quarter with 10 points. Meanwhile, patience on offense translated into open jumpers for Ashly Chandler and Vijya Corbett. Despite a pair of free throws from Nicholson to end the period, Greenwood carried a 17-6 lead into the second quarter.
The Lady Eagles continued to pile up points at the beginning of the second quarter.
Showing a marked effort to get opportunities in the paint, Grenwood looked inside to Kyesha Middleton and Jacena Thompson, both of whom popped in layups from point blank range. The Lady Eagles were up 24-6 with 3:09 left in the half.
Greenwood once again looked beyond the 3-point arc to close the half, once again putting the ball in the hands of Robinson and Corbett.
Robinson canned a 3 from the left wing at the 2:38 mark. Moments later, Corbett rained in two 3-pointers from the top of the key, both coming off the dribble. Though Lady Vikings’ Tricie Riley hitfour free throws in the final minute of the half, Greenwood led 30-12 at halftime.
The early stages of the second half offered little variation from the first.
Greenwood’s 2-3 zone defense proved to be troublesome for Emerald. The Lady Eagles transformed missed shots and turnovers into points, including a fadeaway baseline jump shot from Brantley Sacoco. Greenwood held a 39-16 advantage with 2:47 left in the third.
The Lady Vikings mounted a scoring run of their own to close the quarter.
Taking advantage of errant shots from Greenwood, Emerald went on a 6-0 burst. A 17-foot jumper from Nicholson and a writhing, twisting bank shot from Riley highlighted the run. Still, Greenwood maintained a 41-22 lead heading into the final quarter.
Emerald continued to charge at the outset of the fourth quarter.
The Lady Vikings got a short set shot from reserve forward Shanteria Hill to begin the quarter. Two minutes later Nicholson made a straight away 3-pointer to build the run to 11-0 and cut the Greenwood lead to 41-27 with 4:40 left in the game.

U. S. trouble is growing
in South American areas

January 7, 2006

Many South Carolinians have put in their time in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places in the Middle East. Because of that, the war there continues to get the attention of families all over the state. As the new year gets going, though, the Middle East is not the only part of the world where the United States is facing opposition.
All of a sudden, it seems, parts of South America have tilted to the left while more people take an anti-U. S. stance. For example, leaders of Venezuela and Bolivia have joined Cuba’s Communist dictator Fidel Castro in stirring up trouble for this nation.
Castro, by now, is a known quantity. So is Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.

VENEZUELA, OF COURSE, has been a key source of imported oil by the U. S. Because of Chavez, however, our relations with Venezuela are the worst they have been in years. He opposes virtually every U. S. initiative ands creates strife any time he can.
Bolivia’s President-elect Evo Morales, an Aymara Indian, is a former leader of Bolivia’s farmers that grow coca. He has promised to end the U. S.-backed coca eradication program in Bolivia. He says he will continue to fight drug-trafficking, although that seems doubtful.
Morales also plans to nationalize Bolivia’s energy industry and redistribute land. He praises Castro and promises to fight U. S. “imperialism.”
During his electoral campaign, Morales vowed he’d be Washington’s “worst nightmare.”

THIS IS NOTHING NEW in South America, of course. Extremism has always been a characteristic in many South American nations. Whether dictatorial or otherwise, much of it has been anti-democratic, to say the least. Considering the tilt leftward that is now taking place, it’s yet one more good reason for Congress to create a better way of controlling illegal immigration along our southern borders.
It’s also another good reason why the U. S. cannot and should not ever let it’s guard down, at every level.
Maintaining a strong military, unfortunately, is not an option these days. It’s a necessity and it’s getting more extreme with every passing day. With the history of South American politics as backdrop, you have to wonder. If it’s Venezuela and Bolivia today, how long will it be before it’s also Colombia, Peru and others.