Emergency Measures Required for the Kaymoor Mine Stabilization Project for the New River Gorge National River

National Park Service; West Virginia University College of Arts and Sciences

The report details emergency measures required to stabilize Kaymoor Mine. The team studied mine openings and underground workings of the mine to understand the ventilation and mine drainage aspects of the site. This field work was undertaken with the intent of preparing a final report on the stabilization of structures necessary to provide a correct interpretation of the Kaymoor Mine Complex to the general public. This study has included site measurements and photographs as necessary background data for the preparation of drawings and estimates for the stabilization of this historic site. During the course of field work the team discovered several structures, including mine openings, which we consider to be extremely dangerous, both to the public and to the integrity of the structures. With regard to the mine openings, the team worked with an Office of Surface Mining group and representatives of the National Pork Service and have come to an agreement as to what measures can be taken with regard to closing or otherwise making secure a number of mine openings along the bench level from Craig Branch to Wolf Creek. A statement of the work to be done is included in this report together with a site map showing the locations of these various openings, see Drawing 1. As a result of a meeting with the representatives of the three groups it is the team's understanding that this work will be undertaken by the O.S.M. group who will provide not only the engineering details but also the funding necessary to secure these structures and make then safe to the public. Further, it is the team's understanding that this work will be completed in an expeditious manner. During the investigation of all of the structures at the bench level and at the level of the preparation plant and coking ovens, the team found three structures which are in danger of immediate collapse and need to be secured at the earliest possible moment and without delay. The precarious nature of these structures cannot be overstated. The team feels so strongly about this matter that the team changed their entire work plan and method of preparing cost estimates in order to address this emergency situation. The three structures in question are the preparation plant (so called tipple) at the bottom, the head house at the bench level and the Low Moor Fan House structure, see Drawing 2. These three structures are in a state of impending collapse which poses a great danger to the public. Also, since they form the centerpiece of any interpretation of the Kaymoor mine complex, they should be preserved in their entirety. The following sections will outline the steps necessary to secure these three structures and provide an estimate of the coats to accomplish this work.

Emergency Measures Required for the Kaymoor Mine Stabilization Project for the New River Gorge National River

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