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Jan 1, 1930

G. B. Southward, Mechanization Engineer of the American Mining Congress, Washington, D. C., presiding. PRESIDENT HERRES: If you will come to order, please, we will get started on this morning's program. This morning's program takes up the matter of mechanized mining, particularly mechanical loading. There has been considerable progress made in the West with mechanical loading, but we are interested particularly in what is being done in other fields. We are particularly fortunate in being able to have with us Mr. G. B. Southward, Mechanization Engineer of the American Mining Congress. Mr. Southward has devoted his time for the past several years entirely to a national study of mechanized mining. He is the author of the Year Book published by the American Mining Congress, which is the authority for progress and development on mechanical loading. Mr. Southward has come here from Washington, D. C., particularly for this meeting. We have asked him to speak on the national phases of mechanized mining, and particularly on what is being clone in the East, since we are familiar with what is being done in the western field. I take great pleasure in introducing Mr. Southward. (Applause.) MR. SOUTHWARD: Mr. President and Gentlemen: Before starting on this gaper, I would like to express to all of you and to your President my appreciation in being asked to come here. It is a privilege. This question of coal mine mechanization, as you all know, is a big one. It is too big a problem for any one company to handle and it is through such meetings as these, through the co-operation of the various companies throughout the United States, that we have been able to make the progress that we have made. As Mr. Herres has said, I am not going to try to tell you gentlemen anything that is going on out here, in the West. You already know that yourselves. But he has asked me to give a brief resume of the progress that mechanization has made in the eastern coal states.

Jan 1, 1929

By Arthur P. Sanda

Thank you Clark, for that extraordinary introduction, but Paul Harvey would be disappointed if I didn't tell you ... the rest of the story. It's true that I began my career at the Boston Traveler newspaper, one of the last of the breed that started as an office boy and eventually advanced to staff reporter. However, what the biography doesn't tell you is that after that stellar rise to prominence in the Boston financial community, the afternoon Traveler was merged into the morning Boston Herald, and I was out of a job. Between the Traveler - which I closed - and the Brockton Enterprise - where I helped bring about the first labor strike in the newspaper's 100 year history - for a short period I worked double shifts at a bomb factory where we made beanbag mines for use in Vietnam. That is until the plant blew up one morning between my shifts - my last shift, as you can guess. Incidentally, my job was quality control. Before accepting my first public relations job with Boston Gas Company - and handling the media during that companies longest strike in history - I worked part time as a police officer in the small Massachusetts town of Halifax, during which time I wrecked the town's only patrol car - twice. Having contributed all I could to Boston Gas Company, I moved on to the parent company - Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates - where I was instrumental in closing down the last remaining coke plant in the Northeast in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia - and got my first exposure to the coal industry - a visit to Eastern's last two coal mines in western Pennsylvania, Culver and Delmont - which were closed a month later. With the coal boom at its apex in the late '70s, the bosses thought it would be safe - and safer for the other subsidiary companies - for me to be given the opportunity to establish a formal public relations department at Eastern Associated Coal Corp. In my 10 years with Eastern Associated, I was able to help take the company from 17 operating mines down to 6, from 8 longwall sections down to 5, and eventually have the entire company sold to Peabody, While at the same time, bringing an end to the coal boom. It was at this point that journalism again beckoned, which coincided with COAL magazine purchasing Coal Age from McGraw Hill Publishing. In my l l years with the magazine, we've taken it from Coal Mining and Processing, to Coal Mining, to just COAL, and back to Coal Age - which is the best thing we ever did - and we've had the company sold ... twice.

Jan 1, 1999

Oren. F. Bridwell: The President declares there is a quorum. Since the minutes of last year's meeting arc published in the Proceedings, unless there is objection, we will dispense with the reading of the minutes. There being no objection the minutes will he dispensed with. Is there a report from the Treasurer? Raymond Venous, Chairman, Auditing Committee: I'd like to submit the report for the Secretary-Treasurer for the previous year. Following is the financial report of the Treasurer from May 21, 1964 to May 24, 1965. (Report submitted) May we say, "Cussie," you keep a very, very nice set of hooks. Thank you. Oren F. Bridwell: You have heard the report of the condition of our treasury. We are solvent, at any rate. You have also heard the report of the Auditing Committee. If we might have a motion that the report of the auditing committee he accepted. Moved, seconded and carried. We'll have a report of the Resolutions Committee. Max A. Robe, Chairman, Resolutions Committee: Ladies and gentlemen, we have four resolutions, which we trust are going to he in the best interests of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute and the coal industry in general.

Jan 1, 1965

By Bill Gray

Jan 1, 2008

By N/A N

Jan 1, 1981

The Wednesday morning session started with a film "The Greatest Good" presented by the Colorado Mining Association, courtesy of A. George Setter. President Joe Taylor opened the business meeting at 9:30 a.m. He called for a report from the Auditing Committee. The report was read and a motion was made for approval. It was made, seconded and approved. The report from the Resolutions Committee was submitted by Mr. Robert Delaney, Chairman of the committee. It reads as follows: RESOLVED: Whereas, in the year since the last convention of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute, the Institute and the coal mining industry generally have suffered the loss through death of the services of:

Jan 1, 1968

By Huston H. Watt

During recent years the designing of mine cars has become a very highly specialized art. Mechanical methods of mining, constantly increasing speeds of transportation and thin seams of coal have made it absolutely essential to develop low cars of maximum capacity. The producer of coal from thick seams, because of mechanical mining, which he is already employing or con- templating adopting, is now as much interested in low cars of high capacity, as is the thin seam operator. The mine car builder has been alert to this trend and is equipped with a specially trained corps of engineers and salesmen, who receive the necessary information from the producer and develop therefrom a suitable car design to fulfill the conditions.

Jan 1, 1931

By V. F. Parry

The author wishes to acknowledge the advice and criticism of A. C. Fieldner, chief, Coal Division, Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior; the assistance of Durbin Van Law, consulting industrial engineer, Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, Denver, Colo., who furnished valuable information on trends of coal production in Utah by making available his unpublished report "Utah Coal Industry"; and the aid of J.C. Beltz, associate research chemist, Bureau of Mines, Washington, D. C., who reviewed and checked the data, and of W. S. Landers, assistant chemical engineer, Bureau of Mines, Golden, who assisted in the preparation of many of the statistical data, in this report.

Jan 1, 1942

By John R. Spencer

Today's coal market offers many unique buying and selling opportunities. By reviewing past and present marketing practices, new contracting philosophies can be developed with cooperation between the buyer and seller that can lead to a more stable market. This paper presents an analysis of the past and present coal markets and techniques that are currently being used in contracting that are intended to develop a more stable market place in the future.

Jan 1, 1987

PRESIDENT MOSES.: The meeting will please come to order. Will you kindly state your names prior to making any statements, in order that we may deep the record straight? The first paper this morning is a joint one on vocational training, by D. W. Rockey, H. A. Tiemann and Wm. Moorhead. Mr. Rocdey. (Applause.) D. W. ROCKEY (State Superintendent, Industrial Education, Santa Fe, New Mexico) (Mr. Rocdey's notes not received in time for publication.) MR. TESCHER: I would like to ask you, Mr. Rocdey, you say you gave the Phelps-Dodge Corporation financial assistance; to just what extent was the State obligated, and how much assistance was given, etc.?

Jan 1, 1927

The sixth Annual RMCMI Mine Rescue Evaluation was held during the 1997 Institute convention at Sheraton Steamboat Resort, Colorado. The Mine Rescue committee, co-chaired by Becki Boam and Gary Cook, is one of 18 committees of the Institute. In 1997 the largest number of teams participated in the program. There were nine: BHP Minerals - La Plata Mine, BHP Minerals - Navajo Coal Co., BHP Minerals - San Juan Coal Co., Bridger Coal Co., The Coteau Properties Co., General Chemical Co., The Sabine Mining Co., Solvay Minerals and Western Energy Co. Professional evaluators who provided challenging scenarios for the 80 participants were Jack Knight of Milton, Florida; Wilson Begay, Chris Saxon, and Gaylon Yazzie all of Western States Security; Mary Bailey, Bailey Associates; Tom Bass, California Department of Corrections; and Art Saenz, BDC. Seven members made up each team plus one or more trainers and represented the states of Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Ten different scenarios were presented during the two day evaluation. Each team was given the pertinent information to solve the problem as they assembled at the site. Mine Rescue families and friends participated as victims providing realistic scenarios to simulate the stress of an actual rescue incident. Each team was unaware of the circumstances until arriving at the various scenes in and around the Sheraton resort. [ ] These teams are providers of prompt rescue and medical care for accident victims at their respective properties. The members act with immediate and professional knowledge to save lives and prevent further injuries. Sponsors who contributed financially to the 1997 program are: Argo Industrial, Antelope Construction, Fisher Safety Supply, Flanders Electric Motor Service, Inc; Intermountain Electronics, Inc.; King Energy Services, Inc.; Rocky Mountain Electric Motors, LS.; TerraMatrix and Triune Inc. On Saturday evening, June 28, a reception was held for all mine rescue participants and spouses who had advance registered for this social event. The RMCMI Board of Directors was invited to attend and meet with the teams. As convention attendees, all mine rescue participants and registered families attended the Monday night country western reception and Bar-B-Q. This was followed by an adult western melodrama. [ ] Glass awards with the RMCMI logo and a Mine Rescue figure were presented at the Tuesday Mine Rescue buffet breakfast to all nine teams, each of which had achieved proficiency at level 3. Captains of the teams pictured below are (from left standing): Ron Neff, BHP-San Juan; Ted Laughline, Bridger, Terry Davis, Coteau; Jim Knutson, General Chemical (from left kneeling): Dan Allerdings, Rosebud; Ron Miller, BHP-Navajo; Jonathan Sorrell, BHP-La Plata and Ray Blaisdell, Solvay. Gary Cook is to be commended for his solo last minute supervision of the Mine Rescue program, due to Becki Beam's unavoidable absence. The teams look forward to the 1998 convention at Snowmass Village Resort, Colorado Thursday and Friday, June 25 and 26.

Jan 1, 1997

By Mike Onsager

Jan 1, 2006

Profiled on these pages are the eight RMCMI 1996 Scholarship Award winners. All eight winners were present as guests of the Institute at the June convention in Durango, Colorado. Each received recognition at the Institute Awards Luncheon Monday, July 1. 1996. Each state vice president sewed as the host for the collegiate winner and his firm provided travel and hotel expenses. In addition to receiving a plaque from the Scholarship Chairman, Alan Czarnowsky, each winner receives $1,000 tuition credit for the coming academic year, as well as transportation hotel lodging and meals at convention as guests of the Institute. Because this is a continuing award, the winners from the previous year also receive a $1.000 tuition credit in their senior year if recommended by the dean of the college or university and are full time students. A resident from each of the eight RMCMI member states is selected from among Board approved institutions. Criteria for these awards to be made in the spring annually is that the recipient (1) Is a full time sophomore student who will use the tuition credit during the junior year. (2) Be both a U.S. citizen and a resident of the member state. (3) Maintain good academic standing, be pursuing a degree in a mining related field and have an expressed interest in western coal as a possible career path. The scholarship program includes curricula other than in the mining departments, but in engineering disciplines, such as geology, mineral processing and metallurgy. Contributions to this worthy project are tax deductible to each individual RMCMI member or his firm. Through annual donations of $100 or more, the Patrons of the Institute fund the scholarship program. A listing or current donors is found elsewhere in this book. Donations to this worthwhile program are payable to RMCMI Scholarship and may be mailed to the RMCMI Office, 3000 Youngfield Street, Suite 324, Lakewood, Colorado 80215. Profiles of the 1996 Scholarship Winners follow. [ ] ARIZONA WINNER Michelle Begaye New Mexico Tech - Socorro. New Mexico Michelle Lisa Begaye plans to work in a mine near her Navajo Reservation after graduation. She would like to continue teaching the young in her community as she has been doing for the past few years. As a volunteer with the Natani' Trails, she takes at-risk students on wilderness experiences such as rafting, repelling, etc. Active in school, she played the trombone, was in speech and drama, played softball, and was the first female to play football as a right and left tackle. A member of National Honor Society in High Shool, she also made the Dean's List at Navajo Community College. Michelle will pursue a degree in Environmental Engineering when she transfers to New Mexico Tech this fall. [ ] COLORADO WINNER Nicole Albert Colorado School of Mines - Golden. Colorado Nicole is pursuing a BS in Mining Engineering with a Minor in Mineral Economics - and has already proven her serious intent with her many activities related to mining. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers; Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration; and has participated in two different projects related to mining, one of which was to clean up a mine tailings site. Nicole enjoys hunting, camping, fishing, softball and horses. Growing up with her father, working at a surface coal mine, sparked her interest in this industry.

Jan 1, 1996

By Dan Jackson

9:00 a.m., June 28, 1983 MR. MORTENSEN: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Again, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to another session of the 79th meeting of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute. The thing again that has always been impressive are the activities that we've had so far. The success in the meetings has been delightfully encouraging to all of our committee people. Please welcome the chairman of the session, Charlie Margolf. MR. MARGOLF: Thank you, Vernal. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It would be my privilege to serve as the session chairman this morning. To allow the maximum time for our speakers, I'll turn the microphone over to Bernie Bernstrom who will introduce our first speaker. MR. BERNSTROM: Thank you. As Vernal mentioned, Dan Jackson will be our first speaker. He is the Western Editor of Coal Age Magazine. Dan really doesn't need an introduction to this group. He's belonged to the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute about 25 years. Dan is a native of West Virginia and he's an ex-coal miner. He graduated form West Virginia University as an electrical engineer and worked for Amherst and West Bending Coal prior to employment by Coal Age Magazine. Back in 1972 Coal Age moved him to Denver from New York City. MR. JACKSON: When Vernal Mortensen asked me speak to the members of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute earlier this year I found it impossible to say no to the guy because of what he has contributed to western coal. Little did 1 know that the subject he had in mind would be entitled, "An Outsider's View of Western Coal." At first I asked myself-I've been associated with the coal industry for some 38 years, 12 years in national operations and 26 years reporting on it. You might say that I've been married to two industries, coal and the business press for 26 years, but today I'll put on my business press hat and try to make an impression of what an outsider might think of western coal. But at the outset, let's get one thing straight: When you say press, whether it's business press, the media or whatever, and you heard some comments yesterday as far as what the media has done .to this industry and there's been some definitions bandied around as to just what an editor is. One of the most recent ones has defined an editor as a person who can talk on any subject with an open mouth. Now that's not my case. Secondly, I don't give long talks. Several years ago I was giving a rather lengthy talk to a group similar to this and it was halfway through the talk when I noticed one guy on my right looking at his watch quite frequently. I didn't mind that too much because all of us do that once in a while, but when he looked at his watch, took it off and shook it, I thought, "My God, better cut short." But for more than a decade western coal has enjoyed substantial annual increases in production from some 30,000,000 tons in 1970 to some 264,000,000 tons in 1981, but 1982 was a different story. We lost about 6,000,000 tons of production in that year. In 1983 it's expected to be a little worse than '82. Coal historically doesn't rebound from a recession as quickly as other industries. It takes about eight to 10 months longer for us to really get moving again and I'm afraid that you'll still have to don your fighting helmets and flack jackets when you go out into the market to sell your product. Western coal, as you know, has problems and al l of them are not going away when the recession ends and they won't go away overnight. I'm sure most of you are aware of what those problems are. Carl Bagge and Jim Harris, along with other speakers, at this meeting have educated us well on those problems and I'm sure you'll hear more from Jim Watt at today's luncheon. If everyone in this room were asked to list three orfourof the most serious problems facing western coal, I'd make book that the total of the answers wouldn't vary by more than 3 to 5%, if that much. But coal is not the only mining segment in the U.S. with problems. Metal and non-metal mining has its share, too. I'd like to step back into the past for a few minutes, if I may, to a time when our problems were just beginning. Since 1979 a third of the nation's mines, including coal, metal and nonmetal have been shut down. The total volume of all mining in the U.S. in that year totaled some $24 billion. Today that figure has dropped some 21 %. The after tax rate on return for mining companies has fallen from 6'/% in 1980 to minus 3% in 1983. But that's really not where our problems began. They began 20 years ago when a profound change began taking place in the U.S. economy. Our economy had been growing at about 2'/-3% annually without exception except for the great depression. Our inflation rate was about I'/%, interest rates were running about 6%, and the federal budget was $77 billion, really great figures compared to today. From 1960 to 1980 the federal budget increased almost 1.000% and taxed paid by individual families increased by 700% during that same period. Despite the huge increases in taxes, the federal deficit kept getting larger and larger year after year and within this 20 year period the national debt climbed to a trillion dollars. Economic progress of this type can't continue indefinitely without some serious consequences. The result of that economy, well, you know what happened and there is a direct relationship of that

Jan 1, 1983

Jan 1, 2009

DR. BANOWSKY: Thank you very much. That was the shortest introduction that I have had lately, and I didn't have time to get my coat on. But I appreciated it, and I'm delighted to be here with an industry with which 1 feel strong affinity. At the University of Oklahoma we have an energy history. We are a little more currently involved in oil and gas, and those of you who know the history of our state would be aware we have an early coal development back really before the turn of the century in the southeast part of our state what we call Little Dixie. How many of you have spent anytime in Oklahoma or are from the state of Oklahoma? I'm not going to ask how many are from OSU or the University of Colorado. We did send you a football coach here from Oklahoma, and 1 see you have exchanged him. Several of you were only interested in the lobby in asking about our football team this year. 1 would like to go somewhere where we can talk about something besides football. I'm just trying to build a University that our football team can be proud of. We're going to be strong again. 1 can assure you. We've got the best football team money can buy. It's not quite as bad as the college president who called the coach in and said, "Coach we're in trouble, you're losing games and the alumni is very unhappy." "What can we do?" the president asked. The coach said, "Well the football team is flunking the admissions test. We can't get them in with the standard achievement and SAT tests." The president said, "What can we do?" The coach said, "Well the coaching staff has substituted for the American College Test the simple fill in the blank questionnaire." The president said, "Let's use it. We have got to get the team in." The first question was, Old MacDonald had a (-). And a couple of the big tackles were taking it and one of them said, "Hey, what did Old MacDonald have?" His friend said, "Stupid, Old MacDonald had a farm." "Well how do you spell farm?" He said, "Stupid, e i e i 0." Now the gentleman who met me at the registration line from Lakewood, Colorado, was asking me about one of our great big tackles; and he is doing well. We call him Doctor Death; he is also a wrestler and that gentleman said, "1 don't know how bright he is." 1 said, "He is bright enough for our academic tutoring that he is going to get through all right." So I'm delighted to see you and be here with my very dear friend, Carl Terzian. Carl and 1 were in Los Angeles together for 10 or 12 years when I was president of Pepperdine University. He and I are exactly the same age. Born in 1935 and 1 a month or two later in 1936. Fewer children were born in that period than in any other period of time in this century. For those of you who remember anything about that period, you will know why no one was having babies during that period. But Carl called and said, "Bill do you know where Vail, Colorado is?" Well when you live in Oklahoma, you learn where Colorado is in a hurry. 1 not only know this beautiful area, but have made too much of an investment here at a place called Beaver Creek. The real estate is cheap over there. 1 play regularly in the Gerald Ford Invitational Golf Tournament here. Hope you will visit Beaver Creek. It's just 10- 12 miles to the west. The sight of the 1976 winter olympics until the people of Colorado voted them out. And now Vail Associates and I are good Oklahoma families. Bass family, Harry Bass of course, many of you know this story, who is chairman of the Board of Vail Associates, is making quite an investment in that year-round resort area. Beautiful golf course now. You can come out and afford the green's fee and beautiful, beauti-

Jan 1, 1982

PRESIDENT BUBB: Gentlemen, this gathering marks the thirty-third mile- stone of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute. The Chair earnestly hopes our discussion of valuable papers which have been prepared so painstakingly by our members and friends of the Institute will assist us in the solution of problems common to our industry. The reading of the minutes will be the next order of business. For your guidance it has been customary in the past to dispense with the minutes on motion from the floor, inasmuch as the minutes are printed. May I have a motion to that effect? MR GILBERT DAVIS (Dawson, New Mexico): I move that the reading of the minutes be dispensed with. (The motion was regularly seconded, voted on and carried).

Jan 1, 1935

By M. H. Forester

The Bituminous Coal Industry has for the past year been faced with a most serious problem. I am sure that you have had your own individual and local problems, as do we all. In my thirty years of practical experience with coal mining, I have never found an operating man nor a coal mine without problems. The very nature of mining, with so many unknown factors involved, precludes the absence of problems. But they are not insurmountable, and one should not dwell on them interminably. They should be recognized as a challenge to our ability and ingenuity to solve them, and once the proper solution is found, it should be applied and the problem dismissed. However, we find ourselves at the moment in the midst of a serious challenge to our very existence. In the early thirties, many in the industry welcomed the re-establishment of Unionism as a balance wheel, in the belief that the stabilization of wage scales would also stabilize prices and eliminate disastrous price cutting practices. The ultimate effects of having twenty-six years of benevolent paternalism in the administrative branches of Federal and State Governments with their labor courting policies, could hardly have been anticipated. And so with wages spiralling under government sponsorship, we have finally reached the point where competitive fuels, such as natural gas and oil are more attractive to the consumer, from the economic angle of cents per BTU cost, than coal.

Jan 1, 1953

Jan 1, 1984