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00TheHIN NNEI00S
n o rne o f 00til°e 'W°'2° °V W°ate/°00F es t iv a 1
Volume 89 No. 46 Hinton, West Virginia Tuesday March 12, 1991
25
Cents
w
3 Injured as Train Slams Into 100' Rock Slide
By Fred Long
=This mightbe the end," J. Melvin
Frostf' Plumley said raced through
his mind seconds before his 2-en-
gine, 81-car manifest train slammed
into a 100 foot rock slide on Hinton's
East Yard, Wednesday, causing the
.. engine to jump the tracks and turn
"on its side leaving Plumley trapped
in the wreckage for 2 hours and 5
minutes andinjuring two other men.
The train's engineer, Shirley
Epperly, the conductor, M. T.
Montgomery ,nd Plumley, the
brakeman, each suffered from inju-
ries caused in the 3:37 pm derail-
ment that came only 7 minutes after
rocks began falling from the 80 foot
embankment.
=We came around the curve and
saw this rock slide bigger then our
engine," Plumley said. "Shirley
yelled 'hold on' and put the train in
emergency turning on the brakes. I
opened the door and started to jump
but we were going too fast and I
closed the door and got on my knees
and braced myself for the impact.
We hit the rocks and started to turn
over. It was sort oflike slow motion.
The rocks were comi ngin on top of us
and my feet went under the seat and
it folded up on them. I thought my
feet wereeompletelyeruehed. I was
in terrible pain."
Epperly managed to get on the
radio and call the accident in and
was able to climb out of the engine;
however, Montgomery was also
trapped by one foot'that was pinned
under the seat, Plumley said.
Epperly and Montgomery were
both treated at the Summers County
Hospital and released. Plumley was
flown by a Health-Net helicopter to
Raleigh General Hospital where he
was treated and released.
"We were very, very lucky,"
Plumley said last night while rest-
ing, almost in a reclined position, on
a couch in the front room of his
parents home in Avis. Both ankles
are swollen twice its normal size
with large bags of ice around them in
an effort to reduce the swelling and
relieve some of the phin. Until the
swelling goes down, Plumley said,
doctors will be unable to determine
the extent ofhis injuries. "Both are
sprained and sore, maybe some liga-
ments torn. They can't see that in an
x-ray. All I know is nothing is bro-
ken ."
Hinton firemen were dispatched
to the scene moments after the acci-
dent and when arriving were blocked
from the derailment by three other
trains that were standing on the
tracks between the Greenbrier River
and the accident, said Steve Pack,
Director of Emergency Services.
Pack an d Fireman Joe Adki n s passed
between the trains to get to the
toppled engine.
=It was an awesome sight to see
one of those gigantic engines on its
side," Pack said. Each engine holds
3,000 gallons of diesel full, he said,
and =we were looking at the poten-
tial of 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel and
our biggest concern at that time was
that these engines have 440 volts
running through them."
The fuel switch was still on and
Pack sadd CSXengineer Kent Bartgis
climbed in the engine, turned the
switch off and pulled the main
breaker fuses. His actions, Pack
said, "contributed immeasurably" to
the operation by eliminating the
danger of an electrical spark that
could have set the fuel on fire.
"The biggest thing that I was
"afraid of," Plumley said, "is that
everything would catch on fire."
At the same time rocks were still
falling from the hillside, Pack said.
"We didn't know if in the next five
seconds the whole hill side would
come down crashing on us.
Joe Adkins, Roger Williams and
David Light went into the engine
and began working to free the two
men, and in the meantime CSX
Transportation began cutting the
trains that blocked the way.
"CSX was very helpful in getting
these, trains out of the way, Pack
said. "Getting these trains cut so we
could get ouT'equipment in wasthe
big thing. They were Johnny-on.
the-spot.
Inside the cab with the trapped
men were rocks the si ze of suitcases,
Health Department Services
Eliminations/Reductions
Due to budget cuts it has become
necessary to ELIMINATE the fol-
lowing services at the Summers
County Health Department, effec-
tive dates as indicated:
1) Pap Smear & Breast Examina-
tion EFFECTIVE: Apr. I.
2) Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure,
and Hemoglobins EFFECTIVE: Apr.
1.
3) Private Water Samples -
EFFECTIVE: Immediately.
Failed Drainfields
Assistance Available
Financial and technical assistance
is now available for Summers County
families and individuals living in
homes with failing septic tanks to
replace them with experimental
individual on-sits constructed wet-
lands, according to Steve Trail,
County Sanitarian who is working
as a visiting WV University exten-
sion professor for the project.
Individuals on-site constructed
wetlands, now in use in Louisiana
and Arkansas, have been used to
replace failing septic tank drainfields
with shallow gravel beds in which
bulrushes and cattails are grown. In
these experimental systems, bacte.
ria, which grow naturally within the
roots of these plants are used to
purify the septic tank discharge so
that it can be safely released into
nearby streams without problems of
odor or pollution, he said.
accessible to a paved road to facili-
tate construction and monitoring.
The family must be willing to
cooperate with the project, agree to
use the water saving plumbing fLX-
tures which will be provided as a
part of this grant and allow occa-
sional entry upon the property for
the collection ofwastewater samples
and visits from persons interested in
seeing the wetlands. All visits to the
site will be, as far as possible, sched-
uled • in advance and at the conven-
ience of the resident.
Residents must meet moderate
income limitations: One person,
$14,200; two people, $16,200; three,
$18,200; four, $20,250; five, $21,500;
six, $22,800; seven, $24,050; eight,
$25,300.
Persons interested in participat-
ing in the project are asked to con-
tact Steve Trail at 466-3388.
The following services will be
REDUCED, effective Apr. 1:
Immunization/rB skin testing
will be held once monthly. ( APRIL
1, MAY 6, and JUNE 3).
It is with deep regret that we have
been forced, due to lack of funds, to
eliminate and reduce these services.
It is hoped that July 1, we will be
able to reinstate the above men-
tioned, much needed, services.
If you have any questions, please
call 466 - 3388.
Anderson
Named To
NCAL
W. Va. Senator Leonard W. An-
derson has been named as a member
of the Agriculture and International
Trade Committee of the National
Conference of State Legislatures
(NCAL).
The committee is one of eleven
standing committees of NCAL's
State-Federal Assembly (SFA),
NCSL's policymakingbody.The SFA
is responsible for the Conferenos's
lobbyingefforts before Congress, the
, White House and federal agencies.
The SFA convenes three times a
year to meet with federal officials
and develop recommendations on a
Continued on page 8
Utilizing a State/Hud Small Cit-
ies Grant, the Summers County
Commissioners, working with the
Region I Planning and Development
Council, will install four of these
experimental systems at sites within
Summers County at no cest or obli-
gation to the homeowner or renter.
County residents receiving these
systems must agree to take reason-
able care of them and meet moder-
ate income criteria required to re-
ceive federal funding assistance.
To be eligible, Trail said, the home
must be an existing, owner or renter
occupied residence in which a septic
tank and drain field has either been
installed and failed or has never
been installed.
The sits must contain a fiat open
area of at least 300 square feet or
more with good drainage and ade-
quate sun exposure, be near a sea.
sonal or year round flowing stream
not subject to seasonal flooding and
PSD PLAN RELEASED
The Public Service Commission
today announced the release of the
Summers County PSD Plan. The
Plan has been submitted to the
Summers County aCommission for
their review.
Under W. Va. law, a study of each
public service district is required.
Studies are county-wide and to in-
clude all public service districts.
The primary goal in the prepara-
tion of County Plans is to achieve
and maintain efficiency of opera-
tions. Information is compiled and
analyzed on each public service dis-
trict in an effort to sort out problem
areas. Poasible steps for improve-
ment are then outlined. After all
information has been carefully re-
viewed, a Plan is formulated in rela-
tion to the creation, consolidation,
inerger, expansion or dissolution of
a public service district. Plans are
developed in the best interest of the
public, taking into consideration
cost-effectivenese, current technol-
ogy and feasibility.
The Summers County Commis-
sion, by law, has six months from
date of receipt, to solicit comments
from its public service districts. Any
proposed modifications should be
made at this time.
The Public Service Commission
Staffhas recommended to the Sum-
mers County Commission that the
public service districts of Big Bend,
Jumping Branch-Nimitz and
Meadow Creek remain in their pres-
ent form of operation. Any revisions
necessary to this Plan will be made
as additional information becomes
available.
Pack said. "How in the world they
got through this is a miracle. We
were assuming the worse and I called
for assistance." The Beaver Volun-
teer Fire Department answered the
call. "They responded will and it
was great that they dame."
After freeing Montgomery the
firemen tegan working to free
Plumley and at 5:40 phlled him from
the wreck, Pack said.
=I appreciate everyone that
helped," Plumley said. Joe Adkins
worked like a dog. He didn't stop
and he knew exactly what to do. We
have some really good people on our
fire department and rm thankful we
have them.
Pack said if it were not for the
experience that the firemen have in
rescue operations this rescue would
not have gone as smoothly. "You
can't train for something like this,"
he said. "You only gain this type of
proficiency after years and years of
experience. You just don't go out
and tear a train apart everyday."
After working for over two hours members of the "Jaws of Life," managed to free Plumley from the
HintonFireDepartmentpulledJ.Melvin"Frosty" twisted metal that had him pinned inside the
Plumley from the wreckage ofa CSX engine that overturned engine. Shirley Epperly and M. T.
overturned, Wednesday, after slamming into a Montgomery were also injured in the freak acei-
100 foot rock slide at the east end of East Yard in dent. All received treatment at a hospital and
Hinton. Fireman Joe Adkins, front left, using the have been released.
Above: Tons of earth and rock came crashing
down on CSX Transportation railing Wednesday
afternoon covering the tracks and causing a
westbound two-engine, 81-car manifest to over-
turn trapping three men inside. CSX began
cleanup operations that night and Thursday.
Below: The overturned engine where Hinton
Police Chief John Plumley'e father was trapped
for over two hours. John Plumley is standing on
the ground, third from the left.
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