UNDERWOOD, N.D. -- A 13-million pound excavating machine at a central North Dakota coal mine is leaning but stable after the ground it was sitting on began giving way Tuesday.
No one was injured at the Falkirk Mine, and the two employees aboard dragline 102, also known as Chief Ironsides, were able to exit it safely, according to David Straley, director of government and public affairs for North American Coal Corporation.
Straley said the company expects to have the machine up and running within three to 10 days. Coal is still being removed from another area of the mine pit.
The machine's operator in the pit of the East Mine between Underwood and Turtle Lake, noticed the machine slipping at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Bulldozers were used to push dirt back against the dragline. It stopped slipping at 5:30 p.m. and has remained stable since, according to Straley.
Damage to the dragline was minimal, affecting just a few handrails and walkways. The boom of the machine never touched the ground.
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Geologists and engineers are being brought in to determine what caused the ground under the dragline, known as the "bench," to start slipping, according to Straley, who explained that, when the bench is "built," only the top layer of dirt is scraped off to create a flat surface for the dragline to sit on. The rest remains untouched.
The mine is also developing a plan to get the dragline unstuck, Straley said. This will involve digging out ground behind the dragline to create a ramp. The dragline, which is fitted with hydraulic "shoes" will then be able to "walk" itself out.
