Muhlenberg C: Central City, KY: Peabody Gibraltar Coal Mine and Marion 5716 Accident

(Satellite, I used the road map because it shows the "land tattoos" better.)

Dale Gerberding posted
[This is how the 5716 is supposed to look.]

Dale Gerberding posted

Gibraltar 5761 Accident

Shovel fell over on it's side while deadheading to a new pit just outside of Central City, KY. It was scrapped at the scene of the accident.

Alan Hall: Once it walked off pads ground broke. Operator swing around put bucket down held it for a while. They decided to swing back around and use bucket for balancing. It didn’t take long after that. If I remember right about 15 minutes or so. It was probably less than 3 hours from off mats to completely turn over. I’m going by what some that were there said. There are a few different stories or opinions to choose from. It didn’t just fall right over tho that’s for sure. It fell pretty fast after they swing it around. I was told operator came running out climb down jumped off crawlers when it was about high as his head off ground. He ran as the shaft was sliding out just missed getting squashed.

[According to some Facebook comments, Dale was one of the operators. No one was hurt. It was scrapped in place. "Peabody wanted the insurance."]

Dale Gerberding posted

Dale Gerberding posted
Harold Atkins: I thank drumond coal bought this 5751 and moved and rebuilt it. The one I operated was bought as scrap cut apart and moved to alabama put back together and operated about 10 years. If it is I operated this shovel at their arkadelphia mine until it was cut up for scrap 

Jason David commented on a post

Brent Dowell posted
Marion 5761 shovel at Gibraltar Mine. Aerial view. Muhlenberg County ky.
Brandon K. Casebier: February 1984
Robert Frazier: I believe the story is they were attempting to load it on a barge to float it down the Green River and it sank and turned over near the river bank.
Randall Franklin: Robert Frazier No they where walking it to park it because the coal seam was deeper than it strip.
Ronald Evans: Randall Franklin Actually they were walking it to another field where the coal was not as deep. To save time the mine superintendent decided to move it across the soft area that you see in the picture. They got half way across it and ran out of trail cable, by the time they got back with more it had already sunk enough that it wouldn't move. They're was no room around it to get equipment around it to help get it moving again, so all they could do was let it roll over, which took several hours.
Tom Moosbrugger: Robert Frazier They actually froze the ground with nitrogen to stabilize it when they walked drag lines onto barges on The Green. They did almost lose one, but it became unstable as it went out onto the barge. The pilot in charge saved it from going over. His name was Bob Claybrookes.
Jamie Conard: It took 20 minutes to fall over. Some say it was intentionally walked slightly off road for insurance.
Michael Davis: Jamie Conard actually it took roughly 2 hours. Insurance was one of the supposed reasons. It also served as a shot across the bow of the unions and a reminder that Peabody was on their way out of Western Kentucky.
[Other comments debate about what was buried, what was cut up and what was moved to another mine.]
Daniel Krähenbühl shared
Daniel Krähenbühl shared
William Oldani

It's interesting reading a lot of the conjecture, a few things to note:

It took nearly 40 minutes to hit the mud once it listed past center.

Arch Mineral purchased one set of crawlers for their Horse Creek 5761

The Idled 8700 was moved to the new reserve and finished mining it out.

Engineers did not go into hiding, this was an Operations failure.

Mining back in the day suffered many misfortunes, but managed to still rise to the occasion!

Many Brilliant Minds back then!

David Owens: William Oldani we moved the River King 3850B after the 5761 turned over. The entire deadhead route had soil samples taken. If it recommended 6’ of rock back fill we put 12’. We double matted the shovel instead of single mats. We painted a center line where to place the mats.In other words we had a triple safety factor. Also, our survey crew was on sight every minute the shovel was on the move. Many things were learned from the KY disaster. As soon as we came up the ramp from the old pit we crossed Plum Creek and then had to sit 24 hours while we waited for off peak hours to drop a regional main feeder electric line. The 3850 only settled 1/4”!
[The shovel was scrapped.]

Eight photos provided by comments in the above post.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Bucyrus Erie Community posted two photos with the comment:

A LOT of conversation recently about this accident and well, let's get the story straight and clear. 

This happened in the mid-80's at Peabody Coal Company's Gibraltar Mine in Central City, Kentucky. The accident occurred during a deadhead to the new pit when they attempted a wetland crossing via a haul road levee. Took the shovel 2 hours or so to fall over when it encountered soft ground. Attempts were made to keep it upright and from falling over, but eventually it was determined it had to fall. Operator rode it almost the entire way and ended up jumping off the side. He was not injured.

The shovel was eventually scrapped on the spot. It was replaced by a Marion 8700 and Bucyrus Erie 1450W dragline. Frosty Bowling was the supervisor of the walk at the time. This is the only documented time a stripping shovel had fallen over on its side. I personally visited the shovel a day after the accident.

Shovel was a Marion 5761 originally installed at the mine when it was a partnership between Ayrshire Collieries and Peabody Coal Company.

Mark Albrecht: I can see that. Old strip ground marshy areas have no bottom to them. You think you are fine and then you start sinking. Been there with my dozer and when you start getting spongy you have to get out of there or it sucks you down

1

2

4:24 video (It makes you appreciate today's phone cameras.)