LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — The Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour is open again on Tuesday, a day after an electrical malfunction temporarily stranded 54 visitors and two staff members in the mine at McDade Park.
County officials said 56 people safely got out of the mine using its escape device in about one hour and 30 minutes, and no one was injured.
An electrical malfunction occurred Monday afternoon in the mechanism that controls the mine car that carries visitors into and out of the mine.
According to Paul Bechtel, county director of parks and recreation, a piece of plastic snapped off a relay switch and became jammed between its contacts, preventing the completion of the electrical circuit necessary to operate the mine car’s control device. The plastic was removed, and the mechanism was tested and in operation Monday by 6:30 p.m.
Bechtel said that the district supervisor and two electrical inspectors for the state Office of Deep Mining had inspected and passed the mine Monday morning. When the electrical problem arose, mine personnel immediately contacted the Office of Deep Mining, and the supervisor returned to help identify the problem and assist in the repair.
County leaders say that the parks and mine staff and the Scranton Fire Department will participate in joint training at the mine this summer and that the fire department will be included in the response to any future emergency at the mine.