Jim Paquette, Negaunee

There is an old saying here in the mining community of Negaunee: “The powers-that-be will care little to nothing about caving grounds fencing until someone finds a body floating in an old flooded mine pit.”

Here we go again.

I want to commend The Mining Journal and Staff Writer Ryan Sptiza for sharing the informative front-page article that was published one week ago “Borchert body found in flooded caving ground, mine pit.”

It is apparent that the author and the Journal staff put in a great deal of time and meticulous research into this timely investigation. Obviously, there are still unanswered questions surrounding Lacie Borchert’s tragic death, but Mr. Spitza has exposed another important additional avenue that needs to be investigated not only for the sake of her surviving family, but also for all of us who live in these old Upper Peninsula mining towns, literally surrounded by old mine shafts, flooded mine pits, and caving grounds.

Once again, we are witnesses to an untimely death of one of our citizens, one of our children, in an improperly safety fenced abandoned mine site. Let there be no question that Lacie’s body was indeed found in an old abandoned flooded mine pit caused by a caved-in underground iron ore mine in the city of Ishpeming, and not in some “unnamed” natural lake. Let there also be no question that the state mandated protective fencing that once surrounded this flooded caved-in mine pit, as well as the two dangerous mine shafts on the side of South Pine Street, have been allowed to deteriorate, fall down, and, in some cases, they have been intentionally and illegally torn down by trespassers.

As a mine historian and as a retired “safety guy” for Cliffs and the USWA, I am appalled at what I have uncovered in recent months regarding now-unprotected dangerous abandoned mine properties within our local communities. I have spent my “COVID alone time’ this past year researching our abandoned mines. When I have been able to do so without trespassing, I also visited many of these sites. Sadly, large sections of the old CCI safety non-climbable barbed-wire topped fences are now down throughout our communities, and in some cases, the necessary safety fences were never installed in the first place. We have also located fresh subsidence cave-in holes in public access places.

My repeated warning to so many this past year was that it was only a matter of time before another life here Negaunee and Ishpeming would be taken from us in an unprotected flooded mine pit. My thirty-five years in the iron ore mines fighting for miners’ safety taught me a lot.

More than anything, it taught me that whenever you find something that is unsafe, you need to fix it! If it is what is known as an “imminent danger,” which is the existence of any condition which could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm, then you need to fix it now!

The fact is, we are indeed surrounded by what would definitely be considered imminent dangers by any mining company and union safety people, as well as by our mine’s federal safety and health inspectors from the Mine Safety & Health Administration. We need to fix this, now.

Mr. Spizta’s article did a nice job of laying out the recently discussed future plan of both county and local state officials. There are good people out there who are working on this, including our new county mine inspector Steve Bertucci and our Negaunee county commissioner Gerry Corkin, who do get it. Our local city governments are also trying their best to “fix” the problem. But they need help. Our state legislators need to help us NOW! To begin with, we need new updated laws that address what is happening now to protect our children and our grandchildren from accidental death in the numerous abandoned mines that literally dot our neighborhoods. Everyone agrees that the current standing 1911 County Mine Inspector Act is sorely outdated.

In closing, I say from my heart: no more Ruthie Applebergs, John Johnsons, Dale Lafrenieres, Ruth Ann Millers, Aaron Boersmas, Ernie Salos, Tommy Leklins, Oliver Finnilas, Roy Lampis, Malena Petersons, Mary Whites, Gustaf Andersons, Joe Caseys, Phi Kuhns, Sara Harsilas, Freddy Bulmans, Carl Hochs, Bill Harringtons, John Alanens, Mike Harringtons and Lacie Borcherts dying in the unprotected abandoned mine pits and old mine shafts that are here in our mining communities. No more tears.

Editor’s note: Jim Paquette is a well-known local iron ore historian and longtime mine safety expert. He resides in Negaunee.