I once was working at a Virginian coal prep plant where raw coal from the deep mines is separated from the rock, cleaned, and then sized. The plant takes this coal through the process of crushing and screening it to the end user’s requirements. It is a wet process that uses a very large amount of recycled water. Once the water has been used in the plant, it runs through a separator to remove coal particulates and then is pumped up to a holding pond to settle out any remaining solids. These holding ponds are normally “up the hill” or over in the “holler,” generally about two to four miles from the plant, requiring the use of multiple pumping stations along the way.
At the pond, some of which cover 10 to 15 acres, there is a downhill pump to return the water back to the plant, starting the cycle over again. Access to some of these pumps and power stations can be difficult and make even the Rubicon Trail seem tame. That was especially true at one particular remote power station that we encountered. These “power stations” are made up of a skid with a large box containing a small dry type transformer, fused disconnect, and motor starter. This mobile station can be dragged by a truck or dozer to other locations as needed. The pump is on a floating platform to prevent drawing up solids from the bottom.
| Agkistrodon contortrix – more commonly known as a Copperhead Rattlesnake – was certainly an unexpectedhazard during my remote infrared inspection. Image courtesy of Greg Hume – Wikimedia Commons. |
After the escort opened the station for the inspection, and as I was taking my position to begin the inspection, we heard a very disturbing sound. A kind of buzzing, but it was not electrical and certainly not bees. Staring up at me from under the starter and the transformer was a very unhappy Copperhead Rattlesnake!
Thankfully, it was early spring and quite cool, and the snake was not moving very fast. My escort, on the other hand, moved very quickly and jumped over the hood of the truck with a sound that I’ve never heard from a human being. Laughing at his reaction, I moved back a safe distance, switched to a telephoto lens, and completed my inspection of the station. The poor gentleman with me refused to go anywhere near the cabinet to close it back up. We called down to the plant to have someone come up and deal with the snake and close the cabinet.
While we waited for a wrangler, we realized how bad the encounter could have been. If one of us had been bitten, help was at least 35 to 40 minutes away. I asked if there was an anti-venom kit in the truck. The escort replied no, but that there had better be one, along with a “snake tool,” (a.k.a. a .410 shotgun) in the truck before his next trip or he was not coming to the location again.
Sometimes you just don’t know what you may encounter during an inspection or what kind of gear you may need. This has stuck with me since then. Now, whenever I go into remote areas to inspect gear, I ask beforehand if there are any wildlife concerns and if the required equipment, both first-aid and protection, are readily accessible.