This silence says an awful lot

It’s shocking and frankly sad to finally learn what the owners of the Crandall Canyon Mine knew or should have known about the cause of the mine collapse that ultimately claimed the lives of nine people involved in the disaster.

After a protracted legal fight, in which mine co-owner Robert Murray battled all the way to the California Supreme court to prevent the disclosure, The Salt Lake Tribune recently obtained minutes of meetings that show that while Murray begged the world in televised press briefings to believe the mine’s August collapse was caused by an earthquake, he knew of a mining-related explosion five months earlier that forced the operation to shut down.

"When The Tribune asked Murray about the March bounce a week after the August collapse, he said, ‘It’s the first time I’ve heard of this.’ Murray blamed the collapse on an earthquake, a viewpoint discredited by scientists, and insisted there was no retreat mining in Crandall Canyon — a statement also refuted by the meeting minutes."

When asked to explain the discrepancies, Murray’s son told The Tribune: "After further review, please be advised that we have no comment whatsoever."