This essay points out an incident involving a disaster in a mine, and what should have been done prior to the accident. Our incident occurs in a coal town in West Virginia. The safety inspector had measured unsafe gas levels for two days prior to the explosion; he believed that the gas levels were high enough that the mine should have been shut down. The safety inspector reported his findings to the manager of the mine. However, the manager believed that the problem wasn't as big as the safety inspector believed it was, and ordered the safety director to keep quiet. The manager believed that the danger wasn't that great and that the air would clear out on its own before it would explode. Then on May 2nd the gas explodes leaving three men dead and eight trapped in a pocket of air a thousand feet underground.
             The manager realizes that the cost of reaching the men will be huge. He asks him self the question, "How much is a human life worth?" He considered who was owed more the stockholders of the company or the trapped miners. The manager of the mine has two choices ahead of him. He must choose between a two different types of rescue. His first choice is one that take much more time, is cheaper, and safer. His second choice is one that will get to the miners faster, but it will cost more money and it would be much more dangerous. His second choice also has a better chance of saving the miners lives.
             The manager took his second choice and asked for two-dozen male volunteers. During the rescue operation there were two more explosions, which killed three rescuers. During this time the miners were able to make phone contact with those on the ground. The miners were starving. The miners had remembered reading something similar to what they were involved in earlier. It was then that the miners decided to draw straws. It had been decided amongst the trapped miners that the one who drew the shortest ...