Driscoll Scanl Centralia Case Study

This paper will look at some of the issues, actions and events that led up to the horrific explosion of Centralia No. 5 coal mine in Illinois that killed 111 miners just out of town limits of Centralia on Tuesday, March 25, 1947 at 3:26 pm. In this presentation, four logistical alternatives Driscoll Scanlan could have addressed will be identified and discussed. Analyzation and discussion of Driscoll Scanlan’s motivation towards the Constitution, or law, bureaucracy as a public administrator responsible to the public, and his motivation towards obligation of his position will be reviewed. Additionally, two potential paths of action for Driscoll Scanlan will be presented and defended. The first logistical alternative Mr. Driscoll Scanlan could
Driscoll Scanlan’s motivation toward the Constitution was admirable. He believed the law was in place to be followed, served a purpose and deserved to be honored, respected, protected and enforced. He was uncompromising when it came to upholding the law. This is what got him nominated and appointed in the first place. Once in the position, he was motivated to handle the bureaucracy as a public administrator, responsible to the public. He followed his job description with dedication, candor and without reproach. Mr. Scanlan did his reports in his truck, he did not socialize with the management, and he genuinely cared about the people’s lives that were entrusted to him. It is demonstrated that he believed in the system, if not in the people that were over him to implement that system. Driscoll Scanlan took his obligation to heart. His motivation to fulfill his obligation to the miners and public at large was demonstrated in his attempt to go up the chain of command in his quest for safety and compliance with the laws. He dutifully wrote a lengthy letter to Mr. Medill, detailing infractions, issues that were critical, and what was needed to correct them. His work ethic, personal ethics and professionalism earned him the respect of his peers, miners, management (albeit begrudgingly), and in levels as high as the State House. Mr. Scanlan handled the internal and external pressures of his job without backing down and performed them to the best of his knowledge and
Driscoll Scanlan to have taken is for him to contact his State sponsor responsible for his appointment. Of course, this should have been done only after dutifully following his chain of command and all protocols required to reach resolution within the organizational structure itself. This would have, as previously stated, definitely given him the platform he needed to gain attention to the matters at hand. This is most likely the only option that would have saved his job in the long run, although this is mere speculation at this late date. The prevailing attitudes of the day and politics were much different than now, so it is with speculation this conclusion is