Leaving the mine
Posted on 05/09/2006 2:20:48 AM PDT by Aussie Dasher
Tasmania's miracle miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb fulfilled the promise to walk out of their rock prison before daybreak this morning after surviving almost 14 nights trapped a kilometre under the earth.
"Yee-hah" were the men's first words when rescuers broke through the last metre into the rockfilled cavern where the men had been trapped since Anzac Day.
The men slid down a vertical tunnel, were put onto roll-up stretchers and carried 36-metres to the Beaconsfield gold mine's main shaft. The men were checked by doctors and paramedics, took a shower and then took the lift to the surface where their wives and families embraced them.
The rescue team is believed to have broken through the metre-wide hole beside the steel cage that had saved the men's lives, at about 3.30am.
Mine management sent out a message confrming the successful rescue at 4.55. It said: "Both Brant and Todd out of the tunnel and well." It was signed Matthew Gill, Mine Manager.
On reaching the surface they told Mr Gill that they wanted to be at the funeral this afternoon of their lost mate Larry Knight, if they are fit enough.
Waiting media, who had been camped in cars and motorhomes had been woken as police and emergency vehicles headed towards the mine. The family of Brant Webb, looking tired and drawn, were woken and at about 4.40am were driven to the mine by officials of the Australian Workers Union.
Union leader Bill Shorten announced the rescue at 5am. He said: "Today we've had unbelievable news. After 14 nights, at 4.47, for Brant Webb and 4.54 for Todd Russell, (the miners) were freed.
"The families are up there (at the mine). This is an amazing day. The rescuers have done an amazing job. The families have been fantastic and clearly these men have been outstanding Australians."
Mr Shorten said the men would be taken to the 375-metre level: "They're going to be tidied up, I think they're going to have a shave and shower, and that's it, they're doing alright."
Mr Shorten praised the rescuers, including the Victorian explosive experts whose PCF charges were used to break through the last few metres of rock. "They believed in their product, and it seemed to have work."
He said the men were given a level three health rating by paramedics which meant they would require observation but would not need critical care.
Mr Shorten said sometimes it felt this day would never come.
"I actually think Todd and Brant will see the sunrise, which is not something a lot of people assumed when they had that tragic rockfall that killed Larry Knight on Anzac Day."
Moments after he spoke, the town's fire sirens began sounding. And not long after, the people of Beaconsfield began flooding into the park opposite the mine to welcome their men home.
Mr Shorten said the men would be on the surface in an hour or 80 minutes.
At 3.50am rescue organisers had signalled a two-hour warning to members of the media, to be ready for the men's reappearance on the surface. That meant they had already been successfully extricated from their prison at the 925 metre level of the Northern Tasmanian mineshaft.
Thank the Lord for delivering these men, and may He bless their mate who was killed and his family.
Amen.
Blessings - Brian
This is wonderful, wonderful news! God bless them all.
Pretty gutsy effort by all concerned and pretty darned emotional watching them grab their tags as they walked out.
They're made of pretty tuff stuff them blokes.That hole they were in would have been a vision of hell for a lot of folks.I reckon you could feel the whole country breath a sigh of relief when they were freed.
Amazing stuff!
Praise the Lord!
Now, tell the truth: did you shed a little tear?
I'm wondering....... did they have water or food to consume down there? I don't see any mention of that in the article.
That is GREAT News.
Thank You Jesus.
Amen.
At the beginning (for the first five days), no. When they were discovered, a small tunnel was made to them, and food and water was delivered to them from the outside.
This is truly a remarkable story of bravery.
They had some water from the start apparently - where it came from nobody is entirely sure - a ruptured pipe or something similar to that.
They were found after five or six days and they managed to feed narrow pipe to them down which food and other items have been able to be passed for the last eight or nine days while a tunnel large enough for them to travel down was dug.
;-)
I can't speak for Ron (saw your page Bro), but I'm sitting here at work all sniffily and teary-eyed. Praise God for His mercy!
May celebration be unbounded by those released from the tomb.
AS we speak, at least one of the freed men is down at his local pub getting into the grog with his mates. Good on him.
I hope he has one for me!
I agree. A little celebration is called for. (If only one could sustain these moments. Alas, life always returns to normal and its petty problems.)
PTL! Great news!
Excellent news!<>P>FMCDH(BITS)
Great news! Thanks for the post.
They look so good in that photo. When I first saw that, I didn't understand how they looked so clean. Now I read they had a shower first.
Wonderful, wonderful news.
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