Posted on 08/09/2007 11:51:53 PM PDT by HAL9000
HUNTINGTON, Utah (AP) -- Authorities who successfully drilled a hole into the presumed location of the trapped Utah miners say they have received no sound from the area.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
I’m praying for those guys.
Oh no.
Prayers for them and their loved ones.
The waiting must be excruciating. :^(
I heard that it will take about 2 hours to get a camera down there once they had the hole drilled.
Agonizing to the family no doubt.
Well the microphone was sent down - no joy.
Although we all pray for a miracle, It doesn’t look good at this point. Once they get a camera and light down there, Maybe they can at least locate the body’s and bring closure for the families to this tragedy.
Praying they are just sleeping,
God Be With These Men. Amen.
Not good news.
No it is not good news. The miners, if alive, would have been well aware of the drilling.
Prayers.
Published: 8/10/07, 7:05 AM EDT
By GARANCE BURKE
HUNTINGTON, Utah (AP) - The frenetic effort to drill into the presumed location of six workers trapped in a collapsed mine yielded no audible evidence of survivors early Friday. But rescuers cautioned their work isn't done and that air quality in the mine could sustain life.
Using a steel drill bit to bore a 2 1/2-inch wide hole more than 1,800 feet into the mountain site of Monday's cave-in, rescuers finally broke through late Thursday into the cavity where authorities believe the miners are trapped. A crude measurement found enough oxygen to keep the men going if they survived the collapse.
But a microphone dropped into the void failed to pick up any sounds indicating the miners are alive. And though the air sample indicated plenty of oxygen and no methane in the pocket, it also did not pick up carbon dioxide, the gas exhaled when people breathe.
Despite the silence, company officials remained hopeful.
"I wouldn't look at it as good or bad news. The work is not done," said Bob Murray, chairman of Murray Energy Corp., who added early Friday that oxygen levels suggested that if the men survived the collapse, "they're going to stay alive in that atmosphere."
The air sample was sucked from the cavity through a steel tube, with a microphone attached to pick up any signs of life.
Relatives shouldn't be discouraged by the lack of carbon dioxide, an attorney for the company said.
"What you got was a quick sample from a crude instrument, so you don't get all the constituents reported," said attorney Christopher Van Bever.
The drill bit finally broke through at 9:47 p.m. MDT on Thursday, more than two days after drilling began. Two hours later, Murray and officials from the Mine Safety and Health Administration said there was no immediate response after the drill reached the pocket.
Meanwhile, drilling continued on a second, wider hole, which could accommodate a powerful camera to provide a view inside the pocket, deliver food and water, and hopefully give a more definitive answer about the miners' fate.
Work also continued in the mine itself, where rescuers were slowly burrowing through the debris to reach the workers.
"It's incredibly labor-intensive," said Rob Moore, vice president of Murray Energy.
If the miners are alive, they might be sitting in inky darkness, their headlamps likely having burned out. Wearing thin work clothes in the 58-degree cold, they could be chilled to the bone if water is seeping into their chamber 150 stories below ground, other miners say. Murray said each miner would typically have had a half-gallon of water.
At the time of the collapse, the six miners were working in an area with an 8-foot ceiling. Corridors in the mine are typically about 14 feet wide.
The mining company has withheld the names of the six miners. The Associated Press has confirmed five identities: Carlos Payan, Don Erickson, Kerry Allred, Manuel Sanchez and Brandon Phillips.
The men's families were praying for their survival, one relative said.
"There are all types of conditions that could be in there for these folks ... some little cavity, some little corner," said Arch Allred, cousin of miner Kerry Allred.
If the envirowackos wouldn’t make such a fuss about strip mining this kind of crap wouldn’t happen as much.
there’s a safe alternative to tuneling through mountains that could colapse anytime, but oh no... we wouldn’t want to destroy 5 acres of spotted owl habitat to prevent the death of a few miners. ... to hell with them.
You’re absolutely right!! It’s quicker and less expensive, too. No common sense in this world.
If the cave-in happened behind the miners, wouldn’t it be likely that they would have run as far as possible away from the cave-in as the rocks were rumbling and falling behind them, not knowing how far the collapse of the roof might finally extend?
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