Rescuers Close In on Trapped Miners

Aug. 9, 2007 — -- Rescuers may reach the six miners trapped in Utah's Crandall Canyon Mine as early as this afternoon, according to Bob Murray, chairman of the Murray Energy Corp. and co-owner of the coal mine.

Vertical drills clawed their way to within a few hundred feet of the trapped men, who have been stuck 1,500 feet underground since Monday. Once crews break through into the cavity with the 2½-inch-wide drill bit, they will use cameras to test and search for signs of life. All this assumes rescue workers have chosen the correct spot to burrow into the mountain.

Late this morning, Al Davis of the Mine Safety and Health Administration announcedworkers may have to drill deeper then they originally thought, to a depth of 1,869 feet. So far Davis says crews have drilled 1,460 feet down, The Associated Press reported.

Davis said even with the deeper drilling, they could still reach the cavern thought to be holding the miners, by this afternoon.

If the miners are found alive, they'll then use the narrow opening as a lifeline to provide food, water and other survival equipment.

After reaching the target point, "it will take about six days to access the miners through our underground workings," Murray said, referring to a separate ongoing attempt to get to the men from inside the mine. "We don't know if they're alive or dead. The percussion of the earthquake was quite great."

While Murray is insistent that the cause of the mine collapse was an earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey has been reluctant to conclude that the collapse came after a quake. There is even the possibility that there never was an earthquake, since there is a history of mine collapses being strong enough to be picked up by seismographs.

"This event did not have the characteristics of a typical, natural occurring earthquake," the U.S. Geological Survey said in its summary of the event, adding that continued work will be done to determine the cause of the seismic event.

Murray stood by his mine facility, telling the public that Crandall Canyon "is one of the safest mines in the United States of America," a declaration the distraught community desperately hopes to be true.

While the injury rate for the Crandall Canyon mine in recent years is below the industry average, the mine has accumulated more than $3 million in fines dating back to 1999, The Associated Press reported.

It was an emotional evening for the Huntington, Utah, mining community. Friends and family gathered Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil in honor of the six miners who have been trapped for more than 72 hours.

This brotherhood of coal miners hasn't slept in days — they are keenly aware that it could just as easily be them trapped inside.

"These are my people and I'm responsible for their safety every day and this is close to home," mine manager Laine Adair said.

The tight-knit community makes up the heart of the rescue effort, with hundreds of men and women pitching in to help.

Crandall Canyon miner Bodee Allred said, "I can tell you that if I was in there, I would know that no one is gonna stop. And I know they know this."