"The miners are four and a half miles inside the winding mine and about 2,300 feet vertically underground. They are inside a mine shaft shelter the size of a small apartment. The authorities said they had limited amounts of food."
-Wow. After this spring's disaster in West Virginia, and Matewan and Margo Timmins' aching a capella, we are reminded once again of the incredible hardships suffered by people we send under the earth to go get us our valuable minerals. The good news: 33 miners who have been trapped inside a collapsed gold and copper in Chile since August 5th are alive. The bad news: they will likely be there for another four months while an escape shaft is dug. Here's wishing those guys strength.
Monday, August 23, 2010
14
Holy. Cow. I'm also blown away by the fact that apartment-sized shelters exist 2,300 feet underground. Is that a standard thing in mining? I had no idea, and I'm both grateful and terrified that the place was built.
OK I'm obviously going to be thinking about this all day. What's the place like? I mean, it's kind of all the space-travel/submarine questions--Where do they go to the bathroom?, How do they have enough breathable air?, etc.
Most mines have compartments built into them for situations just like this. The real question though is if one of the miners freaks out and kills one of the others. Could anyone blame him? Four months trapped 2300 feet underground with 33 people would drive anyone insane.
Try the south african mines. They go over 3900m (13,000 feet) underground with hundreds of people. There was a fire there which trapped over 1000 people underground a few years ago (But that story had a happy ending as well.)
Yeah, strength to avoid being the first guy killed and eaten.
When they get out, Rand Paul can explain to them how it's their fault for choosing to work for a dangerous mine when there are so many other mines available.
You know, they'd be able to get small children out of that hole. Look at the classic Gary Coleman/Katherine Helmond vehicle "Scout's Honor".
It's amazing/terrible that things haven't improved since Germinal.
Now it's time when they stop being polite and start getting REAL.
Seriously we are getting daily video feed once they get that communications equipment in there!
They didn't mine there to make friends.
!!!
Commie award!
Really is a Cowboy Junkies kind of day.