Chile mining rescue

[davieddy]

Anyone here remember the movie "Ace in the hole"?

(Kirk Douglas)

David

[ewmayer]

After getting home from work yesterday and hearing that the last of the miners (and rescue personnel) had been safely extracted, I cracked open a nice bottle of Chilean red in honor of a job well done.

I wonder if any of the miners will go back to their old jobs? My attitude would probably be along the lines of "the next time I go underground it'll be in a pine box".

[CRGreathouse]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

I wonder if any of the miners will go back to their old jobs?

I would. I imagine most won't.

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

After getting home from work yesterday and hearing that the last of the miners (and rescue personnel) had been safely extracted, I cracked open a nice bottle of Chilean red in honor of a job well done.

Here! Here!

I wonder if any of the miners will go back to their old jobs?

What I heard was: the company has declare bankrupcy. And the government has siezed 1-3 million (USD, Euro, Pounds) to make payments to the miners.

They rejoiced upon seeing that their comrade had brought up the phone that they had first used to talk to the surface.

[ewmayer]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

Here! Here!

well, I admit that the gesture was not *completely* altruistic ... but kinda nice to be "tasting the same earth" the miners had been pulled from, in a more-delicious form. (A little less copper content in my version ;)

What I heard was: the company has declare bankrupcy. And the government has siezed 1-3 million (USD, Euro, Pounds) to make payments to the miners.

I read in today's paper that these fellows were earning ~$1,500 per month, so a million dollars pays each roughly a year`s salary.

Here's a thought: Since the mine cave-in was at least partly due to lax safety inspections by government inspectors, offer each of the miners (subject to whatever formal training may be required) a job as a government mine inspector. And for each one who accepts, fire one of the existing ones whose purview shows above-normal safety incidents.

Edit: Forgot to mention ... the wine I had is from Don Cayetano vineyards, which were apparently hit hard by the March earthquake.

[cheesehead]

PBS "Nova" is showing "Emergency Mine Rescue" tonight.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/em...ne-rescue.html

Engineers and NASA scientists aid an all-out effort to save 33 Chilean miners trapped nearly half a mile underground.

. . .

This one-hour film chronicles the fate of the 33 miners trapped in a collapsed Chilean gold and copper mine in August 2010 and investigates the many challenges faced by both the miners and those working around the clock to bring them safely to the surface. NOVA was on-site at the San José mine in Chile by early September. Conferred special access, NOVA's film crew interviewed engineers, NASA experts, medical personnel, and key figures from the companies that provided drills and crucial rescue equipment to give a more detailed scientific account of the unfolding events. The resulting film, using footage from the scene as well as advanced animation, showcases the extraordinary feats of engineering as well as the biological and geological factors inherent in the rescue. "Emergency Mine Rescue" also examines the psychological and physiological impact of this kind of prolonged ordeal on the miners and those involved in the rescue efforts.