JimSauce
September 12th, 2010, 12:53 PM
They've haven't glimpsed daylight or a puffed on a cigarette in more than a month. But now Chilean authorities have declared that the 33 men trapped underground at a mine in the north of the country will finally be allowed to light up.
A 2,300-foot power cable has been fed down to the men, which will allow them to install electrical lighting throughout their shelter. Many of the miners have reported difficulties sleeping, as they've struggled to adjust to the almost constant darkness. (Until now, their only source of illumination has been their helmet torches.) It's hoped that the introduction of stronger lighting -- which will be switched off at night -- will help the men better regulate their waking and sleeping hours, said Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, according to CNN.
Hector Retamal, AFP / Getty Images
Work continues Saturday on the assembly of an oil drill that will be used to try to free 33 miners trapped in a Chilean mine. The drill, which will be used in the so-called Plan C rescue attempt, is so huge it took 40 trucks to move it to the rescue site.
And in an attempt to make life underground a little less stressful, rescuers have also approved the miners' longstanding request for cigarettes. Health officials had previously refused to supply them with cigarettes, saying that the smoke would pollute the air in their shelter, and further damage their already poor health. However, the miners were given permission to spark up Saturday, notes Agence France-Presse, after engineers finished work on a multi-purpose plastic tube that pumps water and fresh air down from the surface. That pipeline also includes a fiber-optic cable, allowing the men to stay in permanent telephone contact with rescuers and family members.
The miners, who have previously had to make do with nicotine patches and gum -- which seemingly did little to alleviate their tobacco cravings -- will now receive two packets of cigarettes a day to share among them. "We are not going to give a pack of cigarettes to each of them, but rather a reasonable amount," Jorge Diaz, a medical doctor on the rescue team, told AFP. "These are responsible people and we believe the doses that we deliver will be administered well."
Requests for beer and wine, though, are still being turned down.
Meanwhile, Chilean authorities are continuing to work around the clock to free the men, who became trapped after a collapse at the gold and copper mine's main access tunnel on Aug. 5. Three drilling methods -- known as Plan A, Plan B and Plan C -- are currently being used to burrow rescue tunnels through which the men can be hoisted to safety.
The Strata 950 drill, part of Plan A, had reached a depth of about 850 feet by Saturday, officials told AFP. Meanwhile Plan B -- which involves a drill known at the Schramm T-130 -- hit a depth of 880 foot before a drill bit broke off inside the shaft last week. Engineers are now attempting to extract the broken part and continue work.
The latest effort, Plan C, revolves around an oil well drill so massive it has taken 40 trucks to transport it to the rescue site, Sky News reported. The drilling platform is roughly the same size as a soccer field, and can bore faster than the other two machines. However, that heavy-duty driller also raises the risk of rock falls inside the mine, so engineers are aiming it far away from the miners' main shelter.
It will take another two weeks for workers to finish piecing together the giant machine, which arrived at the San Jose mine Friday. However, once operational, the drill could reach the men in just 45 days.
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/trapped-chile-miners-get-cigarettes-electricity/19630122
A 2,300-foot power cable has been fed down to the men, which will allow them to install electrical lighting throughout their shelter. Many of the miners have reported difficulties sleeping, as they've struggled to adjust to the almost constant darkness. (Until now, their only source of illumination has been their helmet torches.) It's hoped that the introduction of stronger lighting -- which will be switched off at night -- will help the men better regulate their waking and sleeping hours, said Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, according to CNN.
Hector Retamal, AFP / Getty Images
Work continues Saturday on the assembly of an oil drill that will be used to try to free 33 miners trapped in a Chilean mine. The drill, which will be used in the so-called Plan C rescue attempt, is so huge it took 40 trucks to move it to the rescue site.
And in an attempt to make life underground a little less stressful, rescuers have also approved the miners' longstanding request for cigarettes. Health officials had previously refused to supply them with cigarettes, saying that the smoke would pollute the air in their shelter, and further damage their already poor health. However, the miners were given permission to spark up Saturday, notes Agence France-Presse, after engineers finished work on a multi-purpose plastic tube that pumps water and fresh air down from the surface. That pipeline also includes a fiber-optic cable, allowing the men to stay in permanent telephone contact with rescuers and family members.
The miners, who have previously had to make do with nicotine patches and gum -- which seemingly did little to alleviate their tobacco cravings -- will now receive two packets of cigarettes a day to share among them. "We are not going to give a pack of cigarettes to each of them, but rather a reasonable amount," Jorge Diaz, a medical doctor on the rescue team, told AFP. "These are responsible people and we believe the doses that we deliver will be administered well."
Requests for beer and wine, though, are still being turned down.
Meanwhile, Chilean authorities are continuing to work around the clock to free the men, who became trapped after a collapse at the gold and copper mine's main access tunnel on Aug. 5. Three drilling methods -- known as Plan A, Plan B and Plan C -- are currently being used to burrow rescue tunnels through which the men can be hoisted to safety.
The Strata 950 drill, part of Plan A, had reached a depth of about 850 feet by Saturday, officials told AFP. Meanwhile Plan B -- which involves a drill known at the Schramm T-130 -- hit a depth of 880 foot before a drill bit broke off inside the shaft last week. Engineers are now attempting to extract the broken part and continue work.
The latest effort, Plan C, revolves around an oil well drill so massive it has taken 40 trucks to transport it to the rescue site, Sky News reported. The drilling platform is roughly the same size as a soccer field, and can bore faster than the other two machines. However, that heavy-duty driller also raises the risk of rock falls inside the mine, so engineers are aiming it far away from the miners' main shelter.
It will take another two weeks for workers to finish piecing together the giant machine, which arrived at the San Jose mine Friday. However, once operational, the drill could reach the men in just 45 days.
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/trapped-chile-miners-get-cigarettes-electricity/19630122