The Chilean Miners Come Up

It was really one of those moments last night, when they sent a rescuer down in the mesh capsule, into the bowels of the earth where thirty-three guys have waited more than two months, trapped. He stepped into the cage and then you saw it disappear into a little hole in the earth, no more significant-looking than a manhole, and after a while the camera underground showed him arriving, stepping out, it showed a bunch of guys in boxers standing around a rugged, dirty cavern. They were well behaved, calm, ready to go home. They looked healthy, not unhappy, each one knew when his turn would come and one by one they would step into the rescue capsule and ascend to the world of sunlight and family and love.

Aboveground, el presidente de Chile gave speeches and hugged relatives, looking grand and silver-haired with his elegant wife by his side. Engineers in hard-hats stood with their legs apart, hands on hips, now and then walking over to look down into the hole or looking up at the big wheel that was letting the cable out or reeling it in. There were some smiles but mainly they looked competent, relaxed, they were men doing their jobs. Everything had been checked and double-checked according to plan, and they were pretty sure it would work.

Family members stood by anxiously, in hard-hats, women and children waiting for the men they love, hoping they have not changed in their months inside the earth, hoping for a hug and a look that tells them everything is still all right. Crowds waved Chilean flags and chanted "chi chi chi - le le le!" and sang a melodic song which I took to be the Chilean national anthem.

It was a proud night for their country.

When you first heard on August 5th that men were trapped underground you did not expect this outcome. The mining company bored five-and-a-half-inch boreholes to the area where they believed the miners were located, but did not find any signs of life when they reached the tunnel on August 22nd. Ah, but the miners had heard the drill, and had written a note and saved up a supply of adhesive tape, and they taped the note to the drill, so when it came back up, workers at the earth's surface discovered the miners were alive and relatively well: "Estamos bien en el refugio los 33" ("The 33 of us in the shelter are well").

There was almost nothing to eat, and the miners organized themselves, rationed their food, it was all about self-discipline and organization and cooperation in a desperate situation. Leaders emerged, roles developed, and the thirty-three underground managed to stay healthy and sane as engineers drilled furiously to reach them.

It was announced that they hoped to reach the miners by Christmas. A narrow hole was drilled, and this was then reamed out with a bigger bit. During the process, more than a half ton of rock per day fell into the cavity where the miners were living, and they had to pick it up and move it away.

The rescue capsule was designed by NASA, based on a model developed in 1955 and used in a German mining rescue, the Wunder von Lengede, in 1963, when eleven miners were rescued after fourteen days underground. NASA has advised the Chileans throughout the ordeal, having experience with small groups living in isolation without fresh air. The entire incident has been incredibly well organized and methodical.

As I write this, thirteen miners have been lifted to safety and they're going down for the next one. You know something can still go wrong, the word "heartbreaking" is something you are braced to hear. A cable can snap, a man can get sick, rock can crumble and collapse. So far it has gone perfectly, the entire world is praying that the others are lifted safely and we have every reason to believe they will be. This is one of those times you are proud to be a human being, it is an engineering triumph and a triumph of indomitable will and caring.

So here is my question to you. The Chileans are rightfully proud of this great accomplishment. What do you think would have happened if this had happened in the United States? How would the miners have held up? How would the mining company have responded? The president of Chile dropped everything and took charge of the search and emergency response -- what would our leaders have done? How would the American population have responded? How would our government have responded?

Today is a day for us to show deep respect for the people of Chile, who have endured much and came together to support this effort. When the mine first caved in, nobody expected to find survivors. Once they were found, nobody expected them to hang on for two months. When the drilling began, nobody expected it to go so fast. Now the men are coming out of the ground, hugging their wives and children, and going into the hospital area, where they will be examined and treated for the effects of their confinement and released back to good, ordinary life.