Second drill heads toward trapped miners By JENNIFER DOBNER, Associated Press Writer

Second drill heads toward trapped miners By JENNIFER DOBNER, Associated Press Writer
15 minutes ago



HUNTINGTON, Utah - A second drill slowly bored closer toward the presumed location of six workers trapped after a mine collapse in Utah, the latest in a series of frantic efforts to save the men deep inside a mountain.

Mine officials revealed Friday that a smaller drill carrying a microphone that had reached a void where the men were believed to be trapped yielded no sounds of life. Air samples from that bored hole detected barely any oxygen.

Rescuers hoped a second, larger drill — wide enough to carry a sophisticated camera, and perhaps food and water — would reach the same area and offer clues to the men's fate. The drill, which was about 240 feet from its target late Friday, wasn't expected to break through until sometime Saturday morning, said Christopher Van Bever, an attorney for Murray Energy Corp., a co-owner of the Crandall Canyon Mine.

Initial readings from the smaller drill hole showing oxygen levels above a very breathable 20 percent were samples from the bore hole itself and not the mine, said Bob Murray, chief of Murray Energy.

When the drill was raised a few feet to clear it from debris, the oxygen readings fell to just over 7 percent — too low to sustain life — and have remained there, said Richard Stickler, head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

There was no sign of carbon dioxide to indicate that people below were exhaling. But mine officials kept up hope, saying the miners may have fled to a nearby 1,000-foot-long exit tunnel that could have more oxygen.

Mine officials said the drill drifted on its long descent through the hard sandstone and speculated that it had penetrated an old, sealed-off work area, where low oxygen levels would be expected. Further measurements showed the drill actually hit an active mining section.

When the second drill hits the area, rescuers will drop down audio and visual equipment that could pick up signs of life. The 1,886-foot hole would also be big enough to send down food and water, Stickler said.

Crews also continued their tireless horizontal dig toward the miners, struggling to remove the rubble from the mine shaft. It could take another week to actually reach the men and bring them out.

The mother of missing miner Don Erickson refused to be discouraged.

"We keep getting these other bits and pieces that are encouraging, so we're going to hold onto that for now," said the 69-year-old woman, who asked that her name not be used because she did not want to receive calls.

Around Huntington, a rugged town of around 2,000, the men's plight evoked a similar, understated reaction, reflecting perhaps the stoicism of a community well-acquainted with the risks of digging coal deep below the earth's surface.

That changed somewhat Friday night, when some 300 people attended a candlelight vigil honoring the workers. Outside the Huntington elementary school, residents left well-wishing notes on poster boards bearing large pictures of the miners.

Anika Farmer, 30, the wife of a coal miner from a different nearby mine, wiped away tears as she addressed the vigil crowd.

The mining company has not identified the miners, but The Associated Press has learned they are a crew of veterans and novices. According to family and friends, they are: Carlos Payan, in his 20s; Kerry Allred, 57; Manuel Sanchez, 41; Brandon Phillips, 24; Luis Hernandez, 23; and Erickson, 50.

"When the news spread of this earthquake, the wives of all miners dropped to their knees in prayer and begged the Lord that this was not our husband, not our sons," Farmer said, her voice cracking. "As the six families were located and told of who was in the mines, six wives couldn't get off their knees."

Huntington displayed signs of hope for the miners. Red, yellow and blue ribbons hung from light poles, and over Earl's Bargains furniture store a sign declared, "We believe." Another sign read: "Light up your porch until they come home."

Married to wife Nelda for about a dozen years, Erickson is a father of two and stepfather to his wife's three children, she said. Nelda Erickson told the AP that her husband loved the outdoors, camping and four-wheeling.

Payan had not worked very long at the mine and planned to return soon to Mexico, according to two friends. A sister lives in Huntington, and their parents traveled from Mexico after the cave-in.

"He wasn't out a lot. He just worked and worked and worked," said family friend Iliana Sebreros, 13.

Sanchez, 41, from the Mexican state of Chihuahua, has been a miner for 15 years.

Phillips and Allred had attended high school in Castle Dale, near Huntington.

Allred, who played in a rock band while in high school, has three children, all adults, acquaintances said. Marcey Wilson, a neighbor of Phillips in Orangeville, said her husband, who works at the mine, trained Phillips three weeks ago. "He was a sweet, sweet guy," Wilson said.

Hernandez, originally from the Mexican state of Sinaloa, is married with a 1-year-old daughter, his uncle Clemente Hernandez said. The miner has been working in U.S. mines for about two years and in Crandall Canyon since June, he said.

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Associated Press writers Pauline Arrillaga, Brock Vergakis, Garance Burke, Alicia Caldwell, Jennifer Dobner and Chris Kahn contributed to this report.