The trapped miners in Chile are not a minor situation.  After 48 days of being stuck in the collapsed mine, equipment drilled its way down the 2,070 feet to the 33 miners and created a 12 inch wide hole, giving hope to the miners and their families.  New hope was brought when the hole made its way down earlier than expected.  The next step is to drill an even wider hole, 28 inches, so it is wide enough for the miners to get out. 

            “I hope they make it out okay,” said junior Alex Marsh. “It seems to me that they’re working as fast as they can.”

            “If they already made a foot wide hole, I don’t think it’ll be two months or however long they estimated before” added junior Casey Cardona.

            The miners are supposed to be rescued in late October or early November.

            The trapped miners do have cell phones to help them keep track of time.  Also the miners are working to rescue themselves; they have three shifts for working: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 4 p.m. to midnight, and midnight to 8 a.m. 

            When they’re not working they have 8 hours to rest and 8 hours of free time to exercise, eat, and write letter to people on the surface. They are two to two and a half kilometers of underground for the miners to use as they would like.  To the miners luck, there was a doctor trapped with them, so he can monitor the miners’ health and the air quality.

            Everyday meals are being sent down through the newly drilled 12 inch tunnel, in tube which the workers are calling “Carrier Pigeons”.

            The wives of the miners are getting compensation for their husbands being trapped, but many other women have come forward claiming to be the miners mistresses.

            One miner has four different women who have come forward to receive the compensation.  Some women have come to the camp above the mine only to find out that their men have other families.  The government is contemplating asking each of the miners who deserves the compensation.

            Alex Marsh said “I thought it’s funny about the miners and all their mistresses coming forward, if I was one of those miners I’d want to be 2,000 feet underground”.

            The miners are soon to be rescued and returned to their wives and families.