# Chilean miners alive and trapped for 4 months **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 23, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173 "2010-08-23T16:53:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/1 "2010-08-23T16:53:15Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100823/ap\_on\_re\_la\_am\_ca/lt\_chile\_mine\_collapse](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100823/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_chile_mine_collapse) Seventeen miners in Chile have been found alive. They have a breathing hole and food can be dropped down to them. The article says a rescue mine would take 4 months to dig. What kind of mental state would they be in, after 4 months, even if they could have food and water? I shudder to think what kind of torture it would be. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/2 "2010-08-23T17:00:07Z")
Oh my god, I can’t even read that article without feeling like I’m suffocating. I can not imagine. I would already be insane. Deep breath… Prayers to those poor guys. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/3 "2010-08-23T17:14:22Z")
Well they have company at least. Maybe too much company. There are 33 guys in a space that [the NY Times article](http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/08/23/world/international-us-chile-mine-accident.html) described as “a sparse 50 square meter refuge, an area the size of a small apartment, which contains two long wooden benches.” That’s about 540 sq. ft., like a 6 foot by 9 foot room. I had a dorm room in college that was about that size. With more than 4 guys in it, it felt kinda crowded, and that was just hanging out - which most of the time we did elsewhere. They have _ **33** _ guys living in a space like that, 24/7 for nearly 5 months? Subsisting on glucose gel packs, by the light of battery powered lamps (at least they can probably drop down battery packs)? _shudder_ Better than the alternative of course, that’s what they’ll have to keep telling themselves. And the ability to communicate with their loved ones On The Outside is pretty huge, too. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/4 "2010-08-23T17:16:31Z")
_“Even if we have to wait months to communicate. … I want to tell everyone that I’m good and we’ll surely come out OK,”…_ Thank goodness depressing as it is that they already have prepared themselves for the fact this will not be a quick process. To expect otherwise and then be told “4 months more” might be beyond devastating to hear. _Rescuers had drilled repeatedly in an effort to reach the shelter, but failed seven times. They blamed the errors on the mining company’s maps. According to Gomez’s note, at least some of those earlier probes were close enough that the trapped miners heard them. The eighth attempt finally worked._ So let’s hope the map they’ll use to drill the extraction hole is properly alligned. I’d think they’d coordinate now with the trapped miners to corroborate what they think the geometry below should be. 4 months… holy freakin’ cow that’ll seem like a lifetime. Hopefully full retirement plans to accompany families and fresh air will be waiting for them topside. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/5 "2010-08-23T17:18:38Z")
And of course I hope with all my heart that such a thing does not come to pass, but what if one or more of them should die down there? Aside from the personal tragedy that would itself represent, the survivors would have no way to dispose of the body either. Aaagh! Can they really not do better than a 4 month window, with presumably the full expertise and material aid of the whole world available? As the CNN article notes, \*The men already have been trapped underground longer than all but a few miners rescued in recent history. Last year, three miners survived 25 days trapped in a flooded mine in southern China, and two miners in northeastern China were rescued after 23 days in 1983. Few other rescues have taken more than two weeks. - ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/6 "2010-08-23T17:19:27Z")
Also, living in their own excrement. Okay, I officially have no real problems. My life–it’s all first world problems by comparison. I’m going to resist the urge to complain about anything. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/7 "2010-08-23T17:21:12Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > That’s about 540 sq. ft., like a 6 foot by 9 foot room. Wouldn’t that be like a 23’ x 23’? Still too small, but… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/8 "2010-08-23T17:21:46Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > That’s about 540 sq. ft., like a 6 foot by 9 foot room. That’s off by a factor of ten. Think 60 by 9 or 6 by 90, but probably something more like 20 by 27. So instead of dorm room, it would be closer to a good sized living room. Still small for 33 people though. Must smell terrible down there. What are they going to do with 4 months worth of, um, waste products. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/9 "2010-08-23T17:26:06Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > So let’s hope the map they’ll use to drill the extraction hole is properly alligned. I’d think they’d coordinate now with the trapped miners to corroborate what they think the geometry below should be. Would they even need a map at this point? They have a hole that goes to them and they should know the length of the hole so they should be able to pinpoint exactly where they are. Even if they can’t, I’d imagine they could drop down some sort of GPS unit that could pinpoint exactly where they are. Actually, I assume a GPS unit wouldn’t work underground, but some sort of beacon that in tandem with a receiver could locate them. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/10 "2010-08-23T17:27:09Z")
Hope the hole is big enough to slip down some paperbacks. Or at least some MP3 players. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/11 "2010-08-23T17:34:07Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > [Must smell terrible down there. What are they going to do with 4 months worth of, um, waste products. I would expect they could use the “palomas” mentioned in the link to ferry the waste and other undesirable out. A “gift” comes down, another “gift” comes back up. Otherwise, did you see the shots of the post-Katrina Superdome bathrooms on Brian William’s special last night? That. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > [Would they even need a map at this point? They have a hole that goes to them and they should know the length of the hole so they should be able to pinpoint exactly where they are. That’s kinda what I meant. They can’t place the 2nd hole too near the first but for goodness sake make sure they allign it with the “known” long axis of the room. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/12 "2010-08-23T17:45:24Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > > [@Joey\_P](#): > > > > [Must smell terrible down there. What are they going to do with 4 months worth of, um, waste products. > > I would expect they could use the “palomas” mentioned in the link to ferry the waste and other undesirable out. A “gift” comes down, another “gift” comes back up. Otherwise, did you see the shots of the post-Katrina Superdome bathrooms on Brian William’s special last night? That. > > > [@Joey\_P](#): > > > > [Would they even need a map at this point? They have a hole that goes to them and they should know the length of the hole so they should be able to pinpoint exactly where they are. > > That’s kinda what I meant. They can’t place the 2nd hole too near the first but for goodness sake make sure they allign it with the “known” long axis of the room. I assume they would get some communication going with these guys too. “Do you see the drill yet?” “No, but we can hear it just west of us” ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/13 "2010-08-23T18:03:25Z")
I’m trying to keep good thoughts and imagining what kind of spectacular Christmas they’ll have once they’re freed. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/14 "2010-08-23T18:06:20Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > > [@robardin](#): > > > > That’s about 540 sq. ft., like a 6 foot by 9 foot room. > > That’s off by a factor of ten. Think 60 by 9 or 6 by 90, but probably something more like 20 by 27. > > So instead of dorm room, it would be closer to a good sized living room. Still small for 33 people though. Must smell terrible down there. What are they going to do with 4 months worth of, um, waste products. Yes, I dropped decimal. So they are more comfortable than what I was nightmarishly picturing at first. Still, not comfortable. (I think I was thrown off by the NY Times description of it as “a small apartment”. I’ve been in many “small apartments” in NYC on the order of 6 ft x9 ft., and a 20x27 single room studio apartment would be absolutely GINORMOUS by NYC standards. - OK maybe a slight exaggeration, but certainly on the larger end!) ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/15 "2010-08-23T22:24:47Z")
I predict they will be in good spirits for some time yet. That supply tube will be very busy lowering food and booze and bringing back trash in special container bags. What I wonder about is the Chilean labor laws. In the US would the workers receive regular pay plus overtime of 16 hours per day plus Sunday bonus? That’s going to be some big check if they do. How about book and movie rights? Now that they have that directly connecting tube, locating where to dig is child’s play with current technology. However, the threat of a collapse is very unpredictable. One possibility is to dig the tunnel off to the side of where they are now and allow the minors to channel over to the vertical tunnel. They are minors. This is what they do. This could avert a roof collapse. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/16 "2010-08-24T02:26:29Z")
I suppose it would occur to most people within the first 17 days, but I’m impressed that they got organized enough to dig themselves an access to an underground water source. It seems these men are clever and resourceful, and if they got through these first couple of weeks, the next few months will be a relative breeze! At least I hope so! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/17 "2010-08-24T02:34:34Z")
Its a good thing I’m not trapped down there. I’m pretty sure the rest of the guys would kill me after I scream “KHAAAAAAAAAN!” for the 5 billionth time. ---
**Author:** ![Looey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ee7513/32.png) [@Looey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Looey)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/18 "2010-08-24T02:39:58Z")
> [@](#): > > They are minors. Underage too? Oh, the horror. I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. It’s a curse. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/19 "2010-08-24T02:45:40Z")
Initially on reading the title, I thought there might be, you know, like six or seven guys. Not great, but at least you have enough room for a masturbation corner and a #2 corner. But Jesus, 33? I would just kill myself. ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173/20 "2010-08-24T02:46:32Z")
I wonder if they sent down suicide pills, just in case. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chilean-miners-alive-and-trapped-for-4-months/551173.md?page=2)