Related: Trapped Chilean miners are not being paid
Not getting paid now, huh?
I wonder why the NYT left that out.
"Trapped miners forge a refuge; Veterans provide organization and spiritual guidance" by Alexei Barrionuevo, New York Times | September 1, 2010
SAN JOSE MINE, Chile — Miners are a hardened breed....
So they can accept no pay while they are trapped below.
Time to bring back the Molly Maguires.
They have survived accidents, closings, and the respiratory illnesses that plague the profession driving Chile’s economy. Now they are trying to help themselves and the others endure what could be a four-month stay in the belly of the Earth....
After the cave-in Aug. 5, the 33 men were thought to be lost, until Chilean engineers found them 17 days later — all miraculously alive and unharmed....
President Sebastian Pinera called the miners’ unity “a very strong message for the whole country.’’
Working for free?
**********
The rescue hole is expected to take three to four months to complete.
The miners will play a critical role in their own escape, making their organization and leadership essential, officials said. The men will need to clear 3,000 to 4,000 tons of rock that will fall as the rescue hole is cleared, officials said. The work will require the men to work in shifts 24 hours a day.
On Sunday, relatives had their first verbal communication with the miners since the cave-in, in one-minute conversations via a modified telephone. The day before relatives also recorded four- to five-minute video messages for the miners.
That must have helped.
“We talked about the house, about all the bills that needed to be paid,’’ said Ximena Contreras, the wife of Paulo Rojas, one of the miners. “He was in very good spirits. He said he loves me a lot.’’
--more--"
Also see: Chilean Gold Mine
Spending Some Time With the Trapped Chilean Miners
Chilean Miners Caught on Tape
Checking In With the Chilean Miners
