OMEN
05-04-2006, 09:14 AM
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Non-stop effort ... rescuers enter the mine
RESCUERS have finished the drilling of the pilot hole, a key stage in the final push to free two men trapped in a Tasmanian goldmine for nine days.
Mine manager Matthew Gill said rescuers had finished drilling the 220mm diameter pilot hole in the 16m of solid rock that separates the Brant Webb and Todd Russell from safety.
"We are now pulling out those rods, we'll survey that hole to make sure we know exactly where it is, because accuracy is critical," he said.
"Then we'll get the large raise boring head installed, which weighs about 1.7 tonnes, so that will take some time as you can imagine to handle that into position." Mr Gill said it would take most of the day to fit the larger blade to the raise borer, and drilling of the one metre diameter rescue hole would begin "a lot later today".
He said it was "unlikely" that the men would be freed tomorrow, but would not speculate on how long it would take for the borer to break through to the men's cage.
Mr Gill said the men had slept through the end of the drilling, which was a good sign for rescuers concerned about triggering further rock falls as a result of drilling vibration.
He said the men ate yoghurt this morning, had asked for chicken sandwiches tonight, and had one of their best sleeps yet at a solid five hours.
"That really seems to have perked them up," he said.
Mr Webb and Mr Russell have been trapped since a catastrophic rockfall since the night of Tuesday April 25. Fellow miner Larry Knight, 44, was killed.
Mr Gill said the pilot hole had been drilled at the rate of less than 1m an hour, and the larger drill worked "a lot slower".
"We took it gently so we had accuracy and also so we didn't create unnecessary vibration," he said.
"At this stage the drilling went uneventfully, which hopefully means the ground conditions have been pretty good."
"They (the men) didn't even know we were drilling."
Before the men were removed, rescuers would need to excavate the final portion of the tunnel and approach the men from underneath using different equipment such as a jackhammer, Mr Gill said.
He said breaking into the cavity would be the most difficult part of the rescue.
But rescuers had a plan and "about five contingencies", and would line the rescue tunnel with corrugated iron pipe if necessary.
"Sticking with this plan, we've had no hiccups at this stage," he said.
"That's the best we can predict given we have no benchmark to compare it to."
Mr Gill said he did not know if the men wanted to walk out.
"I haven't heard that directly, but you can imagine that would be a huge desire of theirs, that's what I'd want to do," he said.
"I don't blame them."
He said the men had also been given an expandable camping mattress to sleep on, and confirmed rescuers had sent a video camera into the men's cage.
"We've got both video and audio contact with them," he said.
Mr Gill said the men had not been able to speak directly to their families because rescuers were trying to manage their state of mind.
"They are great at the minute, they're having good chats with the people, and that's the way we intend to do it as we move forward," he said.
NewsAU
Non-stop effort ... rescuers enter the mine
RESCUERS have finished the drilling of the pilot hole, a key stage in the final push to free two men trapped in a Tasmanian goldmine for nine days.
Mine manager Matthew Gill said rescuers had finished drilling the 220mm diameter pilot hole in the 16m of solid rock that separates the Brant Webb and Todd Russell from safety.
"We are now pulling out those rods, we'll survey that hole to make sure we know exactly where it is, because accuracy is critical," he said.
"Then we'll get the large raise boring head installed, which weighs about 1.7 tonnes, so that will take some time as you can imagine to handle that into position." Mr Gill said it would take most of the day to fit the larger blade to the raise borer, and drilling of the one metre diameter rescue hole would begin "a lot later today".
He said it was "unlikely" that the men would be freed tomorrow, but would not speculate on how long it would take for the borer to break through to the men's cage.
Mr Gill said the men had slept through the end of the drilling, which was a good sign for rescuers concerned about triggering further rock falls as a result of drilling vibration.
He said the men ate yoghurt this morning, had asked for chicken sandwiches tonight, and had one of their best sleeps yet at a solid five hours.
"That really seems to have perked them up," he said.
Mr Webb and Mr Russell have been trapped since a catastrophic rockfall since the night of Tuesday April 25. Fellow miner Larry Knight, 44, was killed.
Mr Gill said the pilot hole had been drilled at the rate of less than 1m an hour, and the larger drill worked "a lot slower".
"We took it gently so we had accuracy and also so we didn't create unnecessary vibration," he said.
"At this stage the drilling went uneventfully, which hopefully means the ground conditions have been pretty good."
"They (the men) didn't even know we were drilling."
Before the men were removed, rescuers would need to excavate the final portion of the tunnel and approach the men from underneath using different equipment such as a jackhammer, Mr Gill said.
He said breaking into the cavity would be the most difficult part of the rescue.
But rescuers had a plan and "about five contingencies", and would line the rescue tunnel with corrugated iron pipe if necessary.
"Sticking with this plan, we've had no hiccups at this stage," he said.
"That's the best we can predict given we have no benchmark to compare it to."
Mr Gill said he did not know if the men wanted to walk out.
"I haven't heard that directly, but you can imagine that would be a huge desire of theirs, that's what I'd want to do," he said.
"I don't blame them."
He said the men had also been given an expandable camping mattress to sleep on, and confirmed rescuers had sent a video camera into the men's cage.
"We've got both video and audio contact with them," he said.
Mr Gill said the men had not been able to speak directly to their families because rescuers were trying to manage their state of mind.
"They are great at the minute, they're having good chats with the people, and that's the way we intend to do it as we move forward," he said.
NewsAU