DRILL REACHES TRAPPED MEN

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30283, 8 November 1963, Page 15

DRILL REACHES TRAPPED MEN

Escape Route From Cavern (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter— Copyright) LENGEDE (West Germany), November 7. The 11 trapped Lengede miners cheered and shouted' today as a giant rescue drill bit through into the underground cavern where they have been entombed for nearly two weeks. The miners, trapped 184 feet down in a section of the flooded Mathilde iron ore mine, survived the break-through without injury. It had been feared earlier that the break-through might start a rockfall which could bury them.

The drill had been expected to miss the cavern by about three feet. A volunteer would then have to be sent down to hack away the remaining wall of rock. But the engineer in charge of the operation, Dr. Wilfried Berg<x>efer, said the drill had hit the north side of the cavern. There was only a. small hole at present but this could be expanded. Dr. Berghoefer said a few stones fell from the roof of the gallery as the drill bit through but there was no major fall of rock. Asked what was the reaction among the trapped men when the break-through came, he said: "First of all there was a lot of cougliing and wheezing. They were covered by dust and a few small stones fell. But when this settled there was a chattering and shouting and cheering coming from below. “The next item on the programme is breakfast all round and then we shall begin to put the steel tubing down to the bottom of the shaft,” Dr. Berghoefer said. The tubing will make it possible to send down a capsule to bring the men to the surface. Asked when he estimated

the men could be brought to the surface, he shrugged and said: "It’s difficult to say at the moment. There is still a lot to be done.” After the break-through, drilling was interrupted for about one hour and a half to

give the rescuers time for breakfast. It was later resumed to widen the hole to 21 inches. When this is completed the shaft will be lined with steel tubes down to the floor of the cavity. Officials of the mine company said a hole would be cut in the wall of the lowest pipe, large enough for the men to ease themselves into the rescue “bomb” which is to take them to the surface. Immediately the breakthrough occurred, messengers rushed by car to tell the wives and realtives of the 11 men. They began arriving at the site shortly afterwards

and some went to the microphone immediately to speak to the men below. It was still dark and very few people, apart from policemen, were in the area at the time of the breakthrough. A recorded conversation between one of the directors of the rescue operations and the spokesman for the trapped men, Bernhard Wolter, was later played back for reporters, Reuter reported. Asked whether there had been any falls of rock as the bit came through the ceiling, Wolter said: "No, not much, but let’s get out of here.” The rescuer replied: “Yes, 0.K., but you will have to wait. It will still take some time.” Asked how his comrades were, Wolter said: “They are calm.”