From a dairy farmer’s field in Somerset County, where more than 150 rescue workers and volunteers relentlessly labored day and night, to 240 feet below them, where nine trapped miners huddled in the cold, unforgiving darkness, the indomitable human spirit prevailed. The trapped miners and their committed rescuers endured enormous challenges and daunting frustrations for three seemingly interminable days. This, after the miners broke through an unmapped section of an abandoned mine Wednesday night, unleashing a torrent of up to 60 million gallons of water. Over time, intermittent optimism gave way to grave concerns, above and below ground. A nation transfixed by the rescue, unlike any attempted in decades, cheered and emoted tears of relief late Saturday night after Gov. Mark Schweiker proclaimed “All nine are alive.” About two hours later, the first drenched, coal-faced miner was pulled from the darkness. Others followed in short intervals and in remarkably good condition after their harrowing ordeal. What an amazing testament it was: For the miners, indeed a rare breed, who had the presence of mind to first warn their fellow workers at the onset of the flood, then struggled against grim odds to find a safe haven in the dark abyss – and who vowed to “live or die as a group.” And for the mud-covered rescuers, who could only imagine the perils below but who never gave quarter to despair, undeterred by their fatigue and equipment failures. Among the many lessons extracted from this experience must be a resolve to prevent such accidents in the future. A joint probe by state and federal agencies is planned. As Gov. Schweiker said, “It shouldn’t have happened in 2002. With technology today, no one should have to rely on 50-year-old maps.” Clearly those brave, stalwart souls who toiled above and below the mine relied on something far more enduring, vastly more practical and ultimately effective. That’s what snatched tragedy from disaster’s wake.

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