Miners

I have worked underground.

I worked in an underground coal mine in Illinois for about 9 months, and worked in an underground oil shale mine for about a year.

Working underground makes you appreicate your fellow workers. You rely on them unconditionally. I am not sure if it is a universal signal, but in the underground coal mines in Illinois if you shake your "bug light" (hardhat lamp) back and forth horizontally at someone they stop IMMEDIATELY. It does not matter if they are the president of the company or the lowest red-hat (that would have been me) on the crew - you react to that signal without question.

You do that because you hold your co-workers lives in your hands at all times. And you never take that for granted.

Now, that is not to say that there was not a certain level of horseplay underground. But you would never, ever knowingly endanger someones life.

We were talking here at the office about the Chilean miners, and how they survived the first 17 days through the strict discipline and rationing by their shift boss. One of the guys here said that he would have just knock the boss out, and taken all the food.

I said he wouldn't - because that is not how those miners think.

When you work underground you are the member of a very small fraternity. And you worry about everyone you know.

But I will point out one very sad thing about this rescue.

Where were the mine owners when the guys came up?