10th Anniversary Pa. Mine Rescue 'Miracle' Marked

Ten years ago this month, Bill Arnold found the eyes of the world on his farm in Lincoln Township, Somerset County.

Underneath the earth, nine coal miners were trapped after breaking into an adjacent abandoned mine and unleashing millions of gallons of water into the Quecreek Mine.

Rescuers were called in to drill air and rescue shafts in hopes of reaching the men before it was too late.

Seventy-seven hours after the first call for help, the impossible happened -- all nine miners were alive as they were hauled, one by one, from the depths of the mine.

"Sometimes it seems like it was yesterday, and sometimes it seems like it was a lifetime ago," Arnold said. "It was a very unique experience."

He and his wife, Lori, formed the Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation and have worked to preserve the rescue site for visitors.

The foundation will commemorate the rescue and honor the trapped miners and those who worked diligently to free them during a six-day celebration July 23-28.

Arnold, who said about 10,000 people visited the site in the last year alone, does not know what kind of crowds to expect for the 10th anniversary.

"We're hoping that we get just tons and tons of people out, and that's certainly what the whole week's about," Arnold said. "We just want to embrace the community and get them out and let them see what we've done and celebrate the whole week."

Visitors will get to meet some of the miners and rescue workers as well as representatives of the various industries who played a part in the operation. Boy Scout troops and firefighters who assisted will also be honored.

Former Gov. Mark Schweiker, who famously announced to the world that all nine miners were alive, will be on hand as well.

"We'd love to have all of (the miners) back, but some of them have moved out of the area, so we're reaching out to all of them to try to get them all to come to celebrate the 10th anniversary," Arnold said.

Arnold believes the last time that all of the trapped miners were together at the rescue site was on the fifth anniversary.

"This picks at a wound that they've tried very desperately to let heal. I can't even imagine what goes through their heads when they come back and begin to reflect on this," Arnold said.

Visitors will get to see the rescue site, including the rescue shaft and air shaft, along with a number of artifacts from the rescue. That includes the capsule that the nine miners used to emerge from the ground one at a time.

The foundation is working to finish an educational center, which will house artifacts from the rescue, before the anniversary week, Arnold said.

"That is our biggest push, getting the permanent educational building completed by the 10th anniversary," he said. "(The number of artifacts is) going to be expanding greatly in the next couple of weeks as we get the building ready for the permanent displays."

Arnold said he and his wife believe the rescue was a "true miracle" and they have worked to preserve the site because so many people continue to visit.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service