Comments about ‘Robot raises hopes’

Finally I am feeling some hope for this country. Finally the technology that I know exsists is starting to be used. Finally all the great minds are beginning to show up at the Crandall Canyon Mine, and finally Mr. Bob Murray is allowed to hope once again that his boys will be brought out to the light. Mr. Murray, hang on there, the world is on its way and nobody is gonna leave these men behind.

If miners are trained to go to the kitchen area, why did we wait three weeks to examine this area?

Joe, if I'm not mistaken one of the first holes they drilled was in the kitchen area. When they found no signs of life there along with conditions that wouldn't support life, they moved on.

I don't understand why they waited 3 weeks to drill a hole where the kitchen area is. If miners are trained to go there that's where the drilling should have started not ended. I'm glad to hear that they are still working on getting those miners out. Our prayers are with the miners and their families that this robot and this 7th hole are the miracles we've been hoping for.

people sorry to burst your bubble but there dead theyve been trapped for 20 days without food water or air thats why they get paid 22 bucks an hour instead of 16 its sad yes but its true

Why do we wait to use the technology available to us, instead we endanger peoples lives. we can always look back and say why not in the first hole,But maybe ,this will bring the peace these families and everyone needs. Im proud of you MR Murray for making this call if indeed you are the one who made it, cudos to whoever did.

Why do we always 2nd guess the people who really have to make these decisions? Why do we assume they made a mistake (They drilled the whole in the wrong place, they didn't use the right technology, they didn't this, they didn't that)? What if Bob Murray and his team of experts have been doing things right and this is just a tough situation that we are not equiped to handle?

All I can say is if I were Bob Murray I would spend every dime I had on whatever tech or idea available till they have to close everything due to bankruptcy. Because once this cools down there's going to be lawsuits a plenty. And I'll be looking forward to my bills doubling due to decreases in available power this year.

To Mitch -I think each mine needs to be prepared for catastrophes and has storage units filled with enough food and air supplies to last a few days.

The robotic camera has taken one week to build and under went 11 hours of testing on Saturday. This suggests to me that Mr. Murray and his team are doing much more to rescue these trapped miners than we are aware of and should be supported rather than criticized.

This is a recovery operation, not a rescue operation at this point! I feel bad for the families, But we need to understand no one could live in those conditions for this long even if they had water!

I fell terrible for these families, but they have to relize that there are some risks in mining, and unfortunately your life is one of those risks. As far as Mr. Murry goes, the poor guy is doing all he can. I sounds like a natural desaster with sizemic activity they can't identify.

I believe that the people involved in these efforts are doing everything they can. We are on the outside looking in. Those involved in the planning to get these miners out of the mine, are on the inside looking out. I, personally, don't believe that those involved in the search & rescue operations are doing everything to avoid helping these people. I believe they are eager and probably at times frustrated, when things don't go as planned and each attempt has failed. How many of us would dig with our bare hands at times, hoping only to find nothing?

Drilling at the high rate of speed these men have been going is very dangerous. These men are heros too. Glad to see them thanked in the media as well

I have no doubt that the minners are dead, from the first day.... This is just another bone to throw at the families..... And this bone is not throughn by Mr. Murry, it is the Gov......

I can see by most of the above comments that not a lot of attention is being paid to previous news articles. MSHA is doing this, not Mr. Murray. Mr. Murray basically wrote these six men off and told the families this would be their tomb. He said the fifth hole was it and nothing more would be done. His basic concern seems to be $$$$$$. Thank heavens we have MSHA who is willing to do a little more. Yes, you might be right and those miners might be gone but we don't know that for sure. And you don't know the tenacity of a miner. They'll do everything they can to stay alive if they weren't crushed in the initial cave-in so don't be a nay-sayer yet. Let's wait and see what, if anything, the robot discovers (and hope it works correctly) and what the sixth hole shows. And even if they are dead the families deserve to know this. How would you feel if you thought, just possibly, your loved one was still alive down there and was being written off.

Does anyone think that this tragedy will open people's eyes to the fact that we DON'T have to keep burning coal to power our homes and businesses? If there were no other alternative, then fine, mine coal for all its worth. BUT, there is solar, wind, hydroelectric and even nuclear power, any and all of which are less dangerous than extracting coal from the Earth. Coal mining comes with too high of a price tag. Even if coal miners survive the mining itself, they may very well die of black lung disease. Why don't we DEMAND that our government cease and desist coal mining to prevent more tragedies like this one, not to mention the 182 miners in China. World leaders should develop alternative sources of electricity and STOP the madness and the risks associated with coal mining.

I agree people need to think about how they would feel if they were in these families shoes or Mr Murray's. I feel sorry for him he is doing all he can do, He can't risk other lifes to rescue these men. And the families all they can think is that MAYBE their family member is alive, They just want to know and chances are they might not ever and that is really sad. And as far as Mr Murray spending every dime he has I bet he has spent alot. Nothing being done out there is free. To all of the families my thoughts and prayers are with you. I pray God gives you to strength needed to get through this horrible time in your life. Keep your Faith God will see you through!

How long can a human survive without food? Given the availability of water (which is doubtful at best in the mine) how long can they be expected to survive without nutition? Assuming the "kitchen" area of the mine was already revealed as unsurvivable, isn't it logical to expect that there are no food supplies? I've been following this story since the beginning and would love to hear of them finding survivors, but I think at this time we have to be realistic.

Dream on Jan, think you need a reality check