In the ongoing coal mine disaster in West Virginia, the hope now is pinned to the four men somehow getting into a safety chamber (here's an example; I don't know if it's the specific model used at the Upper Big Branch mine).
Something I've wondered about since I first learned there were such chambers in the mine: do these things have dedicated telephone landlines? That would seem to be an obvious feature, but I've heard no mention of it in all the news coverage, and the sales brochure for the model shown in that picture doesn't include it either.
I can only include there's some logistical reason behind the lack of communication capability, but I'd love to know what it is. Seems to me a phone cable could be run down the shaft and along the tunnel to the installed chambers; sure, explosions might destroy it, but shouldn't you try?
Posted by Linkmeister at April 9, 2010 09:18 AM | TrackBack