The Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation will host the annual celebration of the 2002 Quecreek Mine Rescue on July 23 at the rescue site on the Arnold Farm, 151 Haupt Road, Somerset, PA starting at 10:00 a.m.

One highlight of this year’s anniversary events will be accepting the donation of the drill bit and hammer used to drill the rescue shaft that broke into the Quecreek Mine from Somerset-based Keystone Drill Services, Inc.

“Bringing together equipment used in the Quecreek mine rescue enhances our ability to educate the public about this incredible event.  The addition of the drill bit used in the final stages of the rescue, in particular, will help us fill a gap we had in telling the story of the rescue,” said William Arnold, Executive Director of the Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation.  “On behalf of the Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation, I want to thank Tom Walker and Scott Slater from Keystone Drill Services for their generosity in making this donation possible.”

“The rescue of nine miners in 2002 was an amazing experience for everyone at Keystone and for me personally,” said Tom Walker, President, Keystone Drill Services, Inc.  “We will never forget the opportunity we had to contribute our equipment and expertise to this successful rescue.”

“On behalf of Keystone, I am very honored to be able to donate the Ingersoll-Rand manufactured drill bit and down the hole hammer used to actually break through to the miners,” said Scott Slater, CEO, Keystone Drill Services, Inc.  “I am very proud of the hard work and dedication of all our employees involved in the rescue.  Every time they visit the Quecreek site, they can feel tremendous about their part in the history made there.”

Slater was an employee of Ingersoll-Rand at the time of the rescue before joining Keystone Drill Services Inc.

On July 24, 2002 miners broke through into an abandoned, water-filled mine flooding the Quecreek Mine with over 150 million gallons of water.  Nine miners scrambled to safety, but nine were trapped in a pocket of air in the dark, cold, water filled mine.

The nine miners were rescued four days later through the combined efforts of state and federal mine rescue agencies and hundreds of workers and local volunteers.

The Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization that relies on support from the public to educate the public about the rescue and to maintain and operate the mine rescue  area and a visitors center.

For more information on the 2002 mine rescue, contact the Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation or make a donation by writing: 140 Haupt Road, Somerset, PA 15501, calling 814-445-5090.

NewsClip:

Drill Bit Used In 2002 Mine Rescue Returning To Quecreek

7/18/2016