Deep, Down Dark by Hector Tobar

I don’t read many works of non-fiction.  Reading for me is a distraction, a way to refocus my mind on something other then my chronic pain.  It is said, “Truth is stranger then fiction.”  This certainly is the case with Hector Tobar’s exclusive recounting of the epic disaster and rescue of the thirty-three miners from the San Jose mine in northern Chile in 2010.

The classic horror story contains elements of our basest fears as human beings.  The fear of being in the dark and being trapped, are high on that list.  It is difficult to imagine doing the work these men did on a good day, under acceptable working conditions. The San Jose Mine was not a safe place to work; it had been plagued by safety violations for many years prior to this horrendous accident.

The story begins with the individual backgrounds of the men who would end up in this band of brothers and survivors.  The men came from all parts of the country, (one from Bolivia) some traveling thousands of miles to their shift.  They left behind daughters, sons, wives and mistresses on what they thought was going to be another hard day at the mine. Some of the men were third generation miners.  For one man, it was his first day on the job.  All of them were there for the same reason we all work, for the money and the mine paid well. 

The men in the mine were separated from the world when a 700,000-ton of diorite blocked the main surface-ramp.  This rock would later be referred to as the “guillotine,” due to its grey, smooth, appearance. The first hours the men thought that they might be there a few days. There were some usual ways to bypass even a large collapse. However, as the hours turned into days, so did the realization that this was a collapse that was severe and complete.

The author weaves the background stories, and each man’s actions in the first seventeen days of the ordeal.  The men made a pact not to speak of these days to the media until their entire story could be told.  They realized that if they were rescued they might be under intense pressure to tell their story.  This pact was an effort to make sure none of them individually profited from this experience.

The first seventeen days, the miners had no contact with the outside world. There was a pittance of emergency supplies. In the first few hours of captivity some men raided the meager rations.  There was very little food and very little clean water; but, because water is essential for the mining machinery, there was plenty of dirty water. It was probably the dirty water, which enabled them to survive those early days. Their location was hot, humid and 700 meters below the surface.

At the surface, rescuers were trying to figure out where in the men were and how best to reach them.  The rescue effort would evolve into an international alliance that would bring together a team that would create a unique escape plan.  The miners’ families would congregate near the mine to create “Camp Esperanza,” (Camp Hope], which would endure for the next ten weeks.  The Chilean Minister of Mining and the President would become personally involved in the rescue, visiting the site many times.

Starving, weak and losing faith, the first drills located the men on the seventeenth day.  A message was attached to the drill that penetrated their refuge.

“We are alive and in the Refuge, the 33”.

Unbelievably, the men were told they might not leave the mine until Christmas. (It was late August).  The world could now see the men trapped below, and their story was an international sensation.  The men began getting nutrition and supplies through the roughly six-inch hole that connected them to the surface. Cameras were placed to allow the men to speak to their loved ones, and a psychiatrist was also on hand to help them mentally.

Ironically, the opening of the mine fractured the group that had been unified by intense fear, hunger and despair.  Egos flared and divisions occurred.  People on the surface wanted to know who was in charge in the mine; the answer caused more resentment and division.

After sixty-nine days underground the men were rescued, one at a time though a thin capsule, while the world watched and held its breath.  There was even care taken when considering who would come out of the mine first, the healthiest man, not the most frail. (In case the capsule got stuck.) Over a period of twenty-four hours, all the men and one rescuer, returned to the surface.

The epilogue is a sad but predictable one.  During their underground odyssey, these ordinary men had become celebrities in Chile and beyond.  Their personal lives were detailed and discussed in the media, even following them inside their homes.  Invitations came from the President of Chile and from many countries around the world, eager to treat the men who had inspired them as heroes.

Some of the men relished their newfound fame; others were trapped all over again. Almost all of them were tormented by varying degrees of PTSD and depression.  Most of the men did recover from the experience, and the sudden shock of fame that quickly faded away. Incredibly, some of the survivors returned to working in mining. The San Jose Mine has been sealed and closed forever.

It has been said that a society may be judged on how it treats its weakest members. Mining accidents happen all over the world.  In some instances, there is no effort to save the miners. The men discussed an accident in Mexico in which the owners had rolled a boulder over the entrance and declared it a tomb for those trapped inside. This story speaks to the incredible spirit of the Chilean people to try to do the impossible and bring these men home.

Most of the thirty-three men insist they are not heroes, just ordinary men who had an extraordinary experience.  Their story is remarkable and lovingly told by Tobar, a journalist of Guatemalan descent from the Los Angeles Times. In researching the story he made five trips to Chile. He took the time to interview these men, truly get to know them and their incredible story.

 Believe me, every day above ground is a good day.