Remembering the Quecreek Mine rescue 16 years later

SOMERSET, Pa. (WJAC) -- It's often called "the miracle at Quecreek.” Sixteen years ago today, nine miners were rescued from the Quecreek Mine in Somerset County after being trapped for four days.

The men were trapped in a flooded mine. And despite a lot of setbacks and difficulties, a nationwide effort helped free all nine miners.

"He just started to scream into the phone, 'Get out. Get out. We hit water. You guys are going to die. And the phones go dead," said Bill Arnold, telling an audience about the emergency phone call one miner made to alert others.

Arnold spends a lot of his time telling the story of the Quecreek Mine rescue as executive director of the Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation.

What was once just a part of his family dairy farm is now a historic landmark.

Visitors to the landmark continue to visit from all around the world, and some from nearby, too, including Kevin Hough, from Connellsville.

"I know one of the rescue guys, John Urosek. He was one of the big parts of the rescue,” Hough said. “He was the one that came up with the idea of getting the air pumped into the mine shaft, to help have the oxygen and stuff for the miners."

Arnold says the oxygen levels were so low that one of the trapped miners, John Unger, nearly couldn't breathe.

"John told me that he was very glad that the drill bit came through the ceiling as close to him as it did because he really needed his next breath, but he said we almost nailed him to the floor with the drill bit," Arnold said.

Arnold was the third person on the scene and the last person to leave. Sixteen years later, he says the glow of that night hasn't worn off.

"If you talk to any of the rescuers they'll tell you that we could feel the prayers and hopes of the nation and the world, just raining down on this hallowed ground," Arnold said.

"It's just remarkable how they could get to find where the miners were located at and be right on top of them and all of them be alive, no deaths," Hough said.

Arnold says Quecreek sparked change in the mining industry, forcing the country and the industry to take another look at safety issues.

But only 10 months after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Somerset County showed strength and resilience.

"The overwhelming feeling is the stick-to-itiveness, the partnership with all the different entities and the fact that we're not going to give up. We're going to remain hopeful. We're going to continue working hard," Arnold said.

On Saturday morning they also held a flag ceremony, where Boy Scout troop 476 presented a flag to state Sen. Pat Stefano.

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