posted 06-26-2002 02:44 AM            

By PAUL RECER, AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON (June 26, 2002 12:52 a.m. EDT) - Choosing safety over schedule, NASA has grounded the space shuttle fleet while engineers try to determine why tiny cracks are developing in the fuel line feeding the main rocket engines.

The announcement put a crimp in NASA's efforts to satisfy a tight schedule for building and supplying the international space station. Solving the problem could take weeks or more, and people who have criticized the space agency in the past praised what they saw as a new emphasis on success and safety over speed.

"These days, the value of safety is higher in the NASA culture than it has ever been," Keith Cowing, editor of NASA Watch, a watchdog Web site and frequent space agency critic, said Tuesday.

Cowing said that earlier in NASA's history, "You didn't want to be the guy who stood up and said, 'We shouldn't fly.' There's been a slow-motion change in that culture, and that's good."

NASA engineers said they aren't even sure that the space shuttle problem is a threat to safety. They found minuscule cracks in the metal liner of fuel lines that carry supercold hydrogen to the main rocket engines. What caused the cracks and the extent of threat they represent are unanswered questions, said NASA spokesman James Hartsfield, but that, alone, is enough now to ground the fleet.

"When there is something that we don't understand, it is a safety concern for that reason," Hartsfield said.

"We need to get answers."James Oberg, a veteran space engineer, author and well-known NASA watchdog, applauded the decision to ground the shuttles. Ignoring such a cautious, careful approach, he said, contributed to the 1986 explosion of space shuttle Challenger that killed seven astronauts, and to the loss in 1999 of three unmanned spacecraft sent to Mars, he said.

"This is the safety attitude from Apollo that some program managers forgot prior to Challenger," Oberg said. Apollo was the NASA program that landed American astronauts on the moon.

Grounding the fleet to find answers to a problem, Oberg said, "is a refreshing reminder that there is a backbone of integrity within mission operations that is critical to success in space."

Hartsfield said Tuesday that NASA engineers are just beginning to search for solutions to the fuel-line cracks, and it could be weeks before the shuttle fleet is cleared to fly again.

That means possible delays for missions scheduled for July, August and October. The October flight is particularly critical since it involves resupplying the international space station and rotating crew members from the orbiting laboratory.

The fuel-line problem was discovered during a routine inspection of space shuttle Atlantis, a single, tiny crack in the lining of one of 12 fuel lines. That prompted inspectors to use magnification and, eventually, a sort of sonic sonar machine to search for more cracks. They found three, all minute.

Next, NASA engineers checked the fuel lines on space shuttle Discovery and again found cracks. That was enough to ground the fleet of four space shuttles.

Hartsfield said the main rocket engines on space shuttle Columbia will be removed and checked, a process that will take at least three weeks. An inspection also is planned for Endeavor, the space shuttle that landed in California last week after a 14-day flight.

Engineers plan to cut out some of the cracks from one of the space shuttles and send the pieces to a metallurgical lab for atomic-level examination. They will look for such anomalies as metal fatigue or manufacturing flaws. That test could take days.

posted 06-26-2002 09:48 AM            

Welcome to WorldCom - the pre-eminent global communications company for the digital generation.

Located in over 65 countries, WorldCom offers Internet, voice and data solutions that make your business more productive, secure and cost-effective.

Press Releases

WorldCom Announces Intention to Restate 2001 and First Quarter 2002 Financial Statements

CLINTON, Miss., June 25, 2002 – WorldCom, Inc. (Nasdaq: WCOM, MCIT) today announced it intends to restate its financial statements for 2001 and the first quarter of 2002. As a result of an internal audit of the company’s capital expenditure accounting, it was determined that certain transfers from line cost expenses to capital accounts during this period were not made in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The amount of these transfers was $3.055 billion for 2001 and $797 million for first quarter 2002. Without these transfers, the company’s reported EBITDA would be reduced to $6.339 billion for 2001 and $1.368 billion for first quarter 2002, and the company would have reported a net loss for 2001 and for the first quarter of 2002.

The company promptly notified its recently engaged external auditors, KPMG LLP, and has asked KPMG to undertake a comprehensive audit of the company’s financial statements for 2001 and 2002. The company also notified Andersen LLP, which had audited the company’s financial statements for 2001 and reviewed such statements for first quarter 2002, promptly upon discovering these transfers. On June 24, 2002, Andersen advised WorldCom that in light of the inappropriate transfers of line costs, Andersen’s audit report on the company’s financial statements for 2001 and Andersen’s review of the company’s financial statements for the first quarter of 2002 could not be relied upon.

The company will issue unaudited financial statements for 2001 and for the first quarter of 2002 as soon as practicable. When an audit is completed, the company will provide new audited financial statements for all required periods. Also, WorldCom is reviewing its financial guidance.

The company has terminated Scott Sullivan as chief financial officer and secretary. The company has accepted the resignation of David Myers as senior vice president and controller.

WorldCom has notified the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of these events. The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has retained William R. McLucas, of the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, former Chief of the Enforcement Division of the SEC, to conduct an independent investigation of the matter. This evening, WorldCom also notified its lead bank lenders of these events.

The expected restatement of operating results for 2001 and 2002 is not expected to have an impact on the Company’s cash position and will not affect WorldCom’s customers or services. WorldCom has no debt maturing during the next two quarters.

“Our senior management team is shocked by these discoveries,” said John Sidgmore, appointed WorldCom CEO on April 29, 2002. “We are committed to operating WorldCom in accordance with the highest ethical standards.”

“I want to assure our customers and employees that the company remains viable and committed to a long-term future. Our services are in no way affected by this matter, and our dedication to meeting customer needs remains unwavering,” added Sidgmore. “I have made a commitment to driving fundamental change at WorldCom, and this matter will not deter the new management team from fulfilling our plans.”

Actions to Improve Liquidity and Operational Performance

As Sidgmore previously announced, WorldCom will continue its efforts to restructure the company to better position itself for future growth. These efforts include:

Cutting capital expenditures significantly in 2002. We intend 2003 capital expenditures will be $2.1 billion on an annual basis.

Downsizing our workforce by 17,000, beginning this Friday, which is expected to save $900 million on an annual basis. This downsizing is primarily composed of discontinued operations, operations & technology functions, attrition and contractor terminations.

Selling a series of non-core businesses, including exiting the wireless resale business, which alone will save $700 million annually. The company is also exploring the sale of other wireless assets and certain South American assets. These sales will reduce losses associated with these operations and allow the company to focus on its core businesses.

Paying Series D, E and F preferred stock dividends in common stock rather than cash, deferring dividends on MCI QUIPS, and discontinuing the MCI tracker dividend, saving approximately $375 million annually.

Continuing discussions with our bank lenders.

Creating a new position of Chief Service and Quality Officer to keep an eye focused on our customer services during this restructuring.

“We intend to create $2 billion a year in cash savings in addition to any cash generated from our business operations,” said Sidgmore. “By focusing on these steps, I am convinced WorldCom will emerge a stronger, more competitive player.”

About WorldCom, Inc.
WorldCom, Inc. (NASDAQ: WCOM, MCIT) is a pre-eminent global communications provider for the digital generation, operating in more than 65 countries. With one of the most expansive, wholly-owned IP networks in the world, WorldCom provides innovative data and Internet services for businesses to communicate in today's market. In April 2002, WorldCom launched The Neighborhood built by MCI - the industry's first truly any-distance, all-inclusive local and long-distance offering to consumers for one fixed monthly price. Effective as of the close of regular trading on July 12, 2002, WorldCom will eliminate its tracking stock structure and have one class of common stock with the NASDAQ ticker symbol WCOM. For more information, go to http://www.worldcom.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This document includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to economic uncertainty; the effects of vigorous competition; the impact of technological change on our business, alternative technologies, and dependence on availability of transmission facilities; risks of international business; regulatory risks in the United States and internationally; contingent liabilities; uncertainties regarding the collectibility of receivables; risks associated with debt service requirements and; our financial leverage; uncertainties associated with the success of acquisitions; and the ongoing war on terrorism. More detailed information about those factors is contained in WorldCom's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Press Releases

WorldCom Says BellSouth Long Distance Bids Deserve An "F"

Background: BellSouth today sought Federal Communications Commission authority to provide long distance service in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. Under the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, regional Bell monopolies such as BellSouth are required to prove to state regulators and to the FCC that their local phone markets are irreversibly open to competitors on a state-by-state basis before they can be allowed to offer long distance services.

The following statement should be attributed to Rick Heitmann, WorldCom Vice President for Public Policy:

"Any way you slice it, these five BellSouth applications are the equivalent of a student resubmitting a failed term paper hoping somehow the teacher will this time look the other way. The bottom line is BellSouth has not demonstrated that it has met the requirements for long distance approval so its latest long distance applications deserve an “F.”

“For six years BellSouth has repeatedly gone out of its way to throw roadblocks in front of competitors seeking to enter these states’ local markets and evade its obligations under federal law. The FCC and the U.S. Justice Department owe it to consumers to insure these roadblocks have been removed and that viable local competition exists in each of these states before approving these applications.

“In the wake of recent pro-competition rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court on wholesale network pricing and questions raised by Tennessee regulators on the regional nature of BellSouth’s operations support systems, we are hopeful that federal regulators will force BellSouth to address its inflated rates for competitive access to its network and unproven operations support systems before granting it long distance authority. Only then will competitors have the practical tools they need to more easily bring widespread local phone choice to consumers in these states.’’
###

Press Releases
WorldCom Subsidiary Elects Extension Period with Respect to MCI Capital I Quarterly Income Preferred Securities

Clinton, Miss., June 19, 2002 – WorldCom, Inc. (NASDAQ: WCOM, MCIT) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, MCI Communications Corporation, has elected to cause the deferral of interest on its 8.00% Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures, Series A, and as a result MCI Capital I will not be paying interest on its 8.00% Cumulative Quarterly Income Preferred Securities, Series A (NASDAQ: MCICP) beginning with the Interest Payment Date of June 30, 2002. The governing Indenture and Trust Agreement permit the deferral of interest for up to 20 consecutive quarters with respect to each deferred period.

ABOUT WORLDCOM, INC.
WorldCom, Inc. (NASDAQ: WCOM, MCIT) is a pre-eminent global communications provider for the digital generation, operating in more than 65 countries. With one of the most expansive, wholly-owned IP networks in the world, WorldCom provides innovative data and Internet services for businesses to communicate in today's market. In April 2002, WorldCom launched The Neighborhood built by MCI - the industry's first truly any-distance, all-inclusive local and long-distance offering to consumers for one fixed monthly price. Effective as of the close of regular trading on July 12, 2002, WorldCom will eliminate its tracking stock structure and have one class of common stock with the NASDAQ ticker symbol WCOM. For more information, go to http://www.worldcom.com.

posted 07-01-2002 03:28 PM            

Story Filed: Monday, July 01, 2002 3:49 PM EDT

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- U.S. planes bombed a village in central Afghanistan on Monday after the U.S. military said American forces came under fire. Afghans said villagers were celebrating a wedding and that scores were killed and injured, including many women and children.

Reports of the incident were conflicting. The Pentagon insisted the aircraft attacked a legitimate hostile target but suggested an errant bomb may have caused civilian casualties.

At Bagram air base, U.S. military spokesman Col. Roger King said an AC-130 gunship, a B-52 bomber and other aircraft joined the attack after coalition ground forces came under fire.

``We understand that there were some civilian casualties in the operation, but we do not yet know how many casualties or how they occurred,'' King said. ``The United States expresses its deepest sympathies to those who have lost their loved ones.''

He said at least four of the injured were treated by U.S. forces.

Bismullah, communications chief of Uruzgan province, said Afghans in the village of Kakarak, about 175 miles southwest of Kabul, were firing weapons in the air during the wedding as is common in rural Afghanistan when U.S. planes attacked, killing about 40 people and injuring 70.

Noor Mohammed, leader of neighboring Gujran district, reported the same casualty figures and said Afghans were ``upset because innocent people have died.''

In the southern city of Kandahar, where many of the victims were taken, Afghans said the attack began about 2 a.m. and lasted for about two hours. A nurse at the Kandahar hospital, Sher Mohammed, said he heard that about 120 people were killed.

Hospital officials said most of the dead and injured were women and children. One of the injured, a 6-year-old girl named Paliko, was brought to the hospital still wearing her party dress. Villagers said all members of her family were killed.

Another injured child, 7-year-old Malika, lost her mother, father, a brother and a sister, according to neighbors who brought her to the hospital.

``We have many children who are injured and who have no family,'' nurse Mohammed Nadir said. ``Their families are gone. The villagers brought these children and they have no parents. Everyone says that their parents are dead.''

In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman said a coalition air reconnaissance patrol that was flying over Uruzgan province reported coming under anti-aircraft artillery fire. Other coalition aircraft opened fire on the target.

Meanwhile, a Pentagon official said a B-52 was on a strike mission against a cave complex in Uruzgan -- an event that appeared unrelated to the reported anti-aircraft artillery fire. The B-52 may have dropped a bomb that went astray, he said.

In Kandahar, one survivor, Abdul Qayyum, told reporters at the Mir Wais Hospital that after the attack, the Americans came to the area demanding to know ``who fired on the helicopters.''

``I said 'I don't know' and one of the soldiers wanted to tie my hands but someone said he is an old man and out of the respect they didn't,'' he said.

The injured also included Haji Mohammed Anwar, who Afghans said was a friend of President Hamid Karzai and one of the first prominent local figures who rose up against the former Taliban regime.

The bombing occurred in the same province where U.S. special forces killed 21 Afghans when they stormed buildings in Khas Uruzgan village on Jan. 23 looking for al-Qaida and Taliban forces. The Pentagon later acknowledged that none of those killed were al-Qaida or Taliban, but Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld cleared the Americans of any wrongdoing.

In an interview last week with The Associated Press, Karzai expressed concern that innocent Afghan civilians are being caught in the cross fire in the war on terrorism.

``I will definitely want the Afghan civilians, the Afghan villages to be immune from accidental damage,'' Karzai said. ``To be sure that they do not receive accidental firing at them. To make sure that our women and children and villages don't suffer.''

posted 07-17-2002 02:39 AM            

Wednesday, July 17, 2002; 1:10 AM

MONAHANS, Texas –– An Air Force stealth fighter accidentally dropped three dummy bombs into rural areas near the Texas-New Mexico border, including one that may have struck a home, officials said Tuesday.

No injuries were reported.

Monahans Police Chief Charles Sebastian said Air Force personnel were headed to the area to retrieve the object.

Tech. Sgt. Paul Coupaud, a spokesman for Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, N.M., said the fighter had been on a training mission. He said he was unaware of how far the intended target was from where the munitions fell. "A board of Air Force officers will be appointed to investigate the incident," he said.

One resident, Dick Aker, said an object crashed through his former daughter-in-law's house in Monahans, about 33 miles west of Odessa in south Texas.

"It crashed through the roof and then went through the bathroom wall and into the floor breaking a water pipe," he said.

The other munitions fell in remote areas of Pecos, Texas, and Maljamar, N.M., according to the Air Force.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16728-2002Jul17.html

posted 07-18-2002 09:44 PM            

Well anyway... Here's an update on that story.

Today: July 18, 2002 at 17:25:19 PDT

Air Force Fighter Pilot Grounded
ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M.- The Air Force has grounded a fighter pilot who accidentally dropped three dummy bombs, including one that fell on a house.

The pilot did not know his F-117A stealth fighter was carrying the 25-pound practice bombs as he targeted trash bins and other structures during a training exercise Tuesday, the pilot's wing commander said.

"This is not the way we do business, and we're very disappointed it happened," Brig. Gen. Marc Rogers said.

The pilot, whose name was not released, dropped the bombs on a home in Monahans, Texas, and near roads in Pecos, Texas, and Maljimar, N.M.

No one was injured. The pilot was suspended pending an investigation.

"What they did, that was negligence," said Gloria Aker, who was home with her young son and 17-year-old daughter when the practice bomb slammed through her roof, into a bathroom and plowed six feet into the ground. "They could have killed my kids."

Aker initially could not find her son in his bedroom.

"There was smoke," Aker said. "I was screaming and he didn't answer me."

Rogers said training flights are routinely flown around the Southwest using cameras to simulate bombs aimed at targets, sometimes in populated areas.

Rogers said a routine preflight check, performed by pilots and maintenance personnel, includes an inspection of the bomb bay. But other factors, including a mechanical failure in the plane, may have caused the accident, he said.

Rogers said the Air Force will repair Aker's home.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2002/jul/18/071801751.html

posted 07-28-2002 12:14 AM            

Today: July 27, 2002 at 22:00:23 PDT

Families Rejoice at Miners' Survival

ASSOCIATED PRESS

SOMERSET, Pa.- Cheering and waving their hands in the air, families and friends of the nine coal miners discovered alive celebrated after their torturous three-day wait came to an end.

"I don't want to use the term loosely, but it was a miracle," said David Streets, a distant relation of Robert Pugh, one of the miners.

Hundreds of people had gathered in the Sipesville Fire Hall, where many family members had been keeping vigil for days.

When news came Saturday night that the men were safe, the room exploded with euphoria. "There was so much hope in that room it was incredible," said Sandra Watkins, a friend of trapped miner John Unger.

On Friday night, the families of the victims of Flight 93 sent along words of support and encouragement to the loved ones of the miners. The mine several hundred feet underground was not far from the Sept. 11 crash site.

"During our time of tragedy, you extended yourselves to us and tirelessly continued to do so. We consider you our family, and we sincerely hope and pray that the recovery effort will be successful in bringing your loved ones home," said the e-mail, which was signed "The Families of United Flight 93."

At a news conference Saturday, Gov. Mark Schweiker held up a copy of the e-mail from the Flight 93 victims' families sent to a group they called "the Somerset mining families." "It was uplifting to know that families that had suffered on Sept. 11 by virtue of that plane crashing ... into the Somerset County hillside took the time to express their sentiments and be supportive," Schweiker said. Schweiker called the e-mail "exemplary of how the nation has responded with incredible support" for the victims of Wednesday's accident.

The family members had made several trips to the rescue site and officials met with them every hour. Although it had been a long wait, friends said the families never gave up hope that the miners were alive. "In the room there was a gamut of emotions and hope," Streets said.

"When the drill bit broke, some of those hopes were dashed, but there was never any despair."

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2002/jul/27/072709128.html

__________________________________________________________________

Today: July 27, 2002 at 22:05:24 PDT

One Trapped Miner Pulled From Shaft

ASSOCIATED PRESS

SOMERSET, Pa.- The first of nine coal miners trapped underground for more than three days was brought safely to the surface early Sunday morning and dropped onto a stretcher to the applause of rescuers. All nine miners were found alive Saturday night 240 feet underground, and rescuers rushed to pull them from the flooded shaft.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2002/jul/27/072709147.html

posted 07-28-2002 12:26 AM            

Mine Accident Timeline

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A chronology of events in the mining accident near Somerset, Pa.:

Wednesday, July 24: 9 p.m. - Nine miners become trapped 240 feet below ground inside the Quecreek mine after breaking into an adjacent, abandoned mine. The Quecreek mine is flooded with 50 to 60 million gallons of water.

Thursday, July 25: 3:30 a.m. - Rescue workers hear tapping from the area where miners are trapped.

11:30 a.m. - Tapping heard again.

2:30 p.m. - A drill rig large enough to bore a rescue shaft arrives from a West Virginia mine. 6 p.m. - Crews begin drilling tunnel to reach miners.

Friday, July 26: 2 a.m. - Drill bit gets stuck in rock about 100 feet down and breaks.

11:10 a.m. - Digging with new equipment begins on another shaft about 75 feet from the first.

4:45 p.m. - Broken bit is removed from the first rescue tunnel. 8 p.m. - Drilling resumes on first rescue shaft.

Saturday, July 27: 3 p.m. - Tunnel reaches depth of 224 feet, less than 20 feet from chamber where miners are trapped.

7:30 p.m. - Gov. Mark Schweiker announces "We're on the verge." 8 p.m. - Drilling in first rescue shaft stopped briefly at 227 feet to fix problem with compressed air drill.

10:20 p.m. - Drill in first rescue shaft breaks through into mine chamber 240 feet underground; workers remove equipment used to pump compressed air into the chamber and begin to tap on pipes, listening for response.

10:50 p.m. - A line of rescue workers lower a telephone and green light into smaller shaft adjacent to drilling site.

11 p.m. - Smiling rescue workers begin to give thumbs-up signs and hug.

posted 07-28-2002 02:12 AM            

Trapped Miners Pulled From Pa. Shaft

ASSOCIATED PRESS

SOMERSET, Pa.- Rescue workers on Sunday pulled all nine miners one by one from the watery, 240-foot-deep shaft where they had been trapped for three days, a jubilant reward for an effort fraught with one gut-wrenching setback after another.

After three grim days of frantic drilling delayed by broken bits and busted seals, defiant crews - with no signs of life to encourage them since Thursday - bored a giant auger through the ceiling of 4-foot high chamber at 10:16 p.m. Saturday.

The breakthrough allowed workers to drop a telephone line to the miners through a small air pipe. Moments later, rescuers were seen hugging and giving the thumbs-up.

Then the word came from an unidentified, mud-caked rescue worker who shouted up from the pit near where they dropped the communication device: "They're all down there. They're waiting to come up. There's nine of them. We talked to them on the telephone."

The first words from the miners were blunt. "What took you so long?" one of the miners asked, according to a rescuer.

Gov. Mark Schweiker then appeared before reporters late Saturday night and raised his fists over his head. "All nine are alive," he said. "And we believe that all nine are in pretty good shape."

Ron Svonavec, of Somerset, was at the top of the rescue shaft when contact was first made. He said one of them said, "There's nine men ready to get the hell out of here. We need some chew."

The Sipesville Fire Hall, where the families had been gathering, erupted in celebration. Families cried and hugged and many were in the street with hands in the air.

"Wow. Wow. Wow. It's just unbelievable," said mine worker Lou Lepley, who has been staffing the mine entrance for three days. "I have no words."

The first, pulled out about 1 a.m., was dropped onto a stretcher to the wild applause of rescuers. After that, miners were brought up in roughly 15-minute intervals; the last emerged at about 2:45 a.m.

When the fourth was pulled up in the yellow, cylindrical capsule, a smile was visible on his blackened face. Battered American flags were seen on the sides of some of their helmets. One miner's helmet flashlight was still aglow.

Randy Fogle, 43, of Garrett, was the first pulled from the 26-inch wide hole. He had reported feeling chest pains while still in the mine, but officials at the hospital where he soon arrived said he was slightly hypothermic but otherwise well.

As they emerged, the miners surprised medical personnel who had prepared to treat them for symptoms of hypothermia or the bends, an excruciating condition caused by sudden changes in pressure.

Decompression chambers, ambulances and 18 helicopters were at the scene 55 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. In the end, however, little medical attention was required for the miners, who for days had been described as a tough breed that knows how to survive.

Air was pumped into the chamber at a temperature of more than 100 degrees to warm the men before it was known they were alive. T
he miners became trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, when they inadvertently broke into an abandoned, water-filled mine that maps showed to be 300 feet away.

As much as 60 million gallons of water rushed into the shaft where they were working, and they were able to warn a second crew, which escaped.

"They knew what was coming. We didn't. They are the heroes. If not for them, there'd be dead bodies," said mine worker Doug Custer, among the group who escaped.

Rescue workers had remained optimistic the miners were alive, even though there had been no contact since midday Thursday, when tapping was heard on an air hole.

"If there's any slogan (among the rescue workers) it's 'nine-for-nine,'" Schweiker said before the drill broke through. "We're bringing up nine of our guys."

Reaching the men was sometimes painfully slow. Drilling a rescue shaft to the men, age 30 to 55, didn't begin until more than 20 hours after the accident, because workers had to wait for a drill rig to arrive from West Virginia. And drilling was halted early Friday morning because a 1,500-pound drill bit broke after hitting hard rock about 100 feet down, delaying the effort by 18 hours.

A second rescue shaft was started and it wasn't until Saturday that measurable progress was being made on both shafts.

The rescuers worked cautiously toward the miners because they feared compromising a hollowed-out section of coal seam believed to be about 4 feet high, which may have been partially flooded.

Before the drill broke through, 30 feet of water had been drained from the mine, the amount needed to give the trapped men more room and ensure the pressure wouldn't cause water to rise when the ceiling was pierced.

A cap was placed over the rescue shaft at the surface to ensure the chamber remained pressurized.

The rescue attempt has transfixed the nation and the region, a hilly, rural area long dependent on coal and one that suffered tragedy during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The 40 passengers and crew on Flight 93 died when it was taken over by hijackers and crashed near Shanksville, about 10 miles from the mine.

posted 08-05-2002 02:51 PM            

Monday, August 5, 2002; 1:20 PM WASHINGTON –– Airplanes from the U.S.-British coalition patrolling southern Iraq bombed an Iraqi military facility Monday, the U.S. Central Command said.

The coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons to strike an Iraqi command and control facility at about 1 a.m. EDT, a Central Command statement said.The attack was a response to Iraqi actions that threaten the U.S. and British planes patrolling the no-fly zone over southern Iraq, the statement said.

Central Command says Iraq has fired on coalition planes 70 times this year.An Iraqi military spokesman told the official Iraqi News Agency Monday that "enemy warplanes bombed civil and service installations in al-Nukhayb," about 250 miles southwest of Baghdad in the desert between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The spokesman gave no further details.Monday's strike was the latest in a series of flare-ups in the no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq. Coalition planes struck Iraqi targets six times last month.