Summary

Chapter 11 is titled “The Race Down.” The first subsection is PLAN B: “THE RABBIT.” In 2002, several miners were trapped in Pennsylvania. Center Rock, Inc., a small drilling company, was instrumental in the two-day rescue. Tom Foy was among the rescued miners. He took a job with Center Rock's founder Brandon Fisher. Foy and Fisher knew they could get to the miners faster than the “turtle plan” currently underway. They felt they could widen one of the paloma tunnels with a series of percussion drill bits increasing in size. Chile's officials soon gave them permission to try. The equipment was huge, and they had to work out the details for transportation. Meanwhile, Jeff Hart, employed by Layne Christensen Company, was drilling for water in Afghanistan. He and drilling expert Matt Staffel were summoned to help. The Center Rock drill shattered on September...