Franklin - 33 men: inside the miraculous survival and dramatic rescue of the Chilean miners

Men

This book is dedicated to my family, who barely saw me for the duration of this dramatic tale: Toty, my ever patient and daredevil wife, and my six precious daughters, Francisca, Susan, Maciel, Kimberly, Amy and little Zoe. And finally to my grandson Tomas, who hardly saw me.

Writing this book was a challenge and a journey, not nearly as wrenching as that lived by the thirty-three miners, but I, too, am excited to finally be at home and at peace.

Jonathan Franklin
December 2010
Santiago, Chile

A Word on Translation

Chilean Spanish is notoriously rich in slang. Miner lingo is notoriously rich in obscenities. The combination of those two realities made a literal translation virtually impossible. In many cases the Spanish used by miners and rescue workers, families and politicians has been translated to preserve the essence and meaning. Many obscenities have been simply removed not because of any particular offense, but due to the simple fact that they do not make sense in other languages. The author and publisher have maintained the intent of the words but allowed for a more coherent translation style. Given the use of multiple translators, there are likely to be minor differences of opinion in how best to present the rich texture of Chilean Spanish to a global audience.

A Word on Dates and Hours

This book is based on interviews with approximately 120 different participants in the rescue, including a majority of the miners, President Piera and leading designers and participants. Due to the extraordinary nature of their underground confinement and the monotony of confinement, the miners were not always able to confirm the exact time and date of certain events. With no daylight or darkness to mark the passage of time, such confusion is understandable.

The author has sought to make sense of this confusion and understands it well as he personally went for one eight-day stretch without changing clothes, showering or even taking off his boots. Fatigue and exhaustion were in abundant supply for the last twenty days of the rescue. The author wishes to stress that despite repeated efforts to clarify certain sequences, discrepancies continue to exist among the very participants. Such is the nature of dramatic events.

Exclusive Access

Many of the scenes and interviews in this book were not available to the thousands of journalists at Camp Hope. Early in the rescue effort I reported from behind the police lines like the other reporters. As I realized the scope and drama of the operation, I asked the Asociacin Chilena de Seguridad (ACHS), the insurance company in charge of much of the rescue operation, for permission to document their remarkable rescue efforts. I was covering the drama for numerous media including the Washington Post and The Guardian . The ACHS immediately agreed and provided me with a half-day tour of the rescue operation. They then told me the tour was over.

I asked to stay on and continue to report. In that case, I was told, I would need a Rescue Team credential. I filled out the forms, wrote that I was a writer and was given pass No. 204. For much of the ensuing six weeks I was able to roam the front rows of the rescue as I reported, recorded and filmed. At no time did I suggest that I was on any other mission than full-time reporter.

The Oakley Sunglasses

In accordance with full disclosure, I am proud to say that I was responsible for the miners receiving Oakley sunglasses. During a planning meeting between Codelco and the Chilean Navy early in September, it became apparent that the miners needed high-quality eyewear upon leaving the mine. Given the overwhelming logistics of planning the rescue, the officials were swamped with tasks and a bit lost on what to do about sunglasses. Seven years earlier, I had met Erik Poston, an Oakley representative. I still had his business card. I wrote Oakley an email suggesting they send thirty-five pairs of sunglasses (two spares) to the Chilean rescue team. They complied and the rest is history.