Story of trapped miners has uplifting ending

This story has all the makings of a great book or an uplifting movie. It's the story of nine coal miners in Pennsylvania who were trapped by water and rescued after 77 hours of intense labor by some 150 workers.

The plight of the miners and the efforts of their rescuers captured the attention and hearts of the nation and the world. At times, there seemed to be little hope of a successful rescue.

Folks in southwestern Pennsylvania near the town of Somerset have endured more than their share of tragedy, including the crash last Sept. 11 of Flight 93, the plane hijacked by terrorists on a day that won't soon be forgotten by Americans.

Coal miners and their families are resigned to the possibility of calamity underground. But that doesn't ease the pain and worry when something happens that threatens the miners' lives.

In this case, all ended well when a 26-inch shaft was drilled to where the miners were trapped.

One by one, there were lifted out and immediately taken to hospitals where, it was soon discovered, most of the miners were in surprisingly good condition.