Rock star writes to miners

Found this article tonight - I sure hope those miners make it out OK and are able to have a few cold ones with Mr. Grohl...link to the story is here.

Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl has sent a message to the two men trapped down in a Tasmanian mine offering to have a beer with them after they are rescued.
Mine manager Matthew Gill said today Grohl had contacted him after learning that one of the trapped men had requested Foo Fighters material on an iPod being sent down the mine.

Mr Gill - who earlier this week mistakenly described the Foo Fighters as a country band - said Grohl had offered to have a beer with the men once their ordeal was over.

Asked how Grohl had learned of the iPod request, Mr Gill joked it was probably because he had described the Foo Fighters as a country band, and Grohl was seeking to "correct the record".

"I read it to them and they were both stoked," Mr Gill said.

"It was basically, 'Thinking of you and anywhere, anytime to catch up with two cold beers'."

Mr Gill said Grohl was keen to know whether he had a deal with the miners.

"And I can tell Dave that those two say 'It's a deal'."

Brant Webb, 37, and Todd Russell, 34, have been trapped 925m underground since a small earthquake on Anzac Day triggered a rockfall, killing their colleague and trapping them in a small cavity down the mine.

A 16m escape route is being painstakingly tunnelled toward the men, who have now been in the mine for more than 10 days.

The two trapped miners will have to endure at least another night underground, despite good progress towards reaching them.

Rescuers drilling a metre-diameter escape tunnel were this afternoon just over 10m from reaching the spot where Todd Russell, 34, and Brant Webb, 37 are huddled in a steel cage.

Rescue teams are then expected to use jackhammers to punch through the final layer of rock to the two men, in the final, crucial part of the rescue operation.

Mr Gill said they just wanted the rescue operation to proceed safely.

"They just said 'do it safely'. They weren't concerned at the time at all," he said.

"I thought I'd get a serve (from them), but they realise that everything possible is being done.

"They were appreciative of the support they are getting, the commentary they are getting, the medics and our own men.

"They were really appreciative of that, almost apologetic."

Mr Gill said drilling had progressed about five-and-a-half metres, "so we are going okay."

"We are working on a (final) process to get them out and it won't be tonight."

Tonight will be the men's 11th night underground since rock falls trapped them one kilometre underground and killed their workmate Larry Knight, 44.