First supplies boost trapped Chilean miners' spirits as they dig in for long haul

Singing Chile's national anthem in a full-throated chorus, 33 miners trapped deep underground yesterday thanked their rescuers and settled in for a long wait until a tunnel wide enough to pull them out can be carved through a half-mile of rock.

Raising hopes further, a second bore hole has been punched into the chamber where the miners are entombed, while a third probe is nearing the spot - yet a proper rescue tunnel might not reach the men until Christmas.

After parcelling out tiny bits of food and drinking water gathered from the mine floor for the past 18 days, the miners were yesterday getting glucose and rehydration tablets to help restore their digestive systems.

Capsules carrying oxygen also were sent down through a 6in bore hole to help the men survive the humid conditions in the lower reaches of the San Jose gold and copper mine, 500 miles north of Santiago. The bore holes also will be used to lower communication lines and to provide ventilation.

Meanwhile, the miners were sending up notes to their families in the same supply capsules - providing solace to people who have held vigil in the chilly Atacama desert since the 5 August shaft collapse. Their ordeal, however, is far from over.

Above ground, doctors and psychological experts are debating how to keep the miners sane during the estimated four months it will take to dig a tunnel large enough to get them out of the safety chamber 2,200ft underground. Through a newly- installed communication system, the miners explained how they ate sparingly from their few supplies.

"They had two little spoonfuls of tuna, a sip of milk and a biscuit every 48 hours," said Dr. Sergio Aguilar, a physician on the rescue team.

Officials released a portion of the recording of the dialogue, in which miners could be heard singing Chile's national anthem.

Officials are implementing a plan that includes keeping the miners informed and busy. "They need to understand what we know up here at the surface, that it will take many weeks for them to reach the light," said health minister Jaime Manalich.

Engineers reinforced the first bore hole by using a long hose to coat its walls with a metallic gel to decrease the risk of rocks blocking the hard-won passage through the unstable mine.

The lubricant makes it easier to pass supplies through capsules nicknamed "palomas", Spanish for dove. The first of the packages, which are about 5ft long and take about an hour to descend from the surface, held rehydration tablets and a high-energy glucose gel.

Actual food will be sent down in several days, after the men's stomachs have had time to adjust, said Paola Neuman of the medical rescue service.

Rescue teams also sent oxygen. Miners had complained there was not enough air in the stretches of the mine below where the main shaft collapsed. The shelter is a living room-size chamber off one of the mine's lower passages far from the collapse. It is easily big enough for all 33 men, and they also can walk around in tunnels below where the rocks fell. The temperature is about 32 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, an enormous machine with diamond-tipped drills capable of carving a 26in-wide tunnel through solid rock and boring at about 65ft a day is on its way from central Chile to the mine. The machine was donated by the state-owned Codelco copper company and carried on a lorry decorated with Chilean flags. Just setting it up will take at least three days.