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The blast zone. Photo Courtesy Cementation.
Carlos Martinez Jr. and Matthew Rabago are part of the new generation of underground hard rock miners at Superior’s Resolution Copper Project.
Mila Besich-Lira | Superior Sun
Copper Area News
At the end of November history was made in Superior, a new chapter was completed at the Resolution Copper project and some of the main history makers are lifetime residents of Superior.
These lifetimes are short in comparison to other history makers; they are young men, who took a chance on a career that when it all started they knew nothing about mining with the exception of stories that were told by their parents and grandparents.
Just days after the final blast for the number ten shaft theSuperior Sun, had the opportunity to meet with some of the senior staff and young miners who built the shaft which at this time is the deepest single lift shaft in America. These miners worked six days a weeks, 10.5 hours days. These crews worked 1.52 million man hours over the course of eight years. They excavated 475,000 tons of rock, poured 50,000 cubic yards of concrete and installed 13 miles of pipe to complete this project. As they blasted deeper into the final destination the temperatures rose higher than expected and they had to slow their pace while a new cooling system was installed. That was only one of the challenges they faced; today they say that sometimes it gets a little cold underground.
Tom Goodell, manager of Underground Development for Resolution Copper has worked on many shaft building projects for the mining industry as well as the government in America, Turkey and Canada; he was well suited to take on this project for Rio Tinto. He credits the success of the project to the crews that worked underground. “We hired local workers and trained them how to the job safely. They were a breath of fresh air and are the best crew I have ever seen,” he said. He emphasized that they were able to teach this new generation of miners how to do the job safely and efficiently.
Randy Seppala, the project manager for shaft development at Resolution Copper, is a returning miner to the area. Seppala worked at Magma Copper when the number nine shaft was completed; after the shut down in 1982 he had to find work at other mines but eventually he found his way back to the area and began consulting along with Goodell on the Resolution Copper project.
“When we came back to the project in 2006, there was nothing here but weeds and stray cats,” he explained.
Seppala shared how the safety requirements in mining makes the job much different from his early days as a miner. “There were no self rescuers back in the day, it was very scary,” he said. Seppala explained that the miners were paid an additional half hour of pay to attend a daily safety meeting to ensure safety.
These two experienced miners provided the leadership that was needed to build the shaft. Carlos Martinez Jr. and Matthew Rabago took some time out of their day to talk a little bit about what it was like for them to make a decision to become a miner.
Carlos Martinez Jr. was working at Felicia’s Ice Cream shop, a business his family owns and going to school to be a helicopter pilot when he learned about the shaft sinking jobs.
“I went from being in the sky to being underground,” he said.
Martinez has worked on the project from the first blast to the last blast for a total of seven years. He began his career with Cementation in 2006, when he was just 19 years old; he is proud of what has been accomplished. He graduated from Superior High School in 2006, he owns a home in Superior, has a girlfriend and a two year old son. He talked about how this job helped him to get his life settled.
Martinez explained the shaft sinking process in depth, just as a seasoned professional would. “First you drill 60 holes, load them with explosives at the bench and then you blast. After you blast you haul the muck away, about 40 buckets worth. Then we spray shot crete for rock support, bring down the frames and pour the cement to construct the shaft,” he said. The tool used provide more safety for the miners, the jumbo drills takes the place of the jack leg drill and a clam scoop is used to move the muck. The clam scoop is one of the tools that Martinez enjoys operating.
Matthew Rabago began working on the project four years ago when he was 21 years old. He graduated from Superior High School in 2007 and studied to be a mechanic; he wasn’t planning on working underground but when the opportunity came up he took it, and it doesn’t appear that he will be turning back anytime soon.
He has a home in Superior.
“These jobs help people build families in Superior and keep Superior good,” he said with pride about the opportunity to work on the shaft sinking project. Rabago explained his job in three words: “wet, hard & heavy.” Rabago also wanted to encourage students considering a career in mining. “Be ready and be safe, it’s a good profession,” he said.
These young men definitely work hard and are proud of what they and their crewmates have accomplished. Workers underground in this project often experienced hot and wet working environments and the long days are not something that everyone would want to endure. These working conditions have built a camaraderie that very few will ever experience in most occupations – they are each other’s eyes and ears to ensure safety and most importantly make sure that everyone comes up to the surface.
“Underground miners are a special breed of people,” explained Seppala.
Other local miners who worked on this project included: George Bueno, Alan Fox, Edward Gomez, Arthur Lopez, Jacob Martinez, Alfredo Martinez, Carlos Martinez Jr., Tony Martinez Sr., Anthony Moraga, Ismael Perales, Rusty Perez, Argel (AJ) Quiroz, Matthew Rabago, Nick Sicord, Alfred Villalobos, John Allison and Billy Ramirez.
As the number ten shaft is completed these crews will transition into building the pump station so the shaft can remain dry which will protect the investment. The plans for the Resolution Copper Mining operations will call for the existing number nine shaft to be sunk to the 7,000 foot level and then connected to the number ten shaft. The number eleven shaft will also need to be built for the operations; its design could most definitely be a record breaker as one of the widest and deepest shafts in North America. There isn’t an exact time frame on when the number nine or eleven shafts will begin.
Mila Besich is a resident of Superior with two children. She volunteers for many local organizations. She is an experienced fundraiser and event planner for Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition. She covers some of the area town councils and schools.
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