San José Mine San José Mine The San José Mine () is a small copper-gold mine located near Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile. The mine became known internationally for its collapse in 2010, which trapped 33 miners underground. Its workings are reached by a long sloping roadway with many spiral turns (a diagram shows ten turns), not by a vertical mineshaft. The San José Mine is located 45 kilometers northwest of Copiapó. The mine began operations in 1889. In 1957, Jorge Kemeny Letay, a Hungarian immigrant founded the San Esteban Mining Company (). According to Terra, the mine's annual sales surpassed 20 million dollars.
Schramm Inc. Schramm Inc. Schramm, Inc. is a manufacturer of drilling equipment and truck mounted drilling rigs headquartered in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1900 by Chris Schramm. In 2010, Schramm, Inc. assisted in the rescue of 33 miners trapped for 69 days as a result of the Copiapó mining accident in Chile. The company built both drilling rigs that were key in saving the miners. The Schramm T685 WS truck mounted drill bored a hole that, on 22 August 2010, was the first to break through to the 33 trapped men, confirming they had survived the accident. The