A "super drill", capable of drilling a hole, had been sent with police escort up from West Virginia. Once oxygen purging began, drillers had begun the 30-inch Rescue Hole No. 1 at 6:45p.m., Thursday, July 25, to intersect 1-Left section. It was located approximately away from the ventilation hole, and was drilled to a depth by 1:12 a.m., Friday, July 26, when the drill bit broke. The distance from this point to the mine was estimated at . At 3:45a.m. a portion of the bit was retrieved from the hole, but it was discovered that part of the bit had broken off and remained stuck in the hole. A special tool was needed to be fabricated in order to assist in retrieving the bit. Normally, such a job would be done in three or four days, but a 95-member machine shop in Big Run, Jefferson County, was able to build the tool in approximately three hours. A National Guard helicopter flew the tool in, and the bit was retrieved from Rescue Hole No. 1 at 4:09p.m. on July 26.