Late into the night on Wednesday, July 24, 2002, coal miners working in the Quecreek Mine broke through a wall that was supposed to be hundreds of feet thick.

It was not. As a result, 72 million gallons of water rushed into the mine.

Eighteen miners on the 3-11 p.m. shift scrambled to escape a watery grave.

Nine could not get out of the mine in Somerset County.

A rescue operation swung into furious motion immediately.

The nine miners were trapped 240 below the surface in a chamber that was only 4-feet high.

The first thing rescuers did was drill holes to provide air to the men.

Others worked to drill holes to pump water out of the mine.

As the rescuers worked, the families waited at Sipesville firehall. And waited. And waited.

Finally, at 10:15 p.m. Saturday, July 27, rescuers using a drill punched a hole into the mine about

300 feet from the miners.

They lowered a microphone and speaker in the hole and learned all nine were alive.

Using an 8.5-foot cage-type 22-inch-wide cylinder the rescuers were able to retrieve the miners one at a time, heaviest to lightest after the crew leader who was having chest pains.

The first miner came up at 12:50 a.m. on July 28. The last at 2:45 a.m.

All survived.

"Nine for nine," as then Gov. Mark Schweiker said.

The miners in the order they were rescued, according to CNN:

Randy Fogle, 43

Harry B. Mayhugh, 31

Tom Foy, 51

John Unger, 52

John Phillippi, 36

Ronald Hileman, 49

Dennis Hall, 49

Robert Pugh, 50

Mark Popernack, 41

The rescue site was on a farm owned by Bill Arnold that is now a memorial to the rescue.

The Monument for Life Memorial Park is open every day, dawn to dusk. It includes a 7-foot bronze statue of a miner, a museum that includes the rescue capsule and the clothing the miners wore. Nine evergreen trees represent the nine miners.

The Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation will hold a "9 For 9" commemoration at 2 p.m. July 27 at the site, 140 Haupt Road, Somerset. Guest speaker will be former Gov. Mark Schweiker.

On July 29, a community celebration will be held there.

At 3 p.m. visitors may tour the rescue site for free to learn about the "9 for 9" rescue story.

The celebration also includes entertainment by The House Band with American Idol contestant Samantha Novacek, the Ethan Jano Band and JC Skeen.

There will be face painting for children along with a display of heavy equipment from Sipesville and Shanksville volunteer fire departments.

Food vendors attending will be Grumbling Gypsy, My Girls Deli & Catering, Stempora Catering, Big Poppa Kettle Corn and Morocco's Chicken.

A car cruise will be held 4-7 p.m. at Christ Casebeer Lutheran Church, adjacent to the Quecreek site. It is free and the first 100 participants will receive commemorative dash plaques.

A silent auction will include donations from Bedford Springs Resort, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Pittsburgh Steelers, Frank Lloyd Wright's Kentuck Knob, Wilderness Voyageurs and B.J. Maurer Ford.

The celebration will conclude with fireworks at dusk.

For more information, call 814-445-5090 or go to www.9for9.org.