The story of how the builders scored pile Moscow subway tunnel, probably all know. And that's about as drillers drilled a well on the lake, and it is almost all in it flowed? Yeah, as if someone pulled the plug out of a giant bath. In the resulting crater, and only three hours from the lake took more than 13 billion liters of water.
In the State of Louisiana (USA), near the town of New Iberia (New Iberia), was a freshwater lake Pener area of 5 square kilometers. Very shallow, on average - 3.3 meters. The name of the lake comes from the French word «Peigneur», which means "grebnechesalschik", but it does not matter .... But the important thing is what happened at dawn on Thursday 21 November 1980. On this day, as they say, there were no signs. Oil drilling rigs are located around the perimeter of Pener, regularly worked, "looking" at an oasis in the middle of the lake - a small island with a beautiful botanical garden. Here, in one of the rig drilling crew worked Wilson Brothers Corporation, which hired the Texaco oil company to drill an exploration well № 20 (Well No. 20).
I work on a drilling platform team of five in the evening on November 20 drillers encountered problems - to a depth of 374 meters could be drilled without any problems, and the 375-m bit risen. Evening shift decided to await the morning, and by 6 o'clock hauled seven other specialists. Already at 6:30 it was clear that things are bad - drilling rig with an unpleasant noise started slightly tilted. And the team immediately report the situation to the office of Texaco in New Iberia. Report a problem both shift left the platform and rushed to the shore, the blessing, he was at a distance of about 350 meters. A couple of hours platform sank and sank. Meanwhile, the water in the lake began to boil, and eventually formed a giant whirlpool. This funnel is becoming more and more. Looking ahead, we say that the diameter of 55 meters, and in the end it "sucked" two drilling rigs, lift, 11 or 12 barges dock, the island to the botanical gardens, homes, trucks, tons of mud, trees, and God knows what else .
But it is in the end, we're back to the beginning. At this very moment under the ground, or rather, under the bottom of the lake, fifty workers labored in the salt mine of Diamond Crystal. They worked in a large tunnel 30 meters wide and 24 meters high. Ceiling support left for the local pillar of salt. The first alarm scored worked in a mine electrician Junius Geddison (Junius Gaddison): he heard a loud strange noise and soon discovered the source, who approached him at high speed. These were two barrels of fuel, colliding with each other and rushing in a stream of dirty water, which reached to the knee.
As it turned out, chisel drillers punched hole on the third level, in the salt dome (or dome) of the mine at a depth of about 400 meters! The original 35-inch hole from the bit rapidly increased several times - since the beginning of dilute salt. Oilers contacted the Army Corps of Engineers (US Army Corps of Engineers), which, in turn, sent a message of distress in the Diamond Crystal, but it was too late. Fortunately, the miners the other day, on Saturday, conducted exercises on safety and, therefore, knew exactly what to do. Did not disappoint and warning system, and emergency lighting, and special facilities for evacuation.
While fresh water is rapidly dissolved salt, and fell backup sets, nine miners from the third level could quickly rise to the surface in a steel cage. But 41 workers from the fourth level below 460 meters, had to choose a third to his waist in water. Then they had to wait patiently for their turn to go on a slow elevator, designed for 8 people. But all of the miners were rescued, however, they suddenly become unemployed. When the mine was empty, above the geyser shot up out of the water and the rocks about 120 meters high - the water entrance to the tunnel faster than he could get air.
Further, we note that the lake was due to being in the Gulf of Mexico 20 miles channel Delkambr (Delcambre Canal), so when Pener was empty, the water level dropped to Delkambre meter, and the water flowed in the opposite direction. Part of the "former" lake water from the Gulf of Mexico formed a 4.5-meter waterfall (by the way, the water filled crater again over the next two days).
Surprisingly, the incident was not lost a single human life. Seriously injured or drillers or miners, or even an old man, with his nephew fished in Pener fish - water went so fast that the aluminum fishing boat stuck in the mud and not get into the funnel. Only victims of disasters have killed three dogs.
Of course, all this could not result in lawsuits: Diamond Crystal sued Texaco, she filed a return, the local community (Live Oak Gardens) has decided to sue the two companies, and one woman wanted to punish Texaco and Wilson Brothers for $ 1.45 million for bruised ribs and injured his back. In the end, Texaco and Wilson Brothers Corporation agreed to pay $ 32 million Diamond Crystal and $ 12.8 million Live Oak Gardens. Therefore, agreed amicably.
Nine of the eleven sunken barges were again put into the case on the surface of the lake. Life slowly returned to normal, no environmental or economical disaster happened.
However, the lake's ecosystem has changed beyond recognition: the fresh water replaced the sea, affecting the flora and fauna - there were "new" plants, fish disappeared "old." In addition, the maximum depth Pener increased 100-fold, to 396 meters! It remains to add that the specific culprits in the calculations when drilling was never found, and not punished. Except villain shot in 1985 James Bond film "View to a Kill» (A View to a Kill). In this picture the Lake is also flowing into the mine.
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