A Cargill salt mine in central New York remains closed three weeks after 17 miners were trapped in an elevator 900 feet below ground.
The miners were rescued and suffered no injuries from the elevator malfunction. Minnetonka-based Cargill, one of two big U.S. road salt manufacturers, continues to analyze the incident, scrutinizing 2,300 feet of elevator's shaft.
The miners were descending for the night shift when the elevator car stopped more than 80 stories below ground. The workers were stuck for 10 hours before being plucked to safety -- a few at a time -- by a crane.
Cargill doesn't have an estimate as to when the mine, located near Ithaca, will reopen. Some of the mine's above-ground operations are continuing.
"We had some good supplies above ground and have been shipping by truck since just after the incident," said Mark Klein, a Cargill spokesman.
The mine employs about 200, some of whom continue to work. Those who aren't working are still being paid and covered by health insurance, Klein said.
Cargill operates two other U.S. salt mines, one in southern Louisiana near the Gulf Coast and the other in Cleveland, below Lake Erie.
