All was normal that morning in October, 1987. Eighteen-month-old Jessica was playing with four young children in her aunt’s backyard. Suddenly the screams of Jessica’s playmates brought her mom, Reba, running out of the house. Jessica had vanished! The children all pointed to the well. Reba frantically peered down the hole, but she was unable to see her daughter. She rushed inside to call the police. “I was scared...I didn’t know what to do,” Reba McClure said later. “I just ran in and called the police. They were there within three minutes, but it felt like a lifetime.”

　　Police and paramedics did not arrive to a hopeful situation. Jessica was not responding to the frantic calls of her mom, and no one could see her. Finally, after a police officer called Jessica’s name several times, a tiny cry was heard. A tape measure attached to a flashlight was lowered into the hole to find out how far the child had fallen.

　　Within 15 minutes, rescue operations were underway. Crews tore down fences to make room in the backyard for a backhoe and drilling equipment. Heated air was forced into the well’s eight-inch opening to keep Jessica warm, and a microphone was lowered so that rescue workers could hear and monitor her.

　　Rescuers decided to drill a three-foot-wide hole beside the well shaft. When the drillers began digging to save Jessica, the outlook seemed optimistic. The rescue team planned to drill the new shaft parallel to, and deeper than, the one Jessica was trapped in, and then work their way across to her. That way any loose rock would fall away from the child. Initially, the rescuers thought they would reach Jessica within a few hours. But the drilling equipment did not adequately cut through the layers of rock. Progress was painfully slow.

　　On Thursday morning, about 24 hours after Jessica’s fall, David Lilly, a special investigator with the United States Mine Safety and Health Administration, was made rescue director. He planned to break through two feet below the child instead of working directly across toward her.

　　On Friday morning rescuers still had not reached the point where Jessica was trapped. She had been in the well now for over 48 hours. They took turns operating a 45-pound jackhammer while lying on their stomachs, 29 feet below the ground. Even though they were able to chip away only one inch of rock per hour, they refused to give up.

　　Late Friday morning Lilly finally broke into the shaft of the well directly below Jessica, and she started crying. He was able to reach in and touch her leg. His first concern was to prevent Jessica from slipping any lower than she had already. Therefore, he decided to insert a metal rod and a balloon beneath her to hold her in place. The balloon would also protect Jessica from the dust and noise.

　　For the last stretch, Lilly would not allow rescuers to chip away anymore at the well. He decided to use a high-pressure water drill to cut through the rock. The force of the water enlarged the passageway without harming Jessica. Then Lilly broke out an opening the size of the well itself, eight inches by ten inches. At this point, he turned over the operation to the paramedics.

　　Rescue workers needed to widen the tunnel for the paramedics. When O’Donnell, an experienced paramedic, entered the tunnel at about 6:00 P.M., he had two or three inches of headroom. Now he was able to tell the child’s position. Jessica was sitting upright with her left leg hanging down. Her right leg was straight up against her head. O’Donnell began the slow struggle of pulling the child free. Out of fear Jessica often tensed up, but each time she relaxed, O’Donnell tugged at her even harder. With the help of lubricating jelly, Jessica finally slipped free.

　　Steve Forbes, another paramedic, strapped her to a board to keep her head and neck straight. He held on tightly while they were towed back to the surface. At approximately 8:00 P.M. Friday, all eyes were on Midland and Jessica. She emerged from her 58-hour ordeal bandaged, bruised, and dirty. As millions of Americans and rescuers watched, Jessica blinked her bright, blue eyes. She had survived!

　　A feeling of relief swept across the entire country. Rescue workers wept and celebrated when Jessica reached the surface. The streets of Midland were lined with cheering people. Church bells rang as Jessica was rushed to the hospital with her parents. The entire town had joined together to save the life of one child.

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