Whoever wrote that makes me laugh. They are obviously trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill or know absolutly nothing about modern pumping equipment. To drain that 1000 ft of water from the top opening of the shaft should be easy. Then after it is drained drill a connector hole from below between the Sinker Tunnel and the vertical shaft to keep it empty.
All they need to do is go out and rent an ESP (electrical submersible pump) with electric cable, generator, 2 3/8" EUE tubing and a small 25t crane. The tubing only weights 5 lbs per foot, the ESP about 500 lbs, electric cables and attachments another couple thousand pounds. Depending on water discharge permits and inspection of a work platform over the shaft opening by the mining inspectors if the vertical shaft has no obstructions the actual work of lower the pump would take no more than a day once everything is set up. The tubing comes in 30 foot joints so that is only 33 joints at a running speed of 10 minutes per joint is 330 minutes or 5.5 hours. Connect the pump to the generator and a discharge hose to where you want the water to run off and start the ESP. IMO the actual draining of the vertical shaft should not be to much of a problem. I have no idea how large the shaft opening is but notching out foundation slots into the bedrock and cementing in I beams covered by 1/2" steel plates with proper hand rails would probably make a good work platform for the amount of weight which would need to be suspended.
Just google Electric Submersible Pumps. All this equipment can be rented or with the state of the North American oil business purchased cheap second hand. Childs play is what comes to my mind when talking about draining a 1000 ft deep hole in the ground if it is done from the top.
Regards
