By PETER PRENGAMAN

Associated Press Writer

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile (AP) -- The disaster will likely keep the miners underground for months.

The miners were asked to send up a note designating who could get their $1,600 (800,000 peso) salary for August. There are separate bank accounts for each miner, which no family member can touch. Despite worldwide attention, the miners' financial future is uncertain when and if they make it out alive.

The owners of the mining company, San Esteban, have said they may not be able to pay wages in September, and are considering bankruptcy.

The day after the men were discovered alive, businessman Leonardo Farkas donated $10,000 (5 million pesos) to each miner. That money has been put in the miners' accounts, and Farkas has encouraged Chileans to donate.

Money donations are distributed evenly among the 33 miners, said Leiva, the social worker.

While every family is focused on seeing its loved one emerge alive, there is another deep, longer-term worry: Will these men be able to return to work? Many, psychologically and physically, may be unable to go back in the mines, or refuse to do so. There are few other opportunities in Northern Chile, and many of the men don't have the education to do anything else that pays as well.

"A big worry is: How they will come out?" said Leiva. "They don't have other jobs."

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How long will the miners be kept underground?