Dear All,
There are also declines (also called dibbs in Weardale anyway), inclines both
up & down - which can cause confusion sometimes!), diagonal shafts (as with
Botallack), underlie shafts, whinze (a shaft), a rise (also a shaft),
cross-cuts (levels) connecting an adit or level to a lode (which can also be
an adit just to add a bit of spice!), day levels, gates (an adit level), deep
adits, shallow adits, drainage adits - in some cases they are also called
levels. Costean pits must not be forgotten, being exploratory trenches on the
back of a lode. A shaft in it's strictest sense is a vertical hole in the
ground, but you can also have an inclined shaft! So, I think the best
description is: anything that goes down (or up), is a shaft, and anything
that is horizontal is a level - or adit if it goes to day. Again much depends
on area terminology.
Now after reading so many old reports over the last 20 odd years, mining
agents, consultants, promoters etc., etc., used so many different variations.
Much obviously depended on where the mine was, or where the 'author'
originated.
Anyway, this subject seems to have exploded(!), and I only put this little
not in out of interest hopefully to some. Regards, Bernard.
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