Hi Group
Question Re Bernard's message
Why should atmosphere in an abandoned metal mine become especially lethal
?.. I am well acquainted with oxidation in a coal mine producing carbon
dioxie and a gob fires making carbon monoxide ...also methane coming from
coal bearing strata but what does a lead mine exude or produce. ?
Regards
John
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bernard Moore" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 8:32 AM
Subject: Re: horse winding
> Dear All,
>
> An interesting subject.
>
> Yes, the 'yoke' was able to rotate and the animal turned, and there was
> indeed no need for any gearing. A brake could be fixed if required.
>
> The Burtree Pasture Mine in Weardale has a superb example of a Gin/Whim,
and
> I was able to view the remnants numerous times in the late 1970's before
the
> mine was closed and the sealed. This particular u/g example was very
large: a
> circular chamber of approx. 40 feet in diameter or more had been
excavated, and
> it was perfectly 'domed out'. A superb stone arch was constructed about
two
> yards square that ran up from the floor from one side, over the roof, and
then
> down to the opposite side: not an easy task to p.graph either, since most
of
> the area was 'restricted' since it was all quite close to the shaft (which
> itself was chambered at this point). This gin was adjacent to and wound
this Main
> Shaft (regarded as an u/g shaft) - there is a large opening into the shaft
> from the gin, so obviously this was where the rope went to the winding
wheel
> (indeed I think this opening would also have accommodated the wheel). The
> excavations around the shaft at this point were impressive and superbly
engineered.
>
> It must be remembered that the shaft at this mine was 1000' feet deep, and
I
> am very certain that there was more than one horse working this gin/whim.
> Access to it was easy as far as getting the animals to their work, so
there was no
> need for them to have been kept u/g - as was not the case for the tramming
> etc. ponies at Smallcleugh - and due to the heavy winding they would have
had to
> have done, they must have been 'light' draft horses (the sheer size of the
> gin chamber does tend to suggest the capability of two animals working). I
know
> of no hard evidence to support this, but the remains are indicative of it.
> Under no circumstances is any attempt to be made to gain access to this
area or
> the indeed the mine: ventilation was artificial during working, and
without it
> the atmosphere WILL be lethal.
>
> At the time I knew the place, shaft clearance work had not long since been
> abandoned due to an area of very difficult chokes in the shaft some 300'
feet or
> so down, but the torpedo pumps were still working to keep the water down
for
> the dev. drive heading towards Allenheads - and following the lode in that
> direction. Everything was tried for a while to try and get through the
chokes,
> but it was judged as becoming far to costly in the end. This was a pity,
since
> there was evidence that significant fluorspar was left in the deep
workings
> which were significantly below the Whin Sill (the Blackdene Mine had
proved there
> that their vein considerably improved after breaking back into limestone
> under the Whin, and was indeed increasing in strength as it was being
followed
> down (this mine was sadly closed before this dev. was fully completed).
>
> To my recollection, the Deep Adit at Burtree Pasture (3'x 2'), came into
the
> workings some 150' below the Gin Plat. The adit was broken into down the
> decline that had been sunk about 1976 (indeed it had been looked for). So,
this is
> how I know how small it had been driven!
>
> Sorry to deviate a bit, but it's all part of the picture!
>
> Regards, Bernard.
>
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