Hi Simon&List
I know how you feel, having spent some 17 odd years in recreating a mining
museum, and mine railway, 'Wheal Munta', at Moonta , the old Copper mines on
Yorke's peninsula, South Australia.
I can still recollect my feeling's on trying to get a 6 foot Dia, Whim drum
out of my back yard, me', not having worked out if it would go through the
gate.
I append my web page below showing some of the display for you interest.
I wish you more success with your work.
http://www.miningmodels.netfirms.com
Take Care.
Roger B Bradford, of Elizabeth, South Australia
-----Original Message-----
From: Simon Chapman <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 5:56 AM
Subject: New Mining Venture
Regarding: BBC2 Thursday 8 Jan 8:00pm
:Fred Dibnah digs a 100 foot mine shaft in his back garden
complete with
:pithead and steam engine.
My friend John Wiggins bought himself a small farmstead a few years ago and
having made the place habitable after years of neglect looked around for
another project. He happened to meet an out of work archaelogical student
and the two of them set to work to recreate an area of underground workings
in the garden adjoining the farmhouse. Ironstone was the local mineral
extracted so that became the chosen "output" of this "mine."
I took early retirement in 2000 just as the student found work so I became
associated with this "mining venture" and instigated the erection of a
headgear over one of the two shafts, each circular, brick-lined and 7 feet
deep. Today, 6 January 2004, the single pulley wheel was put in place on top
of the downcast shaft wooden headgear, bringing its total height to a
fraction under 4 metres. Any higher and it would have needed planning
permission!
This newest headgear in the country can be seen at NZ 654181 Manless Green
Farm near Skelton Green in the former Cleveland County. And they say mining
historians don't know how to have fun!!
Yes, it is abit of fun for the two of us, although manhandling a pulley
wheel up a height of 12 feet has the potential for being totally the
opposite. And yet on our site we have so far recreated one full size 4 wheel
pit tub which was noticed in the local community and we were seriously asked
if we would like to donate it for installation in the middle of a local road
traffic island to be filled with flowers as a memento of past mining
activity. Perhaps we should have done; the replica subsequently installed
looks appalling.
Regards, Simon.
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