 |
 |
Stephen, Many thanks for the info. - resurrected lots of distant happy memories. I was Gordon Salt's assistant back in the late 50's, surveying for Derbyshire Stone many of the old mines, with a view to extracting fluorspar and barytes. They were both fetching very good prices then, the former being used as a flux in the steel smelting process, and I seem to remember baryties was used in the manufacture of the old 78 records. We used to go along to Riber Mine to survey and map as they moved the drift forward (so I must know Harry). 'Old Man' was intersected quite often - some wonderful examples of 'coffin' drifts and underground vertical rakes. One of the few areas where 'old man' had not been invaded by 16th century mining. It's over 40 years since I was last in Matlock Bath, but if you walk along the main road from the railway station (Dale Road I seem to remember) towards Matlock, you eventually come to the old iron footbridge over the Derwent, and then under the railway arch. It was only a narrow tarmac lane in those days, then uphill and the drift entrance was on the right. As kids, we used to sledge down the hill there from the drift, under the railway arch (doing what seemed to be 100mph), over the footbridge landing with a thump on Dale Road. Hardly any traffic in those days. God knows how we didn't kill ourselves. I remember Allotments shaft well from the bottom end - passing through a cow had dropped down and swollen like a barrage balloon. Gordon poked it with the ranging rod and the blasted thing virtually blew up! Did we stink! Harry must remember that episode. Yes, you could get through Paint Mill to the Riber system, and from several of the small intersections from when they cut the railway tunnel through. Paint Mill Adit was notorious for all the gelly and dets left lying around, all of it in a very dangerous state. Gordon refused to work there - you could get a blinding headache after only a few hours in that system - I suppose we must have picked some of the weeping stuff up on our hands. I used to lodge almost opposite the bridge with Mrs. M. She delivered the lemonade in the area in wooden crates on a flat bed lorry. Always wore bib and brace overalls, was as tough as old boots, swore like a trooper. She knew more about the mines in the area than most. Hadn't heard about the publication by Greenough. Would like sight of a copy if anyone knows where. Many thanks for info. again. Many regards, Trevor.