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Could it be for the purpose of crystallisation, as described in Stendahl's Love; "At the salt mines of Salzburg, they throw a leafless wintry bough into one of the abandoned workings. Two or three months later they haul it out covered with a shining deposit of crystals. The smallest twig, no bigger than a tom-tit's claw, is studded with a galaxy of scintillating diamonds. The original branch is no longer recognizable." http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/11/29/stendhal-on-love-crystalli zation/ Could this happen in a lead mine? Tanya > -----Original Message----- > From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of > Roy Wares > Sent: 26 July 2013 05:51 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Twigs > > I do not have access to information sources that many readers of this list > have. But my suggestion that these were rowan twigs used as a superstition > may have some basis in fact. > > For example, in the Peakland Heritage web site, there is a notation to the > effect that > > Quote- "In pagan times the rowan, or mountain ash, was thought to have > strong magical properties. This belief continued for centuries. Peakland > farmers' wives hung rowan in the dairy to help their butter to churn and > lead miners planted it around the mine to improve their chances of finding > lead ore. In the late 18th century 'bits of wicken', meaning rowan twigs, > were put on a steam pumping engine at Calver Sough because miners believed > that witchcraft had caused it to break down"- end quote > > Roy Wares, FEC, P.Eng. > Vancouver, Canada > > > -----Original Message----- > From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of > Helen > Sent: July-24-13 6:12 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Twigs > > I saw those too.. I wondered if they had been used as an improvised > sweeping > brush although I could see no sign of anything that might have bound them > together > > From what I've seen turf seems to be the usual choice for the 'stoprice' > function locally. > > On 24/07/2013 17:59, Ian Spensley wrote: > > The only other offering that I can add is that they may have been part > of > a batch used as 'stoprice' to plug a hole in timbering to stop loose > material falling through. > > > > > > Ian Spensley > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Peter Jackson <[log in to unmask]> > > To: mining-history <[log in to unmask]> > > Sent: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 16:06 > > Subject: Twigs > > > > > > A recent exploration of mine workings at Nenthead, Cumbria, UK, has > > revealed two sites where a handful of twigs are laid on the floor of the > mine working. > > > > The length of twigs is approximately 200mm and the quantity is approx. > > one handful. > > > > The material appears to be heather - this is unconfirmed because the > > twigs appear to be too fragile to move. > > > > The mine is a lead mine, workings in the Great limestone within the High > Flat. > > Present conditions are dry and dusty. No evidence of firesetting. Mine > > workings may date from a period between 1800 and 1830 > > > > Your views about why the twigs are in the mine, would be most welcome. > > > > > > If you need to leave the list, send the following message to > > [log in to unmask] - > > > > leave mining-history > > --------- > > > > > > > > If you need to leave the list, send the following message to > > [log in to unmask] - > > > > leave mining-history > > --------- > > > > > > If you need to leave the list, send the following message to > [log in to unmask] - > > leave mining-history > --------- > > If you need to leave the list, send the following message to > [log in to unmask] - > > leave mining-history > --------- If you need to leave the list, send the following message to [log in to unmask] - leave mining-history ---------