We would like to return and go down the inclined shaft that you saw in this part. We believe the lower levels will be pretty much clear and in good condition. At least that's what we're hoping!
Honestly, that was the first sign of life we saw in that mine -- and it wasn't too far from the entrance we dug out. I guess nothing is living in the mine because it had been sealed up for so long. We saw no bats, no rodents, nothing. Kind of eerie in a way....
My father plans to take me to wv to live there again since I moved when I was a child, perhaps you could let me know where I can find some known mines?
my friends dad had a piece of property up in the Lake Isabella highlands, it has a short mine going right under their cabin. They bought the cabin in the early 70's and asked the guy about the mine. He said he had the property 20 year and it was there when he bought it and had no clue to who dug it or when? Theres also another up an old road called saw mill road. We found it while quail hunting when I was a kid. Mines are like time capsules in many ways. You walk in and go back in time. Cheers guys. wish you well in this new crazy ass world we are being forced into.
Hey, Pharraoh! Thanks for your comment! That’s quite an interesting anecdote about the mine under the cabin. I was just on your channel last night watching your video of when you camped out at the site where that classic footage of Bigfoot was filmed years and years ago. Really enjoyed that video. Yes, these mines are like time capsules. That’s a great way of looking at them. Glad to hear from you, man! I hope you are doing well, too, in this crazy world that we’ve been forced to live in since mid March.
Awesome video!!! Those slow motion collapses are crazy, thanks for this very difficult and dangerous exploration, I really enjoyed part 1 and 2. Again, hats of to you Frank, Tom, and Julie, stay safe.
That is one of the more collapsed but passable mines I've seen, and I watch a lot of mine explorers. Wish we had mines where I am ... watching isn't exploring. Thanks for sharing!
That was too bad you didn't have time to dig the collapse, it was an awesome adventure anyhow. That Winze to the lower levels looks intriguing, can't wait to see the descent. The timbers look like an earthquake would bring them down. Thanks for sharing this amazing video!
We were disappointed that there was no ladder in that winze and that it was just a little too steep to do without rope. After much discussion we decided that the lower levels are probably in better condition than the upper levels. I forget how we came to that conclusion, but that’s what we came up with. Not sure if we’ll get back down there but we hope to one of these days. Thanks again, Michael, for all of your support. Always enjoy your comments.
Awesome job frank / Tom / Julie great job in capturing on film what’s left of the mine absolutely amazing all the splintered timbers the slow progression is crazy, just blows the cool factor off the charts, hopefully Incase of an emergency there was a way out further in I hope , can’t thank you all for the extreme hard work for sharing this much respect to all ❤️as always be safe
Thank you, Steve! I really appreciate your ongoing and enthusiastic support here. It makes heading out to all these remote, far away, and dangerous sites worth it in the long run when viewers like you are getting something out of the videos and enjoying them immensely.
Judging by its size (looks like it's doing okay!) and location deep in the mine, you may have stumbled upon a cave spider! We actually know very little about them, relative to the rest of the arachnids, but what we do know is fascinating. They have adapted to the unique environment of their particular cave (temperature, wildlife or lackthereof, etc. - highly so, such that a few degrees uptick in temperature can threaten them); some have evolved without eyes since they're effectively useless in the depths; they can go for longer stretches of time without eating (sometimes months! - storing food in their digestive tract like a camel stores water); and legs tend to be longer, as they rely on vibrations to hunt. Given their well-suitedness to specific subterranean life, you may very well have stumbled upon a new species! It might be worth notifying a local arachnologist (ideally) or entomologist, especially if you plan to return. Edit: Just saw your comment that it was near the entrance you dug out. Also just could've wandered in from outside I suppose. Edit Edit: Just saw the comment about the harvestman, and on close inspection, it does look like one. There are also cave-dwelling harvestmen as well, but the entrance is the confounding factor.
Great video footage, Frank. My safety assessment: stay home and watch a cooking show on television. Thanks for the channel shout out in the video description. We can't wait to go back to try and explore the lower levels.
Remember my video where I cooked Kung Pao Chicken on the back of my Corolla out in Death Valley? We should make a cooking video down in this mine! Nothing too extravagant. Possibly something that doesn't require heat. Would be easy to take a little cooler into the mine with the ingredients stowed inside of it. I think we're on to something here, Tom and Julie.... LOL
@@AbandonedMines11 You might have to rename your channel to "Cooking Underground With Frank". Bring your apron and spatula with as part of your exploring kit.
@@AbandonedMines11 You'll have to get you some of those military-ration heating packs. Add water, set your dinner to warm, go check out a side tunnel. When you come back, you'll have a toasty dinner.
Can you imagine back in the day how many miners would have suffered and died early from respiratory illnesses. Today's technical advances and work place safety are so much better. Amazing footage, but please omg that mine really is on it's last leg, what if an Earthquake hit. Boom trapped. Sorry Frank just care about you and your friends, we wouldn't get to see any of your great video's. @5:12 Please Don't Tom. Kind thoughts to you, Julie and Tom and your families from Victoria, Australia.
Thanks for the nice comment, Judy. I appreciate it. Yes, back in the day these mines were very dangerous places to work. They didn’t have the safety regulations that miners have today. It was fun to carefully make our way through this death trap and get some of it captured on video before it’s totally collapsed and sealed up forever. We have a map of this mine, and there are quite a few lower levels that we didn’t get to. One can only imagine what kind of artifacts might be down there!
Frank you do such a good job with Tom and Julie in a mine I wouldn't go ten feet into you are a very Brave person along them at anytime it could have collapse you all glad all made it out safe 😀
Thanks for stopping by and checking out this video! I appreciate it. This was definitely the most dangerous abandoned mine I've ever been in. Tom did return to this mine a few months ago and went down that inclined shaft that you saw in this video. Unfortunately, everything down there was pretty much collapsed and really didn't go anywhere. All of the remaining lower levels (five of them, I believe) are forever cut off and inaccessible.
Thanks for commenting, Nathan! Yeah, I’m not too keen about going back in this one either but there are lower levels that we can probably access via that inclined shaft that I showed in this video. I’ve already told Tom, though, that the return trip will be it. This is not a mine that you want to keep making repeated trips into simply because of how dangerous it is. One more trip to see as much of the lower levels as we can and then I am out of there for good! It’ll make for a long day, but that’s much better than repeatedly going through those collapsed and dangerous workings.
Geez Frank at the end of the Video Is one Crazy Spider . He is exploring that Death Trap Mine by Himself ! I am Glad you are being safe and have Julie and Tom along to keep you safe . Hey that Miner's graffiti that said Juli do you think we had a Time shifter thing going on . Was She here before 70 years ago before she was alive in this Timeline leaving her Future self a Message with a Carbide Lamp ? Thank you for the Video
Great comment, Mark! I’ll have to ask Julie the next time I see her if she is traveling through time like you suggested. Thanks for all of your support in my videos - I really appreciate it! Always nice hearing from you.
Those wooden beams are pretty thick. They don't break easily. I think the ones that are splintered/broken are probably rotton and there must be many metric tons of weight pressing on them. You should NOT try to dig out that collapsed section, it could collapse further and trap/burry you.
I still can't believe that you went in such a sketchy dangerous mine. You are so lucky that you got out alive. I say again, "seal it off before someone dies in there.
Scary mine, but very cool! The 'spider' at the end appears to be a harvestman, an opilione arachnid, rather than a spider. Look forward to seeing the lower level, but hope you'll all take extra precautions as the incline looks really sketch! Thank you for the adventures 😊
Thanks, Jenna, for the information on that spider! That’s what I love about RUclips - I can post something about which I know nothing about, and I’m almost guaranteed that one of my astute viewers will be able to supply the correct information. Thanks again!
Glad you enjoyed this series! We plan on going back and descending that inclined shaft to the lower levels. That means there will be a Part 3 coming soon!
While watching I had a horrible thought - What if a mag 7+ earthquake should happen while you are there. I think that whole mess would just drop to the lowest level! Myself, I like the 'safer' mines - hard rock without too much water! (Just a 'live chicken') Safety in your explorations!
I remember reading something several years ago about people who were taking a tour of a cave or an abandoned mine or something like that and an earthquake occurred. Not a big one - probably something around a 4.0 or so. Anyway, when they came out of the cave or mine, they had no idea that there had been an earthquake. But the people who were outside the cave or mine definitely felt the shaking because they were on the surface of the ground. So it seems that when you’re underground when an earthquake hits, you won’t notice or observe any shaking. I don’t know how accurate that is but it is something interesting to consider.
It certainly was fantastic! I don’t think I’ve been in a mine that collapsed and that dangerous in quite some time. It was worth it, though, because of all the artifacts we found as well as the miners’ graffiti. Thanks for your ongoing support!
That incline shaft..the pipe standing upright at the bottom looked PVC? Maybe it was just the lighting..but that is way newer pipe for that mine if it was. Maybe just a illusion.
It certainly is! However, most of the talc mines I've been in have this kind of splintering going on. Most of the mines, though, don't have as much splintering as this mine does.
Not really. Nearly all of them are junk. All the really good artifacts were removed decades ago when these mines first closed. That often tended to be anywhere from the 1940s to the 1970s. We, unfortunately, are the late comers to the scene. Not many artifacts are left in these mines.
I’m not sure what kind of wood that was. I do know that it had to be shipped in because there aren’t any trees out there in the desert. The whole lumber industry for these mines must’ve been a fascinating operation in and of itself. Getting all that cut timber from Northern California and places like that down to all the mines in the treeless desert southwest must’ve been quite an undertaking.
First of all this guys got the biggest set of balls I’ve ever seen. What mine looks scary dangerous. Another thing if there’s no living organisms in a cave you know it’s got to be dangerous because animals have a good sense to stay out of a place that’s not fucking dangerous!
It was very unusual not to see any signs of life inside this mine. If anything, nearly 99.9% of these mines will have a ton of rodent droppings in them due to all the mice and rats that live in them. That wasn’t the case in this mine. I think that might be because the only remaining entrance is the narrow sliver that was almost vertical. That being a rather inaccessible access point would tend to keep out most wildlife.
Only saw that one not too far from the entrance. Other than that, the entire mine seemed to be devoid of life. But that makes sense because Tom is the one who dug out the portal. Before that, there was no way for any kind of wildlife to get in there.
Is the talc in the mine the same as talcum power just in raw form? If so does it make the atmosphere of the mine "dry"? Does the talc help preserve the wood that was used in the mine? Sorry for all the questions this is my first exposure to a talc mine. Its very fascinating!
Yes, that talc is the raw talc that is used in talcum powder products. It's often contaminated with asbestos, so that's why here in the United States you see all these TV ads for lawyers looking for people who've come down with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma due to using talcum powder products over the years. Now those companies are switching to corn starch for their powders instead of using talc. The talc really doesn't help preserve the wood. These mines are all out in the desert where there just isn't a lot of rainfall and moisture to begin with. That is what preserves the wood.
Ooh, I've been looking forward to this. Just put up a video of a mine that made us feel decidedly uneasy in places today on my channel. Nice to see that taking short cuts was prevalent in the past too. Many miners in our area had nasty accidents by not following procedures. Funny that somebody drew a face at the point where, due to a collapse, it became the face. Always nice to find naked ladies in a mine! ;o)
I didn't realize that the drawing of the face was actually at the face once the collapse occurred. LOL Thanks, man, for your comment. Will have to check out your video that you just uploaded -- sounds interesting!
Frank were any of you worried that when Tom was trying to dig through the collapse that it might cause an additional collapse? Looking at those cracked and broken supports in person would have made me very nervous. Thanks as always and have a great day!
We examined the collapse very carefully before attempting any digging. We could actually see beyond the collapse into the open tunnel that was behind it, so this was not a major collapse that Tom was digging out. But, as you saw in the video, we did stay separated from each other while Tom was digging out the collapse. Thanks for watching and commenting, Doug!
You’d have to be crazy to wanna’ go back in there! lol Also, I wonder if we’ll ever get a face reveal from you, Frank? I’m genuinely curious as to what you look like.
That mine had it all, heaps and heaps of collapses and splitting and bowing timbers, Artifacts and miners graffiti. Frank it takes a special kind of people brave enough to walk that mine!
Thanks for your comment! We crawled through a good portion of this mine, though. But, as you mentioned, it was worth it due to the graffiti and artifacts. Thanks, Marty!
Yeah, riding the skip cars instead of using the ladders was pretty common, I'm sure, back in the day. It was frowned upon, though, because it was a safety hazard. I wonder how often the rule was actually enforced? Thanks, Mike, for your comments!
@@AbandonedMines11 Thank you Frank, it’s always a pleasure leaving a comment on your videos and the fact that you take the time to respond really sets you apart from your average content creator. I imagine that those on the upper levels used to have a way of informing those working in the lower levels of whether or not a foreman was in the vicinity, when considering using the skip car for the transportation of their colleagues. I find it all incredibly interesting and am learning a lot about mines and mining through your informative videos. I never even knew what a stope was a week ago. Thanks again Frank, you’re a legend 👍
There probably was a bell system installed. Most of these vertical and inclined shafts had one so that operators knew what was going on in the shaft. There would be a series of bells to indicate whether a skip car was coming up or going down the shaft and things like that. Some signals indicated "STOP" while another might indicate an emergency. So perhaps there was another signal to indicate the presence of the foreman. The reason this level is so collapsed and dangerous is because in later years a mining company dug a small, open-pit mine at the surface. All of the blasting to do that probably caused a lot of the damage seen on this level. Because of this reason, we feel the lower levels will be in excellent condition and not nearly as collapsed. We plan on going back to this one once it cools down out there, so stay tuned!
@@AbandonedMines11 Oh yeah, that makes perfect sense, I remember seeing a bell system attached to a wire that was descending to to a lower level in one of your previous videos. In the same extensive mine where you dropped your light down that shoot I think. You were brave climbing all the way down that ladder, or whatever those descending cart tracks are called, in the mine with the bell system, and thank you for explaining why the rungs of the ladder were on the underside, I had seen that a few times and was wondering why they did that. I will 100% be along for the ride if you go back to that mine so as to access the lower levels, I’m fascinated to see if it’s in any better shape down there but please be very careful Frank, it looks incredibly dangerous in there my friend. Stay safe buddy.
Is there such thing as a poisinous oxygen in caves? Where the cave releases its own vhemicals or something it sucks out the oxygen in the air? I think yiu mentioned it before. Dead gas or dead air?
You’re referring to “bad air.“ That is when there is not enough oxygen in the air. It can form at the end of very long tunnels underground. It can also form in flooded or wet mines. That’s why I carry an oxygen meter and a hydrogen sulfide gas detector. Those are probably the two gases that you would have problems with while exploring abandoned mines.
Hi Frank, my hands were nearly over my eyes the whole time, please tell me you won't go back as I think you guys were more than lucky this time around and I don't want to lose one of my favourite mine explorers. xx💖🤘
Hi, Sue! Thanks for your comment and concern. We would like to go back to this mine to check out the lowest levels, but who knows if that will happen or not. I’ve got more projects that I’m currently working on right now that have me spread out over a few states. Tom and Julie are also tied up with some other projects of their own right now. So we’ll have to wait and see. Thanks for all of your support here, though! I do appreciate it very much.
Hi, Thanks for your videos they are amazing! If you had a collapse behind you as you were going into the mine past some of the sketchy bits would you be able to find an alternative way out or is it just the one entrance/exit?
In Part 1, we did pass another exit sign but it looked like it was no longer a viable way to exit the mine due to substantial collapse. It’s rare when an abandoned mine has another exit to begin with. There’s usually only one entrance. Bigger mines with many levels might have additional portals to the outside at different elevations on the mountainside. That’s not the case here. Thanks for your comment and question!
Never have heard a timber snap or break. That would be terrifying! One time Paul and I were exploring a very crumbly hard-rock mine. We had stopped in the tunnel to check something out and suddenly heard a distant thud from somewhere in the tunnel we had just passed through. We both looked at each other and were like, "Did you just hear that?" The funny thing is that on our way back through the tunnel, we didn't see any large rock that might've fallen. Of course, we might've missed it, too. But hearing that muffled thud was unnerving -- considering that the mine we were in was so crumbly and unstable!
Do you ever keep,(other than that old pistol), any of the artifacts you come across? When I seen that peg board, I thought that would make a damned interesting thing to hang on a wall or make a lamp with to put in a Man Cave.
No, we didn’t remove any of the artifacts. They weren’t in decent condition for the most part. That gas mask was pretty much shot to hell, the pegboard that you speak of really didn’t have any markings on except for the holes, and the glass bottles would have gotten broken in our backpacks as we were crawling and kneeling through all of those narrow and tight passageways.
Thank you for commenting, Louise! We seriously analyzed this mine as we were going through and took our time. You probably also noticed how we were spaced out in the mine and not exploring together as a group. Something like this needs to be done very carefully and very slowly. I still wouldn’t recommend it, though. This definitely was the most dangerous mine I have ever been in due to all of the collapse. It was quite an adventure, though!
David, here is a copy of my reply that I posted under your other comment on Part 1: Tom did go back the next year and went down that inclined winze that I showed in this video. He wasn’t able to access the extensive underground levels due to there being collapses everywhere. There might’ve also been oxygen deficient air down there because he was having some difficulty breathing as he was making his way back up out of there. Unfortunately, he left his oxygen meter with his wife Julie at the top of the shaft. I still may do one more foray into this mine to see if any of the underground workings are accessible that Tom might have missed. Another explorer has expressed interest in doing that with me. But it’s not a high priority at this point in time. But, as always, stay tuned!
It's all a state of mind. Julie and I had this discussion at some point several months ago, in fact. She has no problems climbing up or down century-old ladders but does not like passing underneath collapses like you saw in this video. I am the opposite -- I don't like climbing up and down old ladders but have no problem passing underneath collapsing areas.
I have no idea. I’m not a geologist or anything like that. Perhaps Dr. Lucy will chime in here and answer your question. She’s a relative newcomer to my videos and has been leaving some fantastic comments with a lot of geological knowledge in them.
Tom has a "collapsible shovel" in case something happens. The equivalent of having a butter knife in a bear fight. False security. I'll pray for y'all. I hope me and others are just wimps and that y'all will be ok.
We're going back to this mine later this season. We want to descend the inclined shaft we found during this first visit and check out the lower levels -- which we expect to be free of collapses and which we think will be pristine! Stay tuned!
@@lb1448 thankfuly thats what i bought. it was the last one on the selfs before this fake outbrake hit everyone hard.. i thankfully was even able to buy a few backup replacements for mine.
Perhaps. We certainly took our time and thoroughly examined everything for structural integrity before proceeding forward. I will admit, though - this is probably the farthest we have ever pushed the envelope.
I've been in old mines around the Silverton, CO area and I would be interested to see you explore some of those but like.... please... don't kill yourself for our entertainment.
I was actually hiking and I found an old mine not named but the adit the rail cart and above was some mining houses and even found 3 mining cart and found an old price of dynamite of course didn’t touch it it was cool in there
I agree! It was sealed off until Tom dug it out. This was probably the worst abandoned mine I have ever been in. Thank you, though, for taking the time to watch the video and comment. I really appreciate your support!
![Chris Langan - The Interview THEY Didn't Want You To See - CTMU [Full Version; Timestamps]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9miVG2xT5jY/mqdefault.jpg)
This is the perfect example of "if you're seeing a mine that looks like this, don't go in, get out, stay out"
I like how Tom makes these lighthearted jokes and Frank is all business. Julie seems to be the median between.
Y'all make a great team!
No way would I ever go back into this mine. I'm surprised you guys went as far as you did. Sketchy to the Max!
We would like to return and go down the inclined shaft that you saw in this part. We believe the lower levels will be pretty much clear and in good condition. At least that's what we're hoping!
That must be one lonely spider with nothing to sit down beside her
Honestly, that was the first sign of life we saw in that mine -- and it wasn't too far from the entrance we dug out. I guess nothing is living in the mine because it had been sealed up for so long. We saw no bats, no rodents, nothing. Kind of eerie in a way....
I've been in some old mines. Growin up in wv. But i absolutely would not go past the first few feet of that one. I'm brave to a point.
Probably lots of coal mines there in West Virginia. Those are altogether a different beast when it comes to abandoned mine exploration.
West Virginia here as well! Montani semper liberi!!!
My father plans to take me to wv to live there again since I moved when I was a child, perhaps you could let me know where I can find some known mines?
Incoal mines the real danger is poison gas
When things are near collapsing, a tiny force can be the trigger e.g. someone walking on a beam or a tiny earthquake can make rocks come raining down.
Frank is my hero! 💪
Julie and Tom are also amazing.
Thanks for your comment!
my friends dad had a piece of property up in the Lake Isabella highlands, it has a short mine going right under their cabin. They bought the cabin in the early 70's and asked the guy about the mine. He said he had the property 20 year and it was there when he bought it and had no clue to who dug it or when? Theres also another up an old road called saw mill road. We found it while quail hunting when I was a kid. Mines are like time capsules in many ways. You walk in and go back in time. Cheers guys. wish you well in this new crazy ass world we are being forced into.
Hey, Pharraoh! Thanks for your comment! That’s quite an interesting anecdote about the mine under the cabin. I was just on your channel last night watching your video of when you camped out at the site where that classic footage of Bigfoot was filmed years and years ago. Really enjoyed that video. Yes, these mines are like time capsules. That’s a great way of looking at them. Glad to hear from you, man! I hope you are doing well, too, in this crazy world that we’ve been forced to live in since mid March.
Awesome video!!! Those slow motion collapses are crazy, thanks for this very difficult and dangerous exploration, I really enjoyed part 1 and 2. Again, hats of to you Frank, Tom, and Julie, stay safe.
Thanks, Dan!
Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, Dan! I appreciate your support as always.
You three are beyond brave. Wow, that mine is terrifying. Excellent footage!
Thanks for your comment!
That is one of the more collapsed but passable mines I've seen, and I watch a lot of mine explorers. Wish we had mines where I am ... watching isn't exploring. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for following along, Paul! You may not be there in person when we're underground but you're there in spirit. I appreciate your support!
Love your videos man, keep up the amazing work!
Thanks so much!
@@AbandonedMines11 np 👍
That was too bad you didn't have time to dig the collapse, it was an awesome adventure anyhow. That Winze to the lower levels looks intriguing, can't wait to see the descent. The timbers look like an earthquake would bring them down. Thanks for sharing this amazing video!
We were disappointed that there was no ladder in that winze and that it was just a little too steep to do without rope. After much discussion we decided that the lower levels are probably in better condition than the upper levels. I forget how we came to that conclusion, but that’s what we came up with. Not sure if we’ll get back down there but we hope to one of these days. Thanks again, Michael, for all of your support. Always enjoy your comments.
Awesome job frank / Tom / Julie great job in capturing on film what’s left of the mine absolutely amazing all the splintered timbers the slow progression is crazy, just blows the cool factor off the charts, hopefully Incase of an emergency there was a way out further in I hope ,
can’t thank you all for the extreme hard work for sharing this much respect to all ❤️as always be safe
Thank you, Steve! I really appreciate your ongoing and enthusiastic support here. It makes heading out to all these remote, far away, and dangerous sites worth it in the long run when viewers like you are getting something out of the videos and enjoying them immensely.
Hey Steve!
Judging by its size (looks like it's doing okay!) and location deep in the mine, you may have stumbled upon a cave spider! We actually know very little about them, relative to the rest of the arachnids, but what we do know is fascinating. They have adapted to the unique environment of their particular cave (temperature, wildlife or lackthereof, etc. - highly so, such that a few degrees uptick in temperature can threaten them); some have evolved without eyes since they're effectively useless in the depths; they can go for longer stretches of time without eating (sometimes months! - storing food in their digestive tract like a camel stores water); and legs tend to be longer, as they rely on vibrations to hunt.
Given their well-suitedness to specific subterranean life, you may very well have stumbled upon a new species! It might be worth notifying a local arachnologist (ideally) or entomologist, especially if you plan to return.
Edit: Just saw your comment that it was near the entrance you dug out. Also just could've wandered in from outside I suppose.
Edit Edit: Just saw the comment about the harvestman, and on close inspection, it does look like one. There are also cave-dwelling harvestmen as well, but the entrance is the confounding factor.
Great comment, Derek! Thanks for the updates to it, too.
Not a spider, it's a member of the Pholcidae.
Great video footage, Frank. My safety assessment: stay home and watch a cooking show on television. Thanks for the channel shout out in the video description. We can't wait to go back to try and explore the lower levels.
Remember my video where I cooked Kung Pao Chicken on the back of my Corolla out in Death Valley? We should make a cooking video down in this mine! Nothing too extravagant. Possibly something that doesn't require heat. Would be easy to take a little cooler into the mine with the ingredients stowed inside of it. I think we're on to something here, Tom and Julie.... LOL
@@AbandonedMines11 You might have to rename your channel to "Cooking Underground With Frank". Bring your apron and spatula with as part of your exploring kit.
@@AbandonedMines11 You'll have to get you some of those military-ration heating packs. Add water, set your dinner to warm, go check out a side tunnel. When you come back, you'll have a toasty dinner.
cheeto4493 Excellent idea! It could be a review of the quality of the meal.
I love your exploration videos. They're interesting and I always learn something!
Thanks, brotha! Glad to hear it! Thanks for your support.
Can you imagine back in the day how many miners would have suffered and died early from respiratory illnesses. Today's technical advances and work place safety are so much better. Amazing footage, but please omg that mine really is on it's last leg, what if an Earthquake hit. Boom trapped. Sorry Frank just care about you and your friends, we wouldn't get to see any of your great video's. @5:12 Please Don't Tom. Kind thoughts to you, Julie and Tom and your families from Victoria, Australia.
Thanks for the nice comment, Judy. I appreciate it. Yes, back in the day these mines were very dangerous places to work. They didn’t have the safety regulations that miners have today. It was fun to carefully make our way through this death trap and get some of it captured on video before it’s totally collapsed and sealed up forever. We have a map of this mine, and there are quite a few lower levels that we didn’t get to. One can only imagine what kind of artifacts might be down there!
I'm amazed that there was a spider that far into the tunnels. What on Earth do they eat?
Those type of spiders either eat eachother or small bugs, they have developed different skills and body parts than other spiders
Frank you do such a good job with Tom and Julie in a mine I wouldn't go ten feet into you are a very Brave person along them at anytime it could have collapse you all glad all made it out safe 😀
Thanks so much, Ronnie! It's nice exploring with Tom and Julie. We do find ourselves in some pretty crazy places underground, though.
Hey Ronnie!
This is one thing to do during quarantine I guess! Love the vids, stay safe :D
Thanks for dropping by and commenting! So glad to hear you're enjoying the videos. Thank you very much!
3:30 it looks like a miner wrote “But Me” beside it lol
I just noticed that! I think you’re right!
I hope to see that part with the rope. I wish i could go self there, it's so awesome to see your visit this awesome places.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out this video! I appreciate it. This was definitely the most dangerous abandoned mine I've ever been in. Tom did return to this mine a few months ago and went down that inclined shaft that you saw in this video. Unfortunately, everything down there was pretty much collapsed and really didn't go anywhere. All of the remaining lower levels (five of them, I believe) are forever cut off and inaccessible.
Holy smokes!
GREAT VIDEO!!!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know.
I can't believe you would even consider going back in there.. this is beyond an adventure and closer to a death trap..
Thanks for commenting, Nathan! Yeah, I’m not too keen about going back in this one either but there are lower levels that we can probably access via that inclined shaft that I showed in this video. I’ve already told Tom, though, that the return trip will be it. This is not a mine that you want to keep making repeated trips into simply because of how dangerous it is. One more trip to see as much of the lower levels as we can and then I am out of there for good! It’ll make for a long day, but that’s much better than repeatedly going through those collapsed and dangerous workings.
Geez Frank at the end of the Video Is one Crazy Spider . He is exploring that Death Trap Mine by Himself ! I am Glad you are being safe and have Julie and Tom along to keep you safe . Hey that Miner's graffiti that said Juli do you think we had a Time shifter thing going on . Was She here before 70 years ago before she was alive in this Timeline leaving her Future self a Message with a Carbide Lamp ? Thank you for the Video
Great comment, Mark! I’ll have to ask Julie the next time I see her if she is traveling through time like you suggested. Thanks for all of your support in my videos - I really appreciate it! Always nice hearing from you.
I love how you know this history, thank you
Thanks, Tina! I’m not always completely accurate with the history, but I try to do the best I can.
Those wooden beams are pretty thick. They don't break easily. I think the ones that are splintered/broken are probably rotton and there must be many metric tons of weight pressing on them.
You should NOT try to dig out that collapsed section, it could collapse further and trap/burry you.
I still can't believe that you went in such a sketchy dangerous mine.
You are so lucky that you got out alive.
I say again, "seal it off before someone dies in there.
This mine will most likely quickly seal itself back up again. That’s the nature of talc - it’s very crumbly and eroding.
Scary mine, but very cool!
The 'spider' at the end appears to be a harvestman, an opilione arachnid, rather than a spider.
Look forward to seeing the lower level, but hope you'll all take extra precautions as the incline looks really sketch!
Thank you for the adventures 😊
Thanks, Jenna, for the information on that spider! That’s what I love about RUclips - I can post something about which I know nothing about, and I’m almost guaranteed that one of my astute viewers will be able to supply the correct information. Thanks again!
Be careful
Awesome series!
Glad you enjoyed this series! We plan on going back and descending that inclined shaft to the lower levels. That means there will be a Part 3 coming soon!
@@AbandonedMines11 Great to learn 👍
While watching I had a horrible thought - What if a mag 7+ earthquake should happen while you are there. I think that whole mess would just drop to the lowest level! Myself, I like the 'safer' mines - hard rock without too much water! (Just a 'live chicken') Safety in your explorations!
Thanks for commenting, Bob! It would be quite an experience to be underground when an earthquake rumbles through.
I remember reading something several years ago about people who were taking a tour of a cave or an abandoned mine or something like that and an earthquake occurred. Not a big one - probably something around a 4.0 or so. Anyway, when they came out of the cave or mine, they had no idea that there had been an earthquake. But the people who were outside the cave or mine definitely felt the shaking because they were on the surface of the ground. So it seems that when you’re underground when an earthquake hits, you won’t notice or observe any shaking. I don’t know how accurate that is but it is something interesting to consider.
It's sometimes nice to see someone crazier than yourself at your craziest. Way too many iffy sections to that nightmare.
You've definitely got yr' self a channel that always gets a Pre- 👍 from this guy.
I appreciate that! Thanks for the support!
Nice watching from the safety of my soft chair in my living room. :) Thanks, Frank...that place is fantastic.
It certainly was fantastic! I don’t think I’ve been in a mine that collapsed and that dangerous in quite some time. It was worth it, though, because of all the artifacts we found as well as the miners’ graffiti. Thanks for your ongoing support!
@@AbandonedMines11 The artifacts makes it all worthwhile, seeing a place that won't exist much longer is unforgettable.
That incline shaft..the pipe standing upright at the bottom looked PVC? Maybe it was just the lighting..but that is way newer pipe for that mine if it was. Maybe just a illusion.
I believe the last time this mine was worked was probably in the 1960s.
The pipe was steel.
Woah, that's a lot of terrifying splintering in the timbering
It certainly is! However, most of the talc mines I've been in have this kind of splintering going on. Most of the mines, though, don't have as much splintering as this mine does.
Watching these last 4 or 5 Vidios is very entertaining, thanks.
Glad you like them! More vids coming soon!
I'm ready!🍿🍿✌🏻thanx for surviving the deadliest dead among deads 😎
Do you ever keep any of the artifacts you find ? So excited to watch these videos !
Not really. Nearly all of them are junk. All the really good artifacts were removed decades ago when these mines first closed. That often tended to be anywhere from the 1940s to the 1970s. We, unfortunately, are the late comers to the scene. Not many artifacts are left in these mines.
What kind of wood is that? Do you think the talc weakens it? It looks rather brittle. Was it sourced from locally grown trees?
I’m not sure what kind of wood that was. I do know that it had to be shipped in because there aren’t any trees out there in the desert. The whole lumber industry for these mines must’ve been a fascinating operation in and of itself. Getting all that cut timber from Northern California and places like that down to all the mines in the treeless desert southwest must’ve been quite an undertaking.
That's nuts. Say, Frank...what flashlight are you using here? Any recommendations?
I still use my ThruNite flashlight and my Fenix flashlights.
First of all this guys got the biggest set of balls I’ve ever seen. What mine looks scary dangerous. Another thing if there’s no living organisms in a cave you know it’s got to be dangerous because animals have a good sense to stay out of a place that’s not fucking dangerous!
It was very unusual not to see any signs of life inside this mine. If anything, nearly 99.9% of these mines will have a ton of rodent droppings in them due to all the mice and rats that live in them. That wasn’t the case in this mine. I think that might be because the only remaining entrance is the narrow sliver that was almost vertical. That being a rather inaccessible access point would tend to keep out most wildlife.
It's pretty amazing how the spiders can make a living down there in the dark.
Only saw that one not too far from the entrance. Other than that, the entire mine seemed to be devoid of life. But that makes sense because Tom is the one who dug out the portal. Before that, there was no way for any kind of wildlife to get in there.
You dudes are INSANE
But are we certifiably insane? That remains to be determined. LOL Thanks for your comment -- I appreciate your support!
Is the talc in the mine the same as talcum power just in raw form? If so does it make the atmosphere of the mine "dry"? Does the talc help preserve the wood that was used in the mine? Sorry for all the questions this is my first exposure to a talc mine. Its very fascinating!
Yes, that talc is the raw talc that is used in talcum powder products. It's often contaminated with asbestos, so that's why here in the United States you see all these TV ads for lawyers looking for people who've come down with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma due to using talcum powder products over the years. Now those companies are switching to corn starch for their powders instead of using talc. The talc really doesn't help preserve the wood. These mines are all out in the desert where there just isn't a lot of rainfall and moisture to begin with. That is what preserves the wood.
Great video Frank.
Thanks! Definitely one of the more dangerous mines I have ever been in, that’s for sure! But the artifact payoff was worth it.
Great Video. You can see new timber next to the old They call that doubled set's they wear trying to keep the mine from closing in on them.
Thanks for the info! I did not notice that. I'll have to go back and take a look at the footage. Makes sense, though.
Ooh, I've been looking forward to this. Just put up a video of a mine that made us feel decidedly uneasy in places today on my channel. Nice to see that taking short cuts was prevalent in the past too. Many miners in our area had nasty accidents by not following procedures. Funny that somebody drew a face at the point where, due to a collapse, it became the face. Always nice to find naked ladies in a mine! ;o)
I didn't realize that the drawing of the face was actually at the face once the collapse occurred. LOL Thanks, man, for your comment. Will have to check out your video that you just uploaded -- sounds interesting!
The words "Tempting fate" spring to mind.
That's really ballsy to go down there, I personally wouldn't have the guts!
Thankfully you can follow along in my video from the comfort of your living room. Thanks for your comment! And thanks for checking out the video.
Frank were any of you worried that when Tom was trying to dig through the collapse that it might cause an additional collapse? Looking at those cracked and broken supports in person would have made me very nervous. Thanks as always and have a great day!
We examined the collapse very carefully before attempting any digging. We could actually see beyond the collapse into the open tunnel that was behind it, so this was not a major collapse that Tom was digging out. But, as you saw in the video, we did stay separated from each other while Tom was digging out the collapse. Thanks for watching and commenting, Doug!
you should set up trail cameras when you find collapsing sections. It would be awesome to safely witness a cave in
That’s kind of a cool idea! I like it.
scart vid , but i loved it . take care
Hey, Roy! Thanks for your comment! Glad you enjoyed the video.
That place is termites holding hands buddy !!!!
When you come back please be careful. Thank you.
Always. Thanks for your support!
You’d have to be crazy to wanna’ go back in there! lol Also, I wonder if we’ll ever get a face reveal from you, Frank? I’m genuinely curious as to what you look like.
If you look carefully, I appear in some of my previous videos here and there.
Black Widow Mine Exploration: Ghost Caught on Tape? at 1:30
That's not me at 1:30 in the Black Widow Mine video. That's Tony who was with me on that exploration.
That mine had it all, heaps and heaps of collapses and splitting and bowing timbers, Artifacts and miners graffiti. Frank it takes a special kind of people brave enough to walk that mine!
Thanks for your comment! We crawled through a good portion of this mine, though. But, as you mentioned, it was worth it due to the graffiti and artifacts. Thanks, Marty!
Yes!
They should've strengthened the woodden roof beams with steel plate on the side.
There is a lot of talc still in this mine, why did it close?
Federal law forced it to close due to its location on federal property.
I love the way one of the miners had written “but.....” next to the sign warning them not to ride the equipment. Those guys had a sense of humour.
Yeah, riding the skip cars instead of using the ladders was pretty common, I'm sure, back in the day. It was frowned upon, though, because it was a safety hazard. I wonder how often the rule was actually enforced? Thanks, Mike, for your comments!
@@AbandonedMines11 Thank you Frank, it’s always a pleasure leaving a comment on your videos and the fact that you take the time to respond really sets you apart from your average content creator. I imagine that those on the upper levels used to have a way of informing those working in the lower levels of whether or not a foreman was in the vicinity, when considering using the skip car for the transportation of their colleagues. I find it all incredibly interesting and am learning a lot about mines and mining through your informative videos. I never even knew what a stope was a week ago. Thanks again Frank, you’re a legend 👍
There probably was a bell system installed. Most of these vertical and inclined shafts had one so that operators knew what was going on in the shaft. There would be a series of bells to indicate whether a skip car was coming up or going down the shaft and things like that. Some signals indicated "STOP" while another might indicate an emergency. So perhaps there was another signal to indicate the presence of the foreman. The reason this level is so collapsed and dangerous is because in later years a mining company dug a small, open-pit mine at the surface. All of the blasting to do that probably caused a lot of the damage seen on this level. Because of this reason, we feel the lower levels will be in excellent condition and not nearly as collapsed. We plan on going back to this one once it cools down out there, so stay tuned!
@@AbandonedMines11 Oh yeah, that makes perfect sense, I remember seeing a bell system attached to a wire that was descending to to a lower level in one of your previous videos. In the same extensive mine where you dropped your light down that shoot I think. You were brave climbing all the way down that ladder, or whatever those descending cart tracks are called, in the mine with the bell system, and thank you for explaining why the rungs of the ladder were on the underside, I had seen that a few times and was wondering why they did that.
I will 100% be along for the ride if you go back to that mine so as to access the lower levels, I’m fascinated to see if it’s in any better shape down there but please be very careful Frank, it looks incredibly dangerous in there my friend. Stay safe buddy.
Is there such thing as a poisinous oxygen in caves? Where the cave releases its own vhemicals or something it sucks out the oxygen in the air? I think yiu mentioned it before. Dead gas or dead air?
You’re referring to “bad air.“ That is when there is not enough oxygen in the air. It can form at the end of very long tunnels underground. It can also form in flooded or wet mines. That’s why I carry an oxygen meter and a hydrogen sulfide gas detector. Those are probably the two gases that you would have problems with while exploring abandoned mines.
I think that "Juli" post actually said "Julio."
Yes, you are correct! It was “Julio.”
You guys are CRAZY 😱😱😱
Toms a different breed
Hi Frank, my hands were nearly over my eyes the whole time, please tell me you won't go back as I think you guys were more than lucky this time around and I don't want to lose one of my favourite mine explorers. xx💖🤘
Hi, Sue! Thanks for your comment and concern. We would like to go back to this mine to check out the lowest levels, but who knows if that will happen or not. I’ve got more projects that I’m currently working on right now that have me spread out over a few states. Tom and Julie are also tied up with some other projects of their own right now. So we’ll have to wait and see. Thanks for all of your support here, though! I do appreciate it very much.
@@AbandonedMines11 Aww you're more than welcome. x
If anything, divine intervention might seal off that mine before they make the return trip
Hi, Thanks for your videos they are amazing! If you had a collapse behind you as you were going into the mine past some of the sketchy bits would you be able to find an alternative way out or is it just the one entrance/exit?
In Part 1, we did pass another exit sign but it looked like it was no longer a viable way to exit the mine due to substantial collapse. It’s rare when an abandoned mine has another exit to begin with. There’s usually only one entrance. Bigger mines with many levels might have additional portals to the outside at different elevations on the mountainside. That’s not the case here. Thanks for your comment and question!
That is one brutal mine, when do you plan on your third part ?
Hopefully not before too long! Thanks for your comment and question. I appreciate your support!
Exploring Abandoned Mines and Unusual Places looking forward to it 👍
Wow, I appreciate you videoing this, but i would have never went in that mine
I agree with you 100%! This was the most dangerous mine I have ever been in.
Man, can you imagine what it must sound like when one of the huge timbers snaps?! Has that ever happened while you were exploring??
Never have heard a timber snap or break. That would be terrifying! One time Paul and I were exploring a very crumbly hard-rock mine. We had stopped in the tunnel to check something out and suddenly heard a distant thud from somewhere in the tunnel we had just passed through. We both looked at each other and were like, "Did you just hear that?" The funny thing is that on our way back through the tunnel, we didn't see any large rock that might've fallen. Of course, we might've missed it, too. But hearing that muffled thud was unnerving -- considering that the mine we were in was so crumbly and unstable!
Do you ever keep,(other than that old pistol), any of the artifacts you come across? When I seen that peg board, I thought that would make a damned interesting thing to hang on a wall or make a lamp with to put in a Man Cave.
No, we didn’t remove any of the artifacts. They weren’t in decent condition for the most part. That gas mask was pretty much shot to hell, the pegboard that you speak of really didn’t have any markings on except for the holes, and the glass bottles would have gotten broken in our backpacks as we were crawling and kneeling through all of those narrow and tight passageways.
Yay new vid
Hope you enjoy it! I have an even newer video that just came out yesterday on Monday. Thanks for your support!
I'd happily go down mines and I'd go in that one why not as long as you're careful and we'll prepared they did it and came out alive
Thank you for commenting, Louise! We seriously analyzed this mine as we were going through and took our time. You probably also noticed how we were spaced out in the mine and not exploring together as a group. Something like this needs to be done very carefully and very slowly. I still wouldn’t recommend it, though. This definitely was the most dangerous mine I have ever been in due to all of the collapse. It was quite an adventure, though!
Love the vids
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate your support.
Unbelievable that there are son many abandoned mines
Far too many, that's for sure! Thank you for watching and commenting!
Are you going to go back and explore lower levels hopefully yes
David, here is a copy of my reply that I posted under your other comment on Part 1:
Tom did go back the next year and went down that inclined winze that I showed in this video. He wasn’t able to access the extensive underground levels due to there being collapses everywhere. There might’ve also been oxygen deficient air down there because he was having some difficulty breathing as he was making his way back up out of there. Unfortunately, he left his oxygen meter with his wife Julie at the top of the shaft. I still may do one more foray into this mine to see if any of the underground workings are accessible that Tom might have missed. Another explorer has expressed interest in doing that with me. But it’s not a high priority at this point in time. But, as always, stay tuned!
good job guys.
Thanks, man!
you guys and Julie of course must have nerves of steel to stand under some of them crushed timbers, far out
It's all a state of mind. Julie and I had this discussion at some point several months ago, in fact. She has no problems climbing up or down century-old ladders but does not like passing underneath collapses like you saw in this video. I am the opposite -- I don't like climbing up and down old ladders but have no problem passing underneath collapsing areas.
i know this sounds dumb , but i really love going in mines like this , lol , where about is this place located ?
Mine Daddy Frank! ⛏😱🔦📹
I think this is the first time I’ve ever been called “Mine Daddy Frank.” LOL
So does it have more levels!?
It sure does! We have no idea what the condition of them might be, though.
Be safe!
Thanks, Randy! We try to be as safe as we can. I appreciate your support.
It would almost seem like Talc has no grain strength and flows more like a liquid over time than would more common mining rock materials?
I have no idea. I’m not a geologist or anything like that. Perhaps Dr. Lucy will chime in here and answer your question. She’s a relative newcomer to my videos and has been leaving some fantastic comments with a lot of geological knowledge in them.
Exploring Abandoned Mines and Unusual Places either that or that timber is just really poor stock
Tom has a "collapsible shovel" in case something happens. The equivalent of having a butter knife in a bear fight. False security. I'll pray for y'all. I hope me and others are just wimps and that y'all will be ok.
We're going back to this mine later this season. We want to descend the inclined shaft we found during this first visit and check out the lower levels -- which we expect to be free of collapses and which we think will be pristine! Stay tuned!
Wow.. that's crazy! You definitely need an N95 or better mask ;)
@@lb1448 thankfuly thats what i bought. it was the last one on the selfs before this fake outbrake hit everyone hard.. i thankfully was even able to buy a few backup replacements for mine.
I think your "Lupe" graffiti actually said "Lopes". Also, the "Juli" actually said "Julio". Both had one letter that wrapped down to the line below.
Thanks for pointing that out! I didn't notice that. Probably the names of the miners. Cool!
Good thing I work weird shifts I catch a lot of videos when they are first posted.
Great! Thanks for taking some time to watch the video and to comment!
All it would take is for one or two of the key load bearing timbers to give way and the rest would crumble like falling dominos.
Perhaps. We certainly took our time and thoroughly examined everything for structural integrity before proceeding forward. I will admit, though - this is probably the farthest we have ever pushed the envelope.
Its like walking into your own tomb.
Somewhat. More like walking into a probable tomb.
@@AbandonedMines11 🤣😂 is there a guide to kine exploration, for kids?
I wonder what the pounds per square inch is to buckle those timbers, it must be horrific!
That would be an interesting scientific experiment for somebody to conduct. I have no idea.
@@lb1448 thats unimaginable, my little brain can't fathom that!
I've been in old mines around the Silverton, CO area and I would be interested to see you explore some of those but like.... please... don't kill yourself for our entertainment.
I've heard about Silverton, CO. Never been there myself, though. Maybe one of these days....
I was actually hiking and I found an old mine not named but the adit the rail cart and above was some mining houses and even found 3 mining cart and found an old price of dynamite of course didn’t touch it it was cool in there
Sounds like quite an adventure! Yes, the old dynamite can be hazardous. Like you did, it’s best to steer clear of it.
Do u ever hear or see strang thing's
Once in a long while. Check out one of my latest videos where I captured a strange light inside a mine tunnel! I posted it a couple weeks ago.
Thank you for the reply
At 7:31, To the miner who sketched "Naked Ladies": Don't quit your mining job.
I don’t have a mining job. LOL
makes me wonder if spidey got lost in there. I wonder what it is eating.
It was pretty close to the entrance we opened up, so it probably goes outside.
When i saw the Information for this Video i just read "the deadliest dead" 😂
That’s funny! I guess depending on what device you are using to view the video, certain things like titles and words get cut off.
A wolf spider.
very nice men
Thank you for your comment! And thanks for taking the time to watch the video.
Nope ,nope,nope
Jesus, that place needs to be sealed off!
nasty talc mine, prob had a lot of fatalities in it
I agree! It was sealed off until Tom dug it out. This was probably the worst abandoned mine I have ever been in. Thank you, though, for taking the time to watch the video and comment. I really appreciate your support!