“Gly”: Wow! That’s incredibly impressive... I’m actually quite speechless. You sure do find some awesome locations Justin and I’m so happy your documenting these sites professionally with good lighting, camera work and narration. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again... keep up the good work sir.
The base of that ore cart is for a three ton granby, that requires a winch to lift up one side to tip into ore pass, the loco has six forward and six reverse gears that travel quite fast, pulling rakes of granbies from ore chutes to ore passes.( an old time miner 💥)
The "skimmer" tank's generally called a "thickener" though calling it a skimmer's a good call because it's not an inaccurate description of what it did. Being at the bottom end of the mill suggests it was for tailings. The slurry would have entered through the short, circular feed well you see in the center of the tank. As it spread across the diameter, the solids would settle to the bottom of the tank where the rakes that you see on the arms were. The arms would rotate slowly, dragging the rakes around the bottom of the tank. The rakes are angled so that they'd pull the "thickened" slurry to the center at the bottom to be discharged. The (somewhat) clarified water would spill over the inside lip you see around the top edge of the tank to be reclaimed or treated. Change room's are generally called a "dry". They normally have a high ceiling where warm air was circulated. There would be baskets that could be lowered on chains that the miners put their wet work clothes in and hoisted back up into the warm air to dry while they were off shift. That was definitely some kind of change room, but after 40 years in the industry, it's the first time I've ever seen one underground. Wonder what they did with their wet gear? That compressor was frickin' cool. The CP (I think) was for Chicago Pneumatic. They still make all sorts of pneumatic shop tools. I wonder if they're still making the big industrial shit like that. Loved the grow show! That made me laugh like hell. Seriously cool mine and great job documenting guys.
This is one of my personal favorites! Thank you for preserving this gem by not disclosing the location, and documenting it. Aside from the natural water decay, this is one of the best mines I've ever seen.
I am glad he got in too. I know where this is too. I recently talked to a local and they said it's been SEALED again but i didn't go to the site to see in person.
Last time I was in there about four years ago you could still walk on the floor by the head frame so its decayed quite substantially since, it's a pretty crumbly mine especially nasty where u enter, glad you got to document this justin was wondering if one of you would explore this one love this mine hope u got the chance to check out the mill.
@@TVRExploring That said - you have shown other mines that are Dry and of course anything wooden just dissapears. There are just some Perfect conditions and some that are condusive to the declination of these gems. Either way Nature seems to be the one that decides either of these!
imagine taking all the time to sort everybody's tools back in 1930 and 90 years later your sorting system still staying mostly intact--even your labels still visible. god, that'd make me so proud
I believe electric mine locomotives run on around 250V DC. One of the "MG Sets" or Motor Generators is seen in the beginning, it looks like two motors coupled together with a driveshaft. That is an AC motor being used to turn a DC generator that provides the power for the locomotives. That piece of wood seen on the locomotives was the power pole much like what trolley cars or trolly busses use. A piece of the pick up wire is still hanging and visible by one of the early locomotives shown. Great video. I just stumbled on your channel and have really enjoyed the content!
i beg to differ, prefer watching Cerro Gordo mine exploration, no one spends a whole hour in just one room of nuts and bolts, just saying. watching this put me to sleep and didn't even travel far into the mine versus two camera batteries. Hobo Shoestring is more entertaining.
that is incredible sonny Jim ..... don't ever reveal the location of that gem .... huge double cylinder compressor....looks like they were trying to get at the copper ...... that is one heck of a mine you found there my friend ......should be preserved....those loco's had contact arms that would rum on a hot cable for power like the old trolley's .....made of wood so not to conduct ..... really wish there was more to see as far as drifts go but great job ....
Thanks, Jeff. Yes, it is shame that the ground is so bad in this location because there, obviously, would have been a lot more in the other levels and drifts given how much was within just a few hundred feet of the portal...
I am just continually amazed at the amount of labor to not only carry all these supplies and building materials in on the side of a mountain but construct it so well.
The amount of equipment still there might indicate that it was shut down with the intention of reopening at some point that never arrived? Possibly a casualty of the Second World War shutdown of non essential mines? You definitely hit the mother lode of mine equipment. Very cool indeed.
The Vulture Mine above Wickenburg, AZ was a going gold operation right up to WWII. The government came in and from one day to the next picked everyone up and moved them over to a copper mine, so the guide told us on a tour in the mid-1960's. In the '60's the above ground facilities were in a lot better shape than the next time I visited around 2000.
Lots of old heavy iron stamp mills and equipment from the 1850’s above Coulterville California! Had my placer mine back on gentry gulch. Old deep mines filled with water AND gold! But be very careful going into old timbered mines as the rotting wood sucks out the oxygen.
I've seen hundreds of mining videos on RUclips and this one tops em all. You had me on the edge of my seat for sure. I'm amazed at how much equipment was left in the mine. Thanks for sharing this with all of us, and please do be careful while exploring future mines.
True, for an abandoned mine. The 16 to 1 certainly had plenty of equipment, just in generally better condition and more spread out. Certainly not as many "locos" though.
i was totally spellbound from the first underground shots! I could almost close my eyes and visualize the dozens of workers . 'living' in this underground 'city'. Just imagine spending your days in an underground machine shop, Grinding and greasing , fabricating and re-building..... All I can say is thank you for sharing this and WOW!!! Just UNBELIEVABLE!
those giant cannon balls are from a ball mill for crushing ore. dont feel bad about geeking on stuff too long! i would be doing the same! its really hard to take a plae like that all in quickly! unbelievable adventure! thanks for another great video!
Crazy amount of equipment and parts in those rooms. All those big heavy parts for compressor had to be man handled into place. All the great big timbers put into place. All the time working in dimly lit areas. Very impressive
Canadian Frank from Exploring abandoned Mines recovered some very early Levis for an Arizona mine owner that were worth several hundred thousand dollars! These jeans likely date to the late 40s/early 50s and if made by Levis are worth several hundred each even in fair shape. I'm glad Justin doesn't raid these historic mines but I did wish someone got all that old denim off the wet ground so they can last a bit longer for future explorers..
I'm very new to this and I'm learning more and more about the basics every episode. Thanks so much for the informative commentary! You really run a great channel, it's fascinating to see everything. Thank you
Wow, a completely self-contained operation! Only thing missing is sleeping quarters for the miners. Nice thing about it, they most likely worked year round protected from the outside elements. Quite a treasure trove! Thank you!!
I know were this is and can't mention the location. They had the mine sealed with the boarding house for year round operation! That part burned years ago.
Absolutely incredible. I can't begin to imagine how loud that compressor was in its hay day down underground like that. Great show, thanks for documenting it.
This mine and the video were incredible. You were worried about geeking out over the old equipment, but I would have gladly watched another hour. Earned you a new sub! Great stuff.
Awesome find Guys, tons of stuff to see, thanks for the tour! The chain with the metal balls was used in ore chutes to control the fall of material...I've seen them in a couple of mines up here in Canada. I'll post the video in a separate comment as it will probably get tagged as spam, so have a look in your "held for review" file.
Maybe the people who setup the mine knew that the area was prone to forest fires. Putting the buildings in with the mine has protected the buildings and equipment from the fires in the recent decades
this one is definitely a top draw mine with all that equipment and engineering that went into it, a great shame about the dampness in there if it had been dry that would have been Awsome plus maybe fewer collapsed areas too. wonder if there are any missed gold in the tailings? great explore guys keep them coming.
Amazing. This mine had to be absolutely enormous before it collapsed. To think that at some point all of that stuff will be completely buried and inaccessible. Thanks for sharing!
I have waited for YEARS for someone, even if it was Frank, to explore this mine. This made my year. Have you looked up photos of the outside when it was operating?
Wow, just amazing. AND, good to see you are still able to get out and about, and bring us these neat mines. (The cannonballs with chains), were mill balls.
I found an abandoned mine in my city. Had underground blacksmith n all. I brought home all the blacksmith equipment including the forge. The bricks weighed a ton but I have a shop now.
Another mine I wondered when you'd get to. Protecting the location of this one is something I'd like to buy you a few rounds for, if our paths ever cross. Your respect for the rare stuff doesn't go unnoticed. Be extremely careful if you plan to go farther on a return trip, serious ratty ground there.
Thank you. I particularly appreciate that from someone that knows... Yes, I've heard that the other sections are inaccessible or only a tiny part is accessible and, given what is needed to get there, it isn't worth it...
@@TVRExploring i know where it's located too. Was in the area on vacation this past August and one of the locals said it had been sealed. I had found the opening 2 years ago but didn't enter. Glad you did and recorded a lengthy video. Which did you like the most going up there? The views or the weather! Do you have an email to talk about this. I have another site that you would be interested in that is very close to where you were and is reached from where you located!
Beautiful. So cool to see these abandoned mines and other places. Thank you for taking us on this journey. Glad it is you guys doing it as I would be too claustrophobic and in fear that I might find an actual old miner somewhere in those tunnels, and probably a ghost one, with my luck. That, or a skeleton. My great grandfather was a blacksmith and worked as one at some of the mines around Bannack, Montana. Very cool to see the old smithy inside the actual mine you're exploring. Thanks again guys and keep up the excellent work.
The amount of stuff down in that mine is mind-boggling. I cannot imagine the mine company knowing the operation was shutting down leaving all that stuff down there when they could've sold it to salvagers or whatnot for a bit of recouped costs. To just leave that much stuff down there? I'm guessing it suffered a very sudden closure or something?
Quite the extensive mine. Looks like there were probably several miles of tunnels. Tailings at the end of the video were from the cyanide plant that was there. Thanks for taking us along for the journey. Really enjoyed it. You and yours have a very safe Christmas and a Happy New Year.
One could go into that mine to mine the metals from all the equipment that's been left behind, even with part of the copper having been taken out already.. Always amazing to see that some technical solutions we would think are modern were already being used by professionals way before anybody on a consumer level ever knew they existed. I for one sure would like an entire video just on that huge air compressor!
truly incredible stuff. i understand the cost benefit analysis behind leaving stuff behind in a mine, but good gravy i cant help but feel bad seeing all this awesome/expensive equipment rusting underground forever
I am stunned! This was simply amazing! Thank you for showing us this. I can invision in my mind this mine in operation, loud loud loud.......massive ore car's moving about & dumping, air drills running, compressors, hoists etc.......wow!
The sign there in the room with the pile of bits said "Bit Grinding Department" Those rooms were "departments". Underground? Unreal. That one area with the bathtub and such looked like a dang living quarters, but I can't imagine anyone living in there, especially when that mine was running, can you imagine the racket with that giant compressor going, the blacksmith shop etc working? Maybe a security office manned 24-7 to control access? Always more questions... The investment in infrastructure there was pretty amazing, that mine must have produced a lot of $$ over it's lifetime. Something else that was telling...I didn't see a single stick of PVC in there. If there was some, I missed it. Speaks to the age of the operation, and that when it shut down it was probably never re-activated years later.
I like that there's almost detective work in these videos to determine the approximate age of these mines. It's cool how techniques and structural methods change (or don't change) over the decades.
I know the location and know some of the history behind it. It had it's own company store and the boarding house was directly attached to the mine audit to seal out the weather for year round operation. It had two cable tram stations connected inline at different elevations. Very rich area in minerals in the area where it's located and many abandoned mines all over the county it's in!
That's the most coolest mine I've ever seen. Some one spent a ungodly amount of money to build that place. Not counting the labor that was put into it. What a amazing find. It would be interesting to know how much money it took to build the the underground mining town. That's mind blowing, great job, thanks for sharing. It would be interesting to know who the person was that started this project.
I knew an 80+ year old gentleman in the early 1970's who worked in a huge gold mining operation in the 1930's. This mine he worked took out some of the largest gold nuggets mined in California. These nuggets had been on view at the Capitol. However the state sold them and replaced them with fake samples.
The old guy in me, the historian and ordnance mechanic see's those machines and both salivates and cries. I'd love to put my hands to restoring them, making them live again, and know it wont happen....
I need a 300 horsepower compressor in my shop. Wow, that is beautiful!! the old machinery and compressors are so awesome. Thank you for bringing us this incredible find. Bring us some haunted mines now..lol
That compressor is made by Chicago Pneumatic still in business and making quality stuff. Those charge bolts might be carriage bolts. Those ore cars had railroad looking couplers I was thinking most ore cars had link and pin. One heck of an operation. That rail looks like maybe 60 pound rail.
Yes, Chicago Pneumatic builds products that last given what we've seen at mine sites! Those ore cars were very large. I'm not sure the normal link and pin would have worked when pulling those and the ore.
I cannot help but think of all the hard-working miners and the difficult life they must have had. While also wondering if we would be willing today to do what these miners had to go through, the sacrifice and sometimes even loss of life just so we today would benefit. Sad many Americans today are spoiled and all they can do is complain and worry about the future, it was hard work and determination that gave us our freedom and modern automation today. Not handouts, not big brother...thanks for a fantastic video. God Bless. 1776
That has to have been the most interesting mine explore i have seen so far . Pity there are so many collapses that block the way to what must have been a huge mine .
Yes, it is a shame because given how much stuff was within a few hundred feet of the portal, you KNOW there was a lot of good stuff back in the areas that are now inaccessible.
Imagine the work that went in to getting all of that equipment into the mine the wood, the machinery,. it must have been a busy place. It would have been neat to see it operating in its hay day..
@ 31:05 - That appears to be a part for an Ore Chute , stamping says ''9x20 Stope No. 34'' . @ 32:50 - i believe that's a Portable Sandblaster ( I have a much smaller one that's almost identical ) . @ 1:06:25 - That's an Electric Trolley Boom , the Contactor Shoe would be on the round portion at the end and would slide along the Power Cable that was suspended from the Back . In very large mines it was cheaper to run the Trammers like a Trolley than it was to power them with large banks of wet-cell Batteries . < Doc > .
I've probably commented on this one before but, Geez, it's like you're in Canada or something. Thank you for all the risks you guy's take to document this important history and sharing it with all of us. We truly appreciate the effort and commitment.
0:00 Rotary Furnace for Extracting Mercury from Cinnabar. As a retired Lode Miner you'd never catch me in that one, with all the Ground-fall and Checker-boarding that suckers ready to Collapse Yesterday! You take too many chances and hopefully you never regret any. It is far better to be safe than sorry.
The electrical outlet at 21:16 is only two prongs with no ground lug. I suspect you are correct that the mine was shut down like many others just after the start of WWII and for some reason never reopened. Perhaps it was almost played out and wasn't worth the cost of rehab. It is also very possible that lower levels are flooded like the Argonaut mine in Jackson, CA.
You should read Justin's comments under the video - always worthwhile for extra info. For a condensed version - some members of the group Justin was with explored the area and found other portals and workings, but they were not accessible. Any future possible exploration will involve using ropes down those internal winzes.
@@daveg2104 I thought I did, but seems like i skipped the last two paragraphs^^ thank you for the reminder, because of it I checked the description again.
@@Michael_Schmatzberger No problem. A lot of viewers miss the fact that Justin adds extra info in the description comment, so it's always good to post a reminder.
Thank you for the video it was great watching on a rainy evening.. I must say you have some nerves of steel to go into these mines and bring us the footage you do it's amazing. You should think about making documentry type videos or something of this nature this is lost forgotten history that would be lost and unseen forever if not for you. Be safe and thank you for risking everything..
Hi thanks Justin that was a great find, a lot of that equipment in the right hands could still be used the rust on the steels only helps to harden it especially the drill steel. That graffiti you found on the corrugated iron wall was dated the year I was born. That stile of equipment was still begin used in the Seventies takes me back, the rubber rings you thought where belts where rubber seals for that big air line, and fitted between cast flanges and could could hold air or water. I'd like to Wish you and mates very Merry Christmas. cheers.
What an absolute gem of a mine. Definitely a good one for Adit Adict to rejoin for an explore. Not sure if there were some dynamos in that mechanical room, but I agree with the other commenter that it would be heaven for some steampunk enthusiasts. Another great find. Thanks for sharing with us.
That funny bit of pipe in a U shape with a thicker pipe in the bottom of the "U" is an expansion and contraction joint in the pipe. As air pressure raises and lowers in the pipe there is a certain amount of movement in the pipe manifold. These assemblies are designed to restrict movement within sections of manifolds. Also is used with water pipes fed by cycling pumps as well for the same reason.
Probably one of, if not the best one you've delivered yet. Many thanks. Stay safe .Do you have radio contact with your companions? The value of equipment material left in this mine would be staggering.
Absolutely amazing find! Looks pretty Northern California-ish and a fire burned my area so I'm going to go out looking after the burn. It should be easier to spot stuff! Underground offices were a real interesting find for sure! Keep up the awesome work. Can you imagine how loud that underground compressor setup was???? Your pacing was perfect, and if anybody wants to linger on something we have the pause button. I've never seen couplers on ore cars before....like mini locomotive couplers... very interesting! This is one of the best mines I have ever seen you explore, and I would seriously murder somebody to get the location and explore for myself.
If you're where I think you are based on prior comments, this is in the next county over from you... The time immediately after a fire is a GREAT time to go out mine hunting. It would've been absolutely deafening in there with that compressor and other equipment!
I'd love to see a time-lapse of a mine like this to see why everything ends up all over the floor. Obviously some of the shelves fell down but most of them look to be up and level. But how cool would it be to see 80 or 100 years of rust and seepage and machinery breaking down in just a few minutes. Just watching nature slowly erase what humans have built.
WOW! This is so amazing with all the equipment left there. A question came to mine on the ore samples. Are they usually sent off to see if there is gold in them or what were there purpose. Thanks so much for sharing this great find.
The thieves have done quick grabs, reason for things on the floor. When you were looking at the big round thing at the compressor, that was actually the drive motor. Notice where the housing is pryed apart, they attempted to access the copper windings, which there's probably several hundred pounds in the motor.
So much history. What a huge mine. Too bad it is in such bad shape. Great video. Must have been a huge project with many miners. Thank you for sharing. I am so intrigued with mines like these.
You need to start playing the USFS...misdirection,,send those dirtbags on wild goose chases,,cut, edit,,superimpose images, film (like the allies in England pre D Day)..get them looking in the wrong spots,,wasting time,,leave them a sine laughing at them (May be with a gamecam to record them arriving) get them looking in active grows,,, Have some fun at their expense.. I tip my hat to you, Mr. Mc Bride and your fellow explores. Thank you for taking me along.. Epic
If you were liable for dumb teens getting killed in these mines you’d be sealing them up too. How many millions should the FS have to pay before you authority haters get a clue?
Bo b seriously? Bud, do some research. How many people per year are killed in abandon mines if you exclude people falling down open stopes? The forest service is supposed to protect MY resource not destroy it for a profit..they are supposed to help miners, loggers and sportsman. Have you ever read their charter? They are supposed to protect against wildfires..they suck...in a very very big way. They destroy our heritage, destroy roads, prevent access, discourage proper timber management, and waste my tax dollars.. Upper management should all be fired.
That mine must have been a real producer! Too see all that machinery down there is so cool. Do you have any info on how much they claimed to pull out of the mine?
Loved the footage of the workshop, they had to have so much on hand to operate because it was so far the the hardware store for a widget they needed to build or repair something!
“Gly”: Wow! That’s incredibly impressive... I’m actually quite speechless. You sure do find some awesome locations Justin and I’m so happy your documenting these sites professionally with good lighting, camera work and narration. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again... keep up the good work sir.
Imagine that Gly here in the comments
Love to see and listen to you documenting this mine..
The base of that ore cart is for a three ton granby, that requires a winch to lift up one side to tip into ore pass, the loco has six forward and six reverse gears that travel quite fast, pulling rakes of granbies from ore chutes to ore passes.( an old time miner 💥)
What a mine! Man I would have loved to see what it looked like while operational! Coolest mine I think I have ever seen documented.
Yes, this would have been a great one to see with everything up and running...
I second that motion.
@@TVRExploring look at photos of this mine from 1976!!!!
Aditnow.co.uk
18 pictures!
@@drachengott95 There is some good stuff there... I've found the mines in Europe to be quite good overall.
Wow, I wonder who burnt it to the ground?
The "skimmer" tank's generally called a "thickener" though calling it a skimmer's a good call because it's not an inaccurate description of what it did. Being at the bottom end of the mill suggests it was for tailings. The slurry would have entered through the short, circular feed well you see in the center of the tank. As it spread across the diameter, the solids would settle to the bottom of the tank where the rakes that you see on the arms were. The arms would rotate slowly, dragging the rakes around the bottom of the tank. The rakes are angled so that they'd pull the "thickened" slurry to the center at the bottom to be discharged. The (somewhat) clarified water would spill over the inside lip you see around the top edge of the tank to be reclaimed or treated.
Change room's are generally called a "dry". They normally have a high ceiling where warm air was circulated. There would be baskets that could be lowered on chains that the miners put their wet work clothes in and hoisted back up into the warm air to dry while they were off shift. That was definitely some kind of change room, but after 40 years in the industry, it's the first time I've ever seen one underground. Wonder what they did with their wet gear?
That compressor was frickin' cool. The CP (I think) was for Chicago Pneumatic. They still make all sorts of pneumatic shop tools. I wonder if they're still making the big industrial shit like that.
Loved the grow show! That made me laugh like hell. Seriously cool mine and great job documenting guys.
This is one of my personal favorites! Thank you for preserving this gem by not disclosing the location, and documenting it. Aside from the natural water decay, this is one of the best mines I've ever seen.
I am glad he got in too. I know where this is too. I recently talked to a local and they said it's been SEALED again but i didn't go to the site to see in person.
Yes, it is amazing how much is in this one...
@@drachengott95 g76hnnn
Last time I was in there about four years ago you could still walk on the floor by the head frame so its decayed quite substantially since, it's a pretty crumbly mine especially nasty where u enter, glad you got to document this justin was wondering if one of you would explore this one love this mine hope u got the chance to check out the mill.
can only imagine if that mine was located in a dry climate, how well preserved all that stuff would have been!
Yes, it almost seems tragic that this is not out in the desert!
Most Definitely!
@@TVRExploring That said - you have shown other mines that are Dry and of course anything wooden just dissapears. There are just some Perfect conditions and some that are condusive to the declination of these gems. Either way Nature seems to be the one that decides either of these!
imagine taking all the time to sort everybody's tools back in 1930 and 90 years later your sorting system still staying mostly intact--even your labels still visible. god, that'd make me so proud
The electric mine trains had overhead wires and pickups. I wonder what voltage they operated at, since the overhead wire is bare and easily touched.
Yes, I'd be curious to know that myself.
Hi Clive! Small world, eh?
OW! That hurt when I touched it!!! - - - Well, Fool, I guess you won't do that again, now will ya? - - - LOL
I believe electric mine locomotives run on around 250V DC. One of the "MG Sets" or Motor Generators is seen in the beginning, it looks like two motors coupled together with a driveshaft. That is an AC motor being used to turn a DC generator that provides the power for the locomotives.
That piece of wood seen on the locomotives was the power pole much like what trolley cars or trolly busses use. A piece of the pick up wire is still hanging and visible by one of the early locomotives shown.
Great video. I just stumbled on your channel and have really enjoyed the content!
I've seen hundreds of old mining videos here on RUclips and this one, without a doubt, tops them all.
Yes, it was incredible to see how much was in there...
i beg to differ, prefer watching Cerro Gordo mine exploration, no one spends a whole hour in just one room of nuts and bolts, just saying. watching this put me to sleep and didn't even travel far into the mine versus two camera batteries. Hobo Shoestring is more entertaining.
@@mitchalitious Well we don't really want you, so go ahead and ride that train with Shoestring. I doubt he would want you either.
Omg or the compressor room
I am so jealous,this mine should be a museum, absolutely mind blowing,thank you for showing us this treasure,be safe!
Impression I get is this mine was in operation for a long, long time and constantly updated. Very cool thanks for taking us along!
that is incredible sonny Jim ..... don't ever reveal the location of that gem .... huge double cylinder compressor....looks like they were trying to get at the copper ...... that is one heck of a mine you found there my friend ......should be preserved....those loco's had contact arms that would rum on a hot cable for power like the old trolley's .....made of wood so not to conduct ..... really wish there was more to see as far as drifts go but great job ....
Thanks, Jeff. Yes, it is shame that the ground is so bad in this location because there, obviously, would have been a lot more in the other levels and drifts given how much was within just a few hundred feet of the portal...
So come on let's gooo!!
Jeff you should do a voiceover of this video explaining what everything you see so all us dirt rats who never seen anything like this before
@@TVRExploring exactly
Never seen an abandoned ore cart locomotive in an abandoned mine. That is a jackpot as far as exploration.
I am just continually amazed at the amount of labor to not only carry all these supplies and building materials in on the side of a mountain but construct it so well.
Unbelievable, that must have been one hell of a prosperous mine in it's time, excellent video....!!
The amount of equipment still there might indicate that it was shut down with the intention of reopening at some point that never arrived? Possibly a casualty of the Second World War shutdown of non essential mines? You definitely hit the mother lode of mine equipment. Very cool indeed.
The Vulture Mine above Wickenburg, AZ was a going gold operation right up to WWII. The government came in and from one day to the next picked everyone up and moved them over to a copper mine, so the guide told us on a tour in the mid-1960's. In the '60's the above ground facilities were in a lot better shape than the next time I visited around 2000.
all that metal would have been helpful for the war effort but i think that place is so remote it was just forgotten
Mind bottling ammount of gear left behind. Either they thought they would reopen, or made so much money they just didn't care....
@@johnhirtle4933 It was just left and wrote off for tax purposes. As in all business.
Lots of old heavy iron stamp mills and equipment from the 1850’s above Coulterville California! Had my placer mine back on gentry gulch. Old deep mines filled with water AND gold! But be very careful going into old timbered mines as the rotting wood sucks out the oxygen.
I've seen hundreds of mining videos on RUclips and this one tops em all. You had me on the edge of my seat for sure. I'm amazed at how much equipment was left in the mine. Thanks for sharing this with all of us, and please do be careful while exploring future mines.
We have never seen so much machinery. And your so good at showing us everything. Just take your time, we love it.
Thank you so much.
True, for an abandoned mine. The 16 to 1 certainly had plenty of equipment, just in generally better condition and more spread out. Certainly not as many "locos" though.
Thank you. Yes, this one really blew my mind.
i was totally spellbound from the first underground shots! I could almost close my eyes and visualize the dozens of workers . 'living' in this underground 'city'. Just imagine spending your days in an underground machine shop, Grinding and greasing , fabricating and re-building..... All I can say is thank you for sharing this and WOW!!! Just UNBELIEVABLE!
those giant cannon balls are from a ball mill for crushing ore. dont feel bad about geeking on stuff too long! i would be doing the same! its really hard to take a plae like that all in quickly! unbelievable adventure! thanks for another great video!
you telling us it was not for the bowling ball for the bowling alley they had you probably are right
I saw those with the heavy chain and decided they were counter weights for a hoist.
Crazy amount of equipment and parts in those rooms. All those big heavy parts for compressor had to be man handled into place. All the great big timbers put into place. All the time working in dimly lit areas. Very impressive
Anyone else hear Brent from Cerro Gordo faint when Justin casually said "hey look at all the jeans?"
Ahahahaha! IKR! Poor fella been looking for them Levi's for a min
Canadian Frank from Exploring abandoned Mines recovered some very early Levis for an Arizona mine owner that were worth several hundred thousand dollars! These jeans likely date to the late 40s/early 50s and if made by Levis are worth several hundred each even in fair shape. I'm glad Justin doesn't raid these historic mines but I did wish someone got all that old denim off the wet ground so they can last a bit longer for future explorers..
Those aren’t the jeans Brents looking for
@@tinytattoomike7943 we know
Yes! That's exactly what I thought. What years was this mine operational?
Wow, that mine is a scrapper's paradise despite the fog room of doom. A fantastic Christmas treat. Thanks man!
I'm very new to this and I'm learning more and more about the basics every episode. Thanks so much for the informative commentary! You really run a great channel, it's fascinating to see everything. Thank you
Thank you for the kind words.
Wow, a completely self-contained operation! Only thing missing is sleeping quarters for the miners. Nice thing about it, they most likely worked year round protected from the outside elements. Quite a treasure trove! Thank you!!
I know were this is and can't mention the location. They had the mine sealed with the boarding house for year round operation! That part burned years ago.
@drachengott95
That’s no mine! Its a museum! Hide the entrance! Dont show anyone! Claim the mine! Beautiful find thanks for sharing this with us
Absolutely incredible. I can't begin to imagine how loud that compressor was in its hay day down underground like that. Great show, thanks for documenting it.
Glad you enjoyed it
The thing sticking up on the locos is a trolley pole. The locos were powered by an overhead line.
Yes, you're right. I realized that after the fact because all of the overhead power supply was gone.
@@TVRExploring There were several sets of insulators hanging down. They are white and in a stack of three.
This mine and the video were incredible. You were worried about geeking out over the old equipment, but I would have gladly watched another hour. Earned you a new sub! Great stuff.
Awesome find Guys, tons of stuff to see, thanks for the tour! The chain with the metal balls was used in ore chutes to control the fall of material...I've seen them in a couple of mines up here in Canada. I'll post the video in a separate comment as it will probably get tagged as spam, so have a look in your "held for review" file.
Maybe the people who setup the mine knew that the area was prone to forest fires. Putting the buildings in with the mine has protected the buildings and equipment from the fires in the recent decades
cali is well known for there fires
this one is definitely a top draw mine with all that equipment and engineering that went into it, a great shame about the dampness in there if it had been dry that would have been Awsome plus maybe fewer collapsed areas too. wonder if there are any missed gold in the tailings? great explore guys keep them coming.
Thoroughly enjoyed this has to be the best mine to be videoed on RUclips watching from marton new Zealand
AWESOME MINE!!! I have watched a lot of your videos. I have learned a lot. It's cool seeing the mines and learning about them. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for coming along on our adventures.
Incredible. Non stop machinery. Mine hunters dream.
Amazing. This mine had to be absolutely enormous before it collapsed. To think that at some point all of that stuff will be completely buried and inaccessible. Thanks for sharing!
That was AMAZING! And don't ever worry about going too slow in a case like this. if a viewer wants to go faster they can skip ahead.
Thank you. And, yes, I wish the complainers could figure that out!
I have waited for YEARS for someone, even if it was Frank, to explore this mine. This made my year. Have you looked up photos of the outside when it was operating?
@@TVRExploring I am Happy that I can use the pause button!
Wow, just amazing. AND, good to see you are still able to get out and about, and bring us these neat mines. (The cannonballs with chains), were mill balls.
I found an abandoned mine in my city. Had underground blacksmith n all. I brought home all the blacksmith equipment including the forge. The bricks weighed a ton but I have a shop now.
Another mine I wondered when you'd get to. Protecting the location of this one is something I'd like to buy you a few rounds for, if our paths ever cross. Your respect for the rare stuff doesn't go unnoticed. Be extremely careful if you plan to go farther on a return trip, serious ratty ground there.
Thank you. I particularly appreciate that from someone that knows... Yes, I've heard that the other sections are inaccessible or only a tiny part is accessible and, given what is needed to get there, it isn't worth it...
@@TVRExploring i know where it's located too. Was in the area on vacation this past August and one of the locals said it had been sealed. I had found the opening 2 years ago but didn't enter. Glad you did and recorded a lengthy video. Which did you like the most going up there? The views or the weather! Do you have an email to talk about this. I have another site that you would be interested in that is very close to where you were and is reached from where you located!
@@drachengott95 I'll go with the views on that one because the weather was freezing! You can contact me at TVRExploring@gmail.com...
Beautiful. So cool to see these abandoned mines and other places. Thank you for taking us on this journey. Glad it is you guys doing it as I would be too claustrophobic and in fear that I might find an actual old miner somewhere in those tunnels, and probably a ghost one, with my luck. That, or a skeleton. My great grandfather was a blacksmith and worked as one at some of the mines around Bannack, Montana. Very cool to see the old smithy inside the actual mine you're exploring. Thanks again guys and keep up the excellent work.
I've explored out there i may have seen some of his handiwork!
@@wlong1794 You just may have!
The amount of stuff down in that mine is mind-boggling. I cannot imagine the mine company knowing the operation was shutting down leaving all that stuff down there when they could've sold it to salvagers or whatnot for a bit of recouped costs. To just leave that much stuff down there? I'm guessing it suffered a very sudden closure or something?
Quite the extensive mine. Looks like there were probably several miles of tunnels. Tailings at the end of the video were from the cyanide plant that was there. Thanks for taking us along for the journey. Really enjoyed it. You and yours have a very safe Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Absolutely amazing! Nice to see Chuck again! I hope Mr Nibbles is still running around. 👍
He will never stop running i swear!
One could go into that mine to mine the metals from all the equipment that's been left behind, even with part of the copper having been taken out already.. Always amazing to see that some technical solutions we would think are modern were already being used by professionals way before anybody on a consumer level ever knew they existed. I for one sure would like an entire video just on that huge air compressor!
It is overwhelming to think how much man hours went into bringing all that heavy equipment into the mine. A whole lot of work!
I could imagine some of the stories the workers could tell you back then. Good stuff. Awesome mine.
I'd love to talk to some of them from this mine and many others!
truly incredible stuff. i understand the cost benefit analysis behind leaving stuff behind in a mine, but good gravy i cant help but feel bad seeing all this awesome/expensive equipment rusting underground forever
What's it like inspecting real life Dunmer ruins? Living what so many of us do in virtual worlds, so cool. Thanks for sharing this journey!
@@fanatic26 I imagine the only thing more depressing, is having you as a son / daughter.
One other point - looking at the infrastructure they put into that mine, I have to think it must have been a very profitable mine for a lot of years!
I can only think of two words - Mind Blowing!!!!!! There are many levels to that mine. Must be more portals. Amazing. Just utterly amazing.
Nope. Just one portal. Very high altitude.
This was amazing! Why did they have so much stuff, & why was it such a mess? Great job!
Hope you get an answer, Becky, as I would love to know too.
Thank you for risking your life for everyone’s entertainment.
Timber’s WOW! Rotted floors WOW! Stopes WOW! STUUUUUUUUUF WOW!!!
I'm only 35 minutes into the video and I'm in awe at the artifacts that you've found thus far WOW!
I am stunned! This was simply amazing! Thank you for showing us this. I can invision in my mind this mine in operation, loud loud loud.......massive ore car's moving about & dumping, air drills running, compressors, hoists etc.......wow!
The sign there in the room with the pile of bits said "Bit Grinding Department"
Those rooms were "departments". Underground? Unreal. That one area with the bathtub and such looked like a dang living quarters, but I can't imagine anyone living in there, especially when that mine was running, can you imagine the racket with that giant compressor going, the blacksmith shop etc working? Maybe a security office manned 24-7 to control access?
Always more questions...
The investment in infrastructure there was pretty amazing, that mine must have produced a lot of $$ over it's lifetime. Something else that was telling...I didn't see a single stick of PVC in there. If there was some, I missed it. Speaks to the age of the operation, and that when it shut down it was probably never re-activated years later.
I like that there's almost detective work in these videos to determine the approximate age of these mines. It's cool how techniques and structural methods change (or don't change) over the decades.
No, there wasn't any PVC inside of this mine... Ha, and, yes, the presence of "departments" gives an idea of the scale of this operation.
I know the location and know some of the history behind it. It had it's own company store and the boarding house was directly attached to the mine audit to seal out the weather for year round operation. It had two cable tram stations connected inline at different elevations. Very rich area in minerals in the area where it's located and many abandoned mines all over the county it's in!
That's the most coolest mine I've ever seen. Some one spent a ungodly amount of money to build that place. Not counting the labor that was put into it.
What a amazing find. It would be interesting to know how much money it took to build the the underground mining town.
That's mind blowing, great job, thanks for sharing.
It would be interesting to know who the person was that started this project.
Yes, this was a spectacular one!
I cant believe you couldn't here me yelling at my PC to throw a rock down to see how deep!
That was an error on my part...
My guess is down to the -400 level.
Exactly what I was thinking, the kid in me would throw a boulder down there and watch it crash and bang 😂
@@TVRExploringy
I knew an 80+ year old gentleman in the early 1970's who worked in a huge gold mining operation in the 1930's. This mine he worked took out some of the largest gold nuggets mined in California. These nuggets had been on view at the Capitol. However the state sold them and replaced them with fake samples.
The old guy in me, the historian and ordnance mechanic see's those machines and both salivates and cries. I'd love to put my hands to restoring them, making them live again, and know it wont happen....
Just too far gone and rusted.
oh me too, are there any of that size compressor that are still in working condition?
I need a 300 horsepower compressor in my shop. Wow, that is beautiful!! the old machinery and compressors are so awesome. Thank you for bringing us this incredible find. Bring us some haunted mines now..lol
The one room insulated with cardboard looked like a warm up room for the miners... that thing on the floor must've been some sort of furnace
Thankyou Sir for sharing great video. Stay safe and have fun.
That compressor is made by Chicago Pneumatic still in business and making quality stuff. Those charge bolts might be carriage bolts. Those ore cars had railroad looking couplers I was thinking most ore cars had link and pin. One heck of an operation. That rail looks like maybe 60 pound rail.
Yes, Chicago Pneumatic builds products that last given what we've seen at mine sites! Those ore cars were very large. I'm not sure the normal link and pin would have worked when pulling those and the ore.
I cannot help but think of all the hard-working miners and the difficult life they must have had. While also wondering if we would be willing today to do what these miners had to go through, the sacrifice and sometimes even loss of life just so we today would benefit. Sad many Americans today are spoiled and all they can do is complain and worry about the future, it was hard work and determination that gave us our freedom and modern automation today. Not handouts, not big brother...thanks for a fantastic video. God Bless. 1776
That has to have been the most interesting mine explore i have seen so far . Pity there are so many collapses that block the way to what must have been a huge mine .
Yes, it is a shame because given how much stuff was within a few hundred feet of the portal, you KNOW there was a lot of good stuff back in the areas that are now inaccessible.
Awesome artifacts in that mine! I once worked in a very old pulp/sawmill complex that had tons of rusting machinery everywhere. Very cool stuff!
Imagine the work that went in to getting all of that equipment into the mine the wood, the machinery,. it must have been a busy place. It would have been neat to see it operating in its hay day..
It certainly would, Andrew.
We love it when you show us everything, you do a great job. Thank you ever so much.
@ 31:05 - That appears to be a part for an Ore Chute , stamping says ''9x20 Stope No. 34'' . @ 32:50 - i believe that's a Portable Sandblaster ( I have a much smaller one that's almost identical ) . @ 1:06:25 - That's an Electric Trolley Boom , the Contactor Shoe would be on the round portion at the end and would slide along the Power Cable that was suspended from the Back . In very large mines it was cheaper to run the Trammers like a Trolley than it was to power them with large banks of wet-cell Batteries . < Doc > .
As always, thanks for the additional info, Doc!
I've probably commented on this one before but, Geez, it's like you're in Canada or something. Thank you for all the risks you guy's take to document this important history and sharing it with all of us. We truly appreciate the effort and commitment.
That was amazing. Can't imagine how much money in equipment, or just drill bits, was left behind when they ceased operations.
It's pretty extraordinary, huh?
0:00 Rotary Furnace for Extracting Mercury from Cinnabar. As a retired Lode Miner you'd never catch me in that one, with all the Ground-fall and Checker-boarding that suckers ready to Collapse Yesterday! You take too many chances and hopefully you never regret any. It is far better to be safe than sorry.
18:52 "It's just mine blowing". I see what you did there.
I'm glad someone picked up on that!
The electrical outlet at 21:16 is only two prongs with no ground lug. I suspect you are correct that the mine was shut down like many others just after the start of WWII and for some reason never reopened. Perhaps it was almost played out and wasn't worth the cost of rehab. It is also very possible that lower levels are flooded like the Argonaut mine in Jackson, CA.
There is still gold here, but low metal prices doomed them and they couldn't maintain profitability after World War II.
since you talked about upper levels and because of that huge ore-shoot: couldn't there be other entrances further uphill?
You should read Justin's comments under the video - always worthwhile for extra info. For a condensed version - some members of the group Justin was with explored the area and found other portals and workings, but they were not accessible. Any future possible exploration will involve using ropes down those internal winzes.
@@daveg2104 I thought I did, but seems like i skipped the last two paragraphs^^ thank you for the reminder, because of it I checked the description again.
@@Michael_Schmatzberger No problem. A lot of viewers miss the fact that Justin adds extra info in the description comment, so it's always good to post a reminder.
Thank you for the video it was great watching on a rainy evening.. I must say you have some nerves of steel to go into these mines and bring us the footage you do it's amazing. You should think about making documentry type videos or something of this nature this is lost forgotten history that would be lost and unseen forever if not for you. Be safe and thank you for risking everything..
They practically had a city build in there. Looked like some miners actually lived in there.
It probably was impractical to go home or to town.
Yes, this was a hell of an operation...
They worked year round. Wish i could give more details. It's in a tourist area. They had a 5 story bunkhouse attached directly to the audit. Snow.
Those three rooms looked like bunk rooms I'd bet you're right. This is really amazing.
also had an underground mill on the "mountain top" only justin should get that one lol
You're doing a perfect job. I think the pace is perfect. Bravo Zulu!
Hi thanks Justin that was a great find, a lot of that equipment in the right hands could still be used the rust on the steels only helps to harden it especially the drill steel. That graffiti you found on the corrugated iron wall was dated the year I was born. That stile of equipment was still begin used in the Seventies takes me back, the rubber rings you thought where belts where rubber seals for that big air line, and fitted between cast flanges and could could hold air or water. I'd like to Wish you and mates very Merry Christmas. cheers.
Thank you for the additional information and the Christmas wishes, James...
What an absolute gem of a mine. Definitely a good one for Adit Adict to rejoin for an explore.
Not sure if there were some dynamos in that mechanical room, but I agree with the other commenter that it would be heaven for some steampunk enthusiasts. Another great find. Thanks for sharing with us.
That funny bit of pipe in a U shape with a thicker pipe in the bottom of the "U" is an expansion and contraction joint in the pipe. As air pressure raises and lowers in the pipe there is a certain amount of movement in the pipe manifold. These assemblies are designed to restrict movement within sections of manifolds. Also is used with water pipes fed by cycling pumps as well for the same reason.
Thanks for throwing in all of the additional information.
That's great that you don't disclose location. So people don't trash what is left in history. Great video
It’s a hoarder mine lol ! Crazy amount of random bits and pieces all related to the mine whoever ran that mine was well stocked !
Probably one of, if not the best one you've delivered yet. Many thanks. Stay safe .Do you have radio contact with your companions? The value of equipment material left in this mine would be staggering.
Thank you. The radios don't really work well underground unless you've got line of sight in a shaft or winze, for example.
Thanks, I wasn't aware of that.@@TVRExploring
I could imagine how loud that compressor was...
Absolutely deafening!
Nice job all around, great find, You have to wonder how they got all this stuff up to this mine ???
13:03 'CP' is probably for 'Chicago Pneumatic'. The color is right for CP circa 1940 / WW2. At that time, CP was a high Quality USA-built product.
@@Schmitz3 certainly not CCP ...
Absolutely amazing find! Looks pretty Northern California-ish and a fire burned my area so I'm going to go out looking after the burn. It should be easier to spot stuff! Underground offices were a real interesting find for sure! Keep up the awesome work. Can you imagine how loud that underground compressor setup was???? Your pacing was perfect, and if anybody wants to linger on something we have the pause button. I've never seen couplers on ore cars before....like mini locomotive couplers... very interesting! This is one of the best mines I have ever seen you explore, and I would seriously murder somebody to get the location and explore for myself.
If you're where I think you are based on prior comments, this is in the next county over from you... The time immediately after a fire is a GREAT time to go out mine hunting. It would've been absolutely deafening in there with that compressor and other equipment!
@@TVRExploring Awesome man, I really appreciate the tidbit! Thanks for responding to my comment for sure! I know you are a busy dude so thanks.
I'd love to see a time-lapse of a mine like this to see why everything ends up all over the floor. Obviously some of the shelves fell down but most of them look to be up and level. But how cool would it be to see 80 or 100 years of rust and seepage and machinery breaking down in just a few minutes. Just watching nature slowly erase what humans have built.
I had this thought too.
This is one of my favorites, great video, thanks
WOW! This is so amazing with all the equipment left there. A question came to mine on the ore samples. Are they usually sent off to see if there is gold in them or what were there purpose. Thanks so much for sharing this great find.
The samples help map out the deposit so the miners can see what sort of minerals are ahead of them and if they're worth going after.
3 years late to this vid......but at 22:07 that desk/work bench is awesome and has a name on the side of it. Mr. BLE...... Really cool
The thieves have done quick grabs, reason for things on the floor. When you were looking at the big round thing at the compressor, that was actually the drive motor. Notice where the housing is pryed apart, they attempted to access the copper windings, which there's probably several hundred pounds in the motor.
So much history. What a huge mine. Too bad it is in such bad shape. Great video. Must have been a huge project with many miners. Thank you for sharing. I am so intrigued with mines like these.
You need to start playing the USFS...misdirection,,send those dirtbags on wild goose chases,,cut, edit,,superimpose images, film (like the allies in England pre D Day)..get them looking in the wrong spots,,wasting time,,leave them a sine laughing at them (May be with a gamecam to record them arriving) get them looking in active grows,,,
Have some fun at their expense..
I tip my hat to you, Mr. Mc Bride and your fellow explores. Thank you for taking me along..
Epic
If you were liable for dumb teens getting killed in these mines you’d be sealing them up too. How many millions should the FS have to pay before you authority haters get a clue?
Bo b seriously? Bud, do some research. How many people per year are killed in abandon mines if you exclude people falling down open stopes? The forest service is supposed to protect MY resource not destroy it for a profit..they are supposed to help miners, loggers and sportsman. Have you ever read their charter? They are supposed to protect against wildfires..they suck...in a very very big way.
They destroy our heritage, destroy roads, prevent access, discourage proper timber management, and waste my tax dollars.. Upper management should all be fired.
@@parkerrowe8902 No arguments here.
THIS WAS A GREAT TOUR SO MUCH TO SEE. GREAT. THANK YOU
I could spend a ridiculous amount of time in there just exploring and trying to imagine what it all looked like while it was in operation.
Oh, we could have spent days in there!
That mine must have been a real producer! Too see all that machinery down there is so cool. Do you have any info on how much they claimed to pull out of the mine?
I'm an hour and 4 minutes in and you haven't even started the actual mine yet. Crazy!
Loved the footage of the workshop, they had to have so much on hand to operate because it was so far the the hardware store for a widget they needed to build or repair something!