I've visited the mine a few times when the pumps still kept water out. Immense hole in the earth and the machinery at the bottom looked toy-like as mentioned. It was a kind of melancholy experience to see such an undertaking and the thought of how it made or changed people's lives. Thanks for this snapshot.
I am so glad there are people like you who remember. At the time I was so impressed with scale of the operation. My company supplied the conveyor belt and we were using the mine as a testing site for our new conveyor belt rip detector. I remember that each day around noon time they blasted. We would go to lunch in town and while eating feel the "rump" from the blast. Then return to the mine in the afternoon when they let us back in.
This is really cool my dad and grandpa both worked at the mine. I also work at Tilden mine where we still use rip belt detectors even today in 2022. My dad still lives in republic and I have visited the mine many times growing up here in the area my whole life. 👍
I would be super interested to know a little about the rip detectors in use at Tilden mine. Same Goodrich detectors or some other newer brand? I think I once visited Tilden mine, in Minnesota right?
No the Tilden is 5 miles S.E. of Ishpeming in Marquette County. In Da U.P. once a sharp triangular piece of iron ore fell through the load point, with the tip facing downward. It punched through the inch and a half conveyor and ripped it 600 ft to the rip detector and it didn't detect it right away so it went another 600 feet before it shut down. They had to change out the conveyor.
@@finpainter1 Are you saying at the time of the installation? You installed? The tunnel with conveyor belt and crusher was an engineering marvel. At the time when I first saw it I thought "WOW". The protocol for starting the belt involved the sounding of the warning horn. If you were working on the belt you had limited time to get away. There was an emergency stop cable that could be pulled, but once the belt started it could not be stopped easily... if caught in the belt, it would not be pretty.
@@fdolie7321 I work with the millwrights ,WE installed the crusher with the ironworkers And also the conveyer, on the crusher my partner and i beat on the crushers bolts with a slug wrench for a couple days. was also there when a couple accidents happened .The roof lost a huge rock and smashed the stairway up to the top. The lights went out one day and a fork lift driver lost brakes in dark and rolled all the way to the bottom of crusher. driver was hurt. Let to another job before production started.
I've visited the mine a few times when the pumps still kept water out. Immense hole in the earth and the machinery at the bottom looked toy-like as mentioned. It was a kind of melancholy experience to see such an undertaking and the thought of how it made or changed people's lives. Thanks for this snapshot.
This is super cool! My family all worked there! Born and raised in the small town, thanks for putting this out there
I am so glad there are people like you who remember. At the time I was so impressed with scale of the operation. My company supplied the conveyor belt and we were using the mine as a testing site for our new conveyor belt rip detector. I remember that each day around noon time they blasted. We would go to lunch in town and while eating feel the "rump" from the blast. Then return to the mine in the afternoon when they let us back in.
my mom was a Holappa and I still go visit Republic!
Steve L
This is really cool my dad and grandpa both worked at the mine. I also work at Tilden mine where we still use rip belt detectors even today in 2022. My dad still lives in republic and I have visited the mine many times growing up here in the area my whole life. 👍
I would be super interested to know a little about the rip detectors in use at Tilden mine. Same Goodrich detectors or some other newer brand? I think I once visited Tilden mine, in Minnesota right?
No the Tilden is 5 miles S.E. of Ishpeming in Marquette County. In Da U.P. once a sharp triangular piece of iron ore fell through the load point, with the tip facing downward. It punched through the inch and a half conveyor and ripped it 600 ft to the rip detector and it didn't detect it right away so it went another 600 feet before it shut down. They had to change out the conveyor.
I worked on the tunnel and crusher ,in the 70s
Specifically the pictures were taken in 1977 or early 1978. That is when we tested the belt rip detector that B. F. Goodrich was developing.
@@fdolie7321 We installed the belt rollers and was there when they pulled the belt.
@@finpainter1 Are you saying at the time of the installation? You installed? The tunnel with conveyor belt and crusher was an engineering marvel. At the time when I first saw it I thought "WOW". The protocol for starting the belt involved the sounding of the warning horn. If you were working on the belt you had limited time to get away. There was an emergency stop cable that could be pulled, but once the belt started it could not be stopped easily... if caught in the belt, it would not be pretty.
@@fdolie7321 I work with the millwrights ,WE installed the crusher with the ironworkers And also the conveyer, on the crusher my partner and i beat on the crushers bolts with a slug wrench for a couple days. was also there when a couple accidents happened .The roof lost a huge rock and smashed the stairway up to the top. The lights went out one day and a fork lift driver lost brakes in dark and rolled all the way to the bottom of crusher. driver was hurt. Let to another job before production started.
I believe the pit is full of water now.
The video doesnt even work it just leeps on loading