I like how you always stop and show where you came from when you change locations in a video. It makes it easier for me to follow along. Excellent video man stay safe and keep them coming!
The ore carts are and equipment near them are riveted, not welded, so probably pre 1920. The drifts to the left and right look to be newer workings though with the milled timbers. Nice to see a mine that's not littered with modern beer cans. The good stuff is probably down that manway. If Frank from Canada ever makes it down this way he's crazy enough to rope up and go down there :> Nice bat habitat. Some cool equipment up top there. Makes you wonder what goes through peoples heads, "here's some historic equipment, I think I'll leave my garbage in them" because taking their empty plastic water bottle back out with them would be a real burden.
The adit I went in is caved shut now... I'd have gone down that manway if I'd had rope with me, but I wasn't planning on this mine. I just happened to stumble across it. They're disappearing fast. Yes, definitely some cool equipment around... And, yeah, I wish people would haul their trash out with them - especially the plastics.
Probably not a bad idea to stay out of California and Nevada mines for a week or two after the SoCal earthquake on the 4th, there's bound to be aftershocks. As a native Californian I've been through hundreds of earthquakes. And earthquakes were something always on my mind when I was exploring mines.
Been waiting for your next video. Awesome work as always Justin. I love the fact you willing to go places a lot of other mine explorers aren't. That being said I want to see more videos so stay safe bro. Have it good, later everyone.
It never ceases to amaze me how the old miners hauled that enormously heavy equipment to the ends of the Earth using horse [or mule] power, or those early trucks powered by small engines. Those men were giants, compared to the midgets of today, whose work consists primarily of tapping a keyboard.
You can do a lot with a comealong hoist and some spud bars! Once you've got a half-decent crane or derrick set up, moving some really heavy stuff is fairly easy. I've done a fair few lifts of crusher parts, conveyor components, and giant electric motors while working at mines.
TVR Exploring “Gly”: The ground rolled like a waterbed yesterday evening where I was after that 7.1 earthquake. USGS says there’s a 5% chance of a even larger one happening in the coming days. I think I’m going to stay out of mines for a week or so and wait and see what happens. God knows how many collapsed yesterday after that 7.1
UEC indicates that it is likely a UEC owned or operated mine. Equipment could be from another mine unless it was moved for future disassembly scrapping by the owner or government. It could have operated as a vertical or incline hoist mine from the lowest level with the mill site in beginning of the video being original mine and the other equipment being from the newer mine with a different portal. The manway and toolway are not V'ed to haul ore bucket. The haulage adit could have been backfilled and intentionally plugged and covered with soil rock. Normally the haulage audit is at mill height or dump height which again strengthens my above points that are came out elsewhere.
Those foundations were pretty impressive and even more so when you consider the personal aspect: every one of those stones was selected and placed by hands of men who are long gone but went to back-breaking effort to create structures that still remain. That adds such a personal touch to me, more so than poured concrete and rebar. The machinery above the mine reminds me of an auction, moved to that location to be examined and bid on but unfortunately, there were no takers on what remained. Or it was moved there for eventual salvage from a fire damaged or collapsing building that used to house all of it but over time interest was lost, the ore from the mine already paid for it many times over, or mining within a reasonable distance was coming to an end as one mine after another played out so there it remains to be reclaimed by nature long after we're gone. That ladder didn't look to be in all that bad of shape but then don't be goaded by someone sitting in a secure office. You take enough risks as it is. This was a really nice video. Thanks again.
I agree. I am continually impressed by the skill and toughness of the old timers. The craftsmanship on display here is far more meaningful to me than the concrete and rebar you referenced. Tough to say why they left the equipment there, but your explanation makes sense to me. It was actually fairly damp in there and so the wood in the ladder was rotten... Ha, and, yes, that is a good point about the internet tough guys sitting comfortably in an air conditioned office...
It would seem that the Silver State holds many surprises for you to conquer. Always looking forward to your next vid! The machinery and it's overall size is just amazing to me. Thanks much.
That was some serious hardware you found. Any chance you will be going back to explore the lower level(s)? Something tells me there is much more to that place yet to be found.
Due to the bright orange markings on the walls, it seems that somebody has explored this mine not too long ago - possibly to look for gold or whatever.
Agree with everyone commenting on the size of the machinery. That stuff was built and hauled in there with the idea they would be processing a lot of material. Either that lower level is huge or they were indeed hauling material in....or both. There is no place like the back country of Nevada, I just love it out there. One of the few places in the continental US can you really feel as isolated.
I'm glad you weren't exploring this mine a couple days later than the published date. There was an earthquake in between Nevada and Cali! That mine might have felt it.
No, it is pretty low on the list of concerns... The odds of an earthquake happening in our neighborhood during the time we are underground is quite slim. I have never felt one underground.
Absolutely stunning as usual, so jealous of the cool places you get to explore. Thank you for taking us along on your adventures, im hoping to get some time to film and share some mine workings in the silverton Colorado area next year.most of the additts are sealed but there is a ton of surface workings to be seen still, there is at least one I know that is open as a tour that I would love to see and film.
Hi @ TVR Exploring! Watched already many of your mine adventures. They are all intressting and exiting. Wish, I could do my own such explorations (but live in Europe) . Like your vioce too! Please take my big Thank You for sharing your adventures!
Thank you very much. Europe has many, many mines to explore! The UK, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia... Those are all countries where I have visited great mines and there are countless others to explore.
Any idea what the blue rock was at 10:35-10:43? Also, may I make a suggestion? For the rock enthusiasts, maybe you could just take some still images (both close-up and in-situ) of the more interesting rocks and post them on something like Google Docs. It would require less of your battery and memory storage, and we could zoom in or out at will without bothering you.
@@carlsharp5915 Those ore cars were huge, I'm wondering how they got them in and out of the portal. I haven't spoken to him personally yet about this site but I'm curious if they may have been part of a tramway instead.
@@ADITADDICTS excellent point! They kind of look more like trams than cars anyway, and there's no visible trucks. That would mean there are more workings somewhere higher and adjacent
You ought to bring a laser pointer with you. It would be nice to be able to point to specific features on hard to reach places, and that first super long corridor would have been a trip to shine the laser down
I tried that out and it just didn't work. The camera doesn't pick it up well and it doesn't work to show distance and such when working in two dimensions.
So , at 17:50 you can read .. 5 FT Marcy Rod "M" which is MILL . Turns out" Marcy Rod Mills" of a bunch of sizes, and for different agregents are still available. The Company CBM makes and sells them . Wonder if there is a BIG mine still not found OR they were planning a big one !? Oh yeah , there are a bunch of used Marcy Mills For Sale also . As per your usual , another great video ... BG
That winze is of relatively modern and substantial construction. The tool chute and compressed air line paralleling the ladder indicate that they were running pneumatic drills, either jacklegs or drifters. One possibility is an aerial tram hauling ore from the other portal to the mill. 15:47, that looks like a slusher. Probably had a slusher drift below the stopes; the slusher would have scraped ore into an ore pass with a chute at the bottom to load it into ore cars like those side-dumps you found. 15:56, the platform to the right of that jaw would have held an electric motor. There would have been some massive power bands or v-belts transmitting power from the motor to the jaw sheave. That jaw is not small; I figure it could easily run a couple hundred tons per hour. Most older metal mills only ran a few hundred tons of ore per day, though, so this jaw is either newer than the original mill, or way bigger than necessary. 17:53, biggest damned bearing I've ever seen!
I read about how to make an industrial tumbler out of a rear axle of a big semi truck with the rims and tires in place. You want to cut an opening in the highest part of the rim to load rocks. The article said a cover is not needed but I always thought if I was going to do one I would have a hinged door sealed with inner tube rubber. The idea is to set up a motor geared down so the tires rotates slowly and all the rocks stay in the lowest part of the tire at all times tumbling over each other. Each tire can hold about 100 lbs of rocks and you have 4 tires going at all times each one with a different grit. Always use same tire for the same grit. You rotate the rocks once a week and you have a 100 lbs of polished tumbled stones each week. I have been wondering if you could use quartz sand as grit for the first stage to do the rough rounding off? I am posting this on all videos about rock hounding to spread the idea, if this is you channel and you do not like that let me know.
@@repr26 Yeah, not the best way to go about it. If you're really on a budget, pull the tires and torch the outer flanges off of the wheel. Bolt some scrap conveyor belting to it as lagging to give it some grip. The mine I work at literally gives away scrap belting.
Great exploring there! Wonder what's down that lower level! How far up the hillside was the one you explored? I am wondering if the lower one went to a haulage shaft rather than a hillside adit. What a shame all that equipment was just left there!
It was 2-300 feet up from the tailings and maybe 100 feet or so from the top of the mill... I'd love to know more about the underground workings there, but even the adit I went in is caved now.
You definitely missed something much bigger here. There is a level below those big ore cars fit into, and it's most likely at the elevation the ore cars are sitting at. Probably blasted closed at some time
There's probably some other mines in the area and just used one big mill, or there's a ton more down below that adit. Another great find. Be safe out there and have a happy 4th of july!
I wasn't expecting this one and so didn't have ropes with me. It was damp in there and so the wood was quite rotten. Too rotten to climb down without ropes...
Nice explore Thank you . That big equipment up on the Plateau did they stage it there ? Planned on moving it elsewhere to another mine ? Please stay safe .
Yes you are a wise Man . You Aid and protect the Camera guy and have unparalleled Addit scniffing skills and are respected by the viewers . Thank you for your observation . Stay happy .
I think there must be another adit and haul level given the scale of the processing outside. There doesn't seen to be enough roads etc to suggest it came from elsewhere
I wish you could get frank from exploring abandoned mines channel to do a collaboration on that mine. Hes a fan of bats, and could help alot in going down that manway as hes good with ropes. Sadly though i think he cannot visit the usa without alot of problems due to some minor conviction he had. Maybe one day you could go visit him and go for a look around anyox or one of his other mines he visits.
TVR- Based on the placement of the equipment, and the one parts nearer the Mine Adit, that looks like the top parts to a Condenser for a Cinnabar Kiln. I do know Nevada was known for Silver Mines and Quicksliver Mines. Both of those minerals often are found together or in closely related formations. FYI, if folks are curious as to the type of timber often used in the Nevada Mines; the timber was often Desert Juniper. In dry climates such as Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Texas, this would have been 1. The local available timber. 2. In these climates the wood does not rot unless exposed to lots of water. Rather it cures into some of the hardest wood, its our American equalivent to Hawaiian Koa Wood, (Iron Wood). So if it remain undisturbed it will likely be there for another 100+ years, (IE: Mesa Verde National Park). Those Cave Dwellings in that park, the wood beams used in those structures is Desert Juniper. Keep in mind the timbers I am referring to are the natural timbers that still look like trees. The more modern timber, I would likely say is Douglas Fur. -Shane McGuire
If this is the kind of thing you do on the regular with your truck, you'd do well to upgrade those shocks and springs. You don't need a lift or anything, just some slightly more forgiving suspension that won't rattle the truck to pieces. With most of the off-road focused pickups I've built, a leaf or two out of the rear springs is usually the first to go, as trucks typically don't ride well without a load on them. Removing some leaves from the main leaf-pack fixes that, and if you still want to carry stuff, you can put in staggered load-assist springs that only engage once the suspension has gone down a certain degree. Being that most trucks/SUVs are taller in the rear than they are in the front, the sag won't create any problems for you.
@@TVRExploring If you're interested in a project vehicle of sorts, you should look into what Mahindra's offering with the Roxor. It's essentially an Indian Willys Jeep on the cheap.
@@TVRExploring Indeed. The best part is that it's fun on the cheap. You can basically buy a base-model if you want to and add minor things to make it your own as you go. It's ugly as hell, but what do you expect? It's literally a cross between a Paddy-tractor and a Willys. It's not like your SUV daily-driver, where you may be averse to damaging it in any small way. It's made to be beat the hell up and then driven home. Just look at how poorly people in India treat their vehicles. That's the standard that Mahindras are built to put up with.
Wow, is it nightmare Wednesday already ! 😊 😉 ( jk) Reason the scrappers haven't been there yet is location and prices are way down right now! Thanks for sharing and take care. 👍
TVR- The large cylinders at the end of this video confirm this was likely a Mercury Mine. Those are the guts of a Centerfuge Kiln. The very same type of parts still remain at New Idria and in the Kiln at New Almaden. If you looked carefully you would see at the top and bottom of these trammels there is fire brick affixed or fire mortar poured into the ends. This is where the red hot waste rock would pour out after the Mercury was extracted. The parts with the gears on them, were likely the parts that turned these kilns, (IE: Think large concrete mixer). -Shane McGuire
So I'd say there's a pretty good chance that equipment you found up the hill was indeed pulled out of that mill. It looks like some of it has been mounted on temporary skids which suggests that it was in the process of being moved, and it's all of the same vintage, so my guess would be that someone intended to build a new mill using the equipment but gave up for whatever reason. The stone foundations in that mill are deceptive, because I think it probably started life as a stamp mill, but later received newer equipment as an upgrade, probably beginning around the turn of the century. The concrete loadings are definitely consistent with that, and there was one area you were standing at that had the large loadings and big drop consistent with a large jaw crusher. My guess would be that this was a "contract mill", processing ore from mines in the area. The fact that they were involved with smelting would be strong evidence in favour of this theory, as generally the mine mills were only interested in producing concentrate, where the contract mills would often (but not always) smelt the ore into ingots which made payment a pretty simple matter of value of metal recovered minus cost of milling ore tonnage. Hard-up miners could be paid out in ingots, with the appropriate amount withheld by the mill as payment.
Is it possible that all that equipment was taken out of the mill when the mine closed down? It almost looks like it was put on the plateau on purpose so it could be re-used somewhere else. I noticed on one of the ball mills that the gear was sitting on wood, like they were trying to minimize any damage.
Based on the survey markings, I think a company came in more recently and did some exploration work. They may have planned on building a mill on that plateau, and sinking an ore hoisting shaft directly adjacent to it, depending on how deep the mineralization extends.
You have showed us evidence of Smelters, furnaces and equipment and probably used electric motors. Soooooo, how and where did it get its fuel for operation?
That was certainly a thriving bat colony in there. The mind boggles at the amount of sheer physical effort it took to get all that equipment out there let alone working the mine. A question though, assuming all that heavy equipment was used within the remains of the lower level buildings, what was the point of moving it all UP the hill once it all became redundant? Usually we humans, being pragmatic individuals, generally chuck junk downhill. Weird eh?
The equipment you show at the end of the video was brought out there in the 1980s. There was a company that went out there and was going to run the tailings from the mines in the area and ran out of money... I'm pretty sure the carts you show at the mill ruins came from the aerial tram that used to be out there.
TVR -- Back in 1968 I was GIVEN by the Clay Company that I worked for , a Ball Mill complete with electric motor and everything , that was twice as large as the largest Ball Mill that you show in your video . The used balls in that monster were 6'' to 8'' in diameter and looked like cannon balls , and there were Hundreds of them . Sadly , I had to decline the offer as there was no way on my salary that I could afford to hire a Crane , and Semi with a Heavy-Duty Low-Boy Trailer to move it ; plus , where would I put it - I lived in an Apartment . < Doc >
Why do ladders shown in videos usually look relatively tame compared to in real life? Many times I've thought I don't want to go down that steep, sketchy ladder only to see my video later of an almost flat looking descent. Cool explore and equipment find, Justin.
Thank you. Haha, I know the phenomenon well! I'll tell you what though, two dimensions tend to flatten perspectives out. So, it isn't just in your head. The ladders really do look more modest when you're seeing them in the video than they actually are in real life.
The bricks and pipes you saw where the remains of a boiler, powering steam equipment, riveted so pre-1930s The ball mills etc are more modern, welded. You could look up the patent number on that crusher for a date
Could be there is something on the other side of the mountain. Your other right ( left ), then to the right. It would cost more to get there then what you would make off of it. Would love to try to restore it.
@@TVRExploring Yeah I saw that, no worries mate, I work with concrete almost daily and you would be surprised how many people call it cement. And you still got some great vids, keep it up.
Exactly. You don't build a mill that big with as much equipment for an adit that goes straight with a crosscut at the end. The winze was just that. They weren't bringing ore up or there would be a bigger area for a hoist.
I have been studying the first video you took of the carts . I wish you had take some from farther out. You can clearly see the carts ran out on a track in two spots do to the straight lines of the tailings, and it looks like the one cart may be sitting in some kind of hopper. Sense it's likely there is no tracks hiding and those carts would have turned fast, it would indicate the lower entrance would be right behind it or possible to the left has they may not want part of the mill on top of the mine entrance. The slot in the wall seems to point the tracks would have gone through there. Also, even if they mind ore from other mines, why would you have such big carts and so many for just dumping, especially has it looked like those carts where to big for the one you went into to even fit. After make the before comments, I noticed something. Not one sign of wheels. No sign of the cars being able to be dumbed, and also it seems they were made to sit on the ground. The one on its side seems to have a different bottom then the sitting on top of the ground.
a used ball mill the size of the small ones there can be north of 30k without the stands or motor if somebody was hoping to open a mine those would be worth trucking out. it would be cheaper than buying them. Idk where the hell you would find new plates for the insides though.
I dunno about you, but whenever I see stacked timbers like that in a shaft, I take it as a bad omen. It either means that the shaft beyond the piles has been decommissioned, or was never finished in the first place. Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! lol
16:30 = www.scribd.com/document/153120567/MARCY-Grinding-Mills Marcy Mill Mine And Smelter Supply Company (Marcy Mill MASSCo) Shows all the Equipment they manufactured, what it is and how it worked.
I don't remember the make and model off of the top of my head, but if you look in the description below the video, I have a link to all of my gear there.
Likely survey markings. Companies and independent prospectors such as myself will often mark up workings when entering them to determine if the mine is worth drilling. I mostly mark off bad air or ground conditions to discourage people without training from getting into dangerous parts of a mine.
Zero regard for the caution sign...THAT'S MY BOY!!!! love it!
For someone as claustrophobic as me I appreciate your sense of adventure and daring, thank you for sharing. Be safe!!
I like how you always stop and show where you came from when you change locations in a video. It makes it easier for me to follow along.
Excellent video man stay safe and keep them coming!
Thank you. Yes, I know it is hard to stay oriented inside of these mines and so I try to make it clear where I'm coming from and going to.
The ore carts are and equipment near them are riveted, not welded, so probably pre 1920. The drifts to the left and right look to be newer workings though with the milled timbers. Nice to see a mine that's not littered with modern beer cans. The good stuff is probably down that manway. If Frank from Canada ever makes it down this way he's crazy enough to rope up and go down there :> Nice bat habitat. Some cool equipment up top there. Makes you wonder what goes through peoples heads, "here's some historic equipment, I think I'll leave my garbage in them" because taking their empty plastic water bottle back out with them would be a real burden.
The adit I went in is caved shut now... I'd have gone down that manway if I'd had rope with me, but I wasn't planning on this mine. I just happened to stumble across it. They're disappearing fast.
Yes, definitely some cool equipment around... And, yeah, I wish people would haul their trash out with them - especially the plastics.
Probably not a bad idea to stay out of California and Nevada mines for a week or two after the SoCal earthquake on the 4th, there's bound to be aftershocks. As a native Californian I've been through hundreds of earthquakes. And earthquakes were something always on my mind when I was exploring mines.
@@DFDuck55 Just finished a long Nevada trip... Just in time, I guess!
Been waiting for your next video. Awesome work as always Justin. I love the fact you willing to go places a lot of other mine explorers aren't. That being said I want to see more videos so stay safe bro. Have it good, later everyone.
Thank you.
Wow that was very neat. Thank you for taking us along on all of your adventures. Thank you
Thank you for taking us along.
Thank you for coming along...
It never ceases to amaze me how the old miners hauled that enormously heavy equipment to the ends of the Earth using horse [or mule] power, or those early trucks powered by small engines. Those men were giants, compared to the midgets of today, whose work consists primarily of tapping a keyboard.
You can do a lot with a comealong hoist and some spud bars! Once you've got a half-decent crane or derrick set up, moving some really heavy stuff is fairly easy. I've done a fair few lifts of crusher parts, conveyor components, and giant electric motors while working at mines.
“Gly”: Great old mine! These older ones are my most favorite to explore. I wonder how more substantial the workings were down that man way.
bring some rope and several other explorers and go down that manway, Love to see what is down there.
A reliable source has informed me that that adit I went in is caved now.
TVR Exploring
“Gly”: The ground rolled like a waterbed yesterday evening where I was after that 7.1 earthquake. USGS says there’s a 5% chance of a even larger one happening in the coming days. I think I’m going to stay out of mines for a week or so and wait and see what happens. God knows how many collapsed yesterday after that 7.1
UEC indicates that it is likely a UEC owned or operated mine. Equipment could be from another mine unless it was moved for future disassembly scrapping by the owner or government. It could have operated as a vertical or incline hoist mine from the lowest level with the mill site in beginning of the video being original mine and the other equipment being from the newer mine with a different portal. The manway and toolway are not V'ed to haul ore bucket. The haulage adit could have been backfilled and intentionally plugged and covered with soil rock. Normally the haulage audit is at mill height or dump height which again strengthens my above points that are came out elsewhere.
Another great video. I'm well and truly hooked on what you do. Keep up the great vids and stay safe. Regards. from the uk.
Thank you very much.
Those foundations were pretty impressive and even more so when you consider the personal aspect: every one of those stones was selected and placed by hands of men who are long gone but went to back-breaking effort to create structures that still remain. That adds such a personal touch to me, more so than poured concrete and rebar. The machinery above the mine reminds me of an auction, moved to that location to be examined and bid on but unfortunately, there were no takers on what remained. Or it was moved there for eventual salvage from a fire damaged or collapsing building that used to house all of it but over time interest was lost, the ore from the mine already paid for it many times over, or mining within a reasonable distance was coming to an end as one mine after another played out so there it remains to be reclaimed by nature long after we're gone. That ladder didn't look to be in all that bad of shape but then don't be goaded by someone sitting in a secure office. You take enough risks as it is. This was a really nice video. Thanks again.
I agree. I am continually impressed by the skill and toughness of the old timers. The craftsmanship on display here is far more meaningful to me than the concrete and rebar you referenced.
Tough to say why they left the equipment there, but your explanation makes sense to me.
It was actually fairly damp in there and so the wood in the ladder was rotten... Ha, and, yes, that is a good point about the internet tough guys sitting comfortably in an air conditioned office...
It would seem that the Silver State holds many surprises for you to conquer. Always looking forward to your next vid! The machinery and it's overall size is just amazing to me. Thanks much.
Just got back from a long trip to the Silver State with a bunch of great videos...
I look forward to all your new. old, and future videos. Bring it! @@TVRExploring
That was some serious hardware you found. Any chance you will be going back to explore the lower level(s)? Something tells me there is much more to that place yet to be found.
If I'm in the area... I agree that there is more there. Someone told me that adit is caved now though.
Due to the bright orange markings on the walls, it seems that somebody has explored this mine not too long ago - possibly to look for gold or whatever.
Another amazing location an incredible scenery! You do your homework to find these cool places! Thanks!
Thank you.
Another great mine exploration thank you
Awesome find.. I'm guessing you're correct. The remoteness keeps the scrappers from cleaning house. Any idea as to the size of the lower workings?
None. I have not been able to locate records on this mine...
Fascinating mine and old equipment. It sure looked like someone had been in there surveying it. Too bad you couldn’t have gone lower.
Yes, someone had definitely been in there surveying it, but it is caved now...
Always interesting.............Thanks!!
Agree with everyone commenting on the size of the machinery. That stuff was built and hauled in there with the idea they would be processing a lot of material. Either that lower level is huge or they were indeed hauling material in....or both.
There is no place like the back country of Nevada, I just love it out there. One of the few places in the continental US can you really feel as isolated.
nice site. i bet theres something good down that manway waste rock piles big
I'm glad you weren't exploring this mine a couple days later than the published date. There was an earthquake in between Nevada and Cali! That mine might have felt it.
That certainly would have been an interesting experience...
Does that worry you? Or have you felt one while exploring?
No, it is pretty low on the list of concerns... The odds of an earthquake happening in our neighborhood during the time we are underground is quite slim. I have never felt one underground.
Absolutely stunning as usual, so jealous of the cool places you get to explore. Thank you for taking us along on your adventures, im hoping to get some time to film and share some mine workings in the silverton Colorado area next year.most of the additts are sealed but there is a ton of surface workings to be seen still, there is at least one I know that is open as a tour that I would love to see and film.
Awesome. I'm glad you're going to be documenting those...
Hi @ TVR Exploring! Watched already many of your mine adventures. They are all intressting and exiting. Wish, I could do my own such explorations (but live in Europe) . Like your vioce too! Please take my big Thank You for sharing your adventures!
Thank you very much. Europe has many, many mines to explore! The UK, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia... Those are all countries where I have visited great mines and there are countless others to explore.
@@TVRExploring Shure, there are mines. But to look in one somewhere in the desert, in no mans land, that has its special kind.
Well, yes, the desert mines are something special... You've got me there.
Couldn't stop seeing the 2 spots on tne lense at the start.....thanks for the content as always
Thank you. Spots happen...
Any idea what the blue rock was at 10:35-10:43?
Also, may I make a suggestion? For the rock enthusiasts, maybe you could just take some still images (both close-up and in-situ) of the more interesting rocks and post them on something like Google Docs. It would require less of your battery and memory storage, and we could zoom in or out at will without bothering you.
Yeah there's more there than meets the eye. Down below has to be huge to warrant a mill of that size.
And ore carts of that size
@@carlsharp5915 Those ore cars were huge, I'm wondering how they got them in and out of the portal. I haven't spoken to him personally yet about this site but I'm curious if they may have been part of a tramway instead.
@@ADITADDICTS excellent point! They kind of look more like trams than cars anyway, and there's no visible trucks. That would mean there are more workings somewhere higher and adjacent
@@carlsharp5915 I'm also of the opinion that the building he hiked up to has something to do with a tram as well.
You ought to bring a laser pointer with you. It would be nice to be able to point to specific features on hard to reach places, and that first super long corridor would have been a trip to shine the laser down
I tried that out and it just didn't work. The camera doesn't pick it up well and it doesn't work to show distance and such when working in two dimensions.
So , at 17:50 you can read .. 5 FT Marcy Rod "M" which is MILL . Turns out" Marcy Rod Mills" of a bunch of sizes, and for different agregents are still available. The Company CBM makes and sells them . Wonder if there is a BIG mine still not found OR they were planning a big one !? Oh yeah , there are a bunch of used Marcy Mills For Sale also . As per your usual , another great video ... BG
Thanks for looking that up...
@@TVRExploring WC :D
Good Afternoon to you too Sir.
What a great video as always. Cheers from U.K.
Amazing man
Always fun to watch
Lots of questions with no clear answers. Interesting to say the least! Great Mystery Video!
Yes, well said... More questions than answers.
That winze is of relatively modern and substantial construction. The tool chute and compressed air line paralleling the ladder indicate that they were running pneumatic drills, either jacklegs or drifters.
One possibility is an aerial tram hauling ore from the other portal to the mill.
15:47, that looks like a slusher. Probably had a slusher drift below the stopes; the slusher would have scraped ore into an ore pass with a chute at the bottom to load it into ore cars like those side-dumps you found.
15:56, the platform to the right of that jaw would have held an electric motor. There would have been some massive power bands or v-belts transmitting power from the motor to the jaw sheave. That jaw is not small; I figure it could easily run a couple hundred tons per hour. Most older metal mills only ran a few hundred tons of ore per day, though, so this jaw is either newer than the original mill, or way bigger than necessary.
17:53, biggest damned bearing I've ever seen!
Thank you for the details... Yes, there are a lot of answers to questions buried underground at this one.
Good Afternoon
That was a long Ore shoot, to bad you didnt feel comfy to see what all was down there
Good Afternoon to You.
Good morning!
No ropes with me and it was damp in there, so the wood was rotted...
Great Video.
The bats were your tour guides in the mine.
I read about how to make an industrial tumbler out of a rear axle of a big semi truck with the rims and tires in place. You want to cut an opening in the highest part of the rim to load rocks. The article said a cover is not needed but I always thought if I was going to do one I would have a hinged door sealed with inner tube rubber. The idea is to set up a motor geared down so the tires rotates slowly and all the rocks stay in the lowest part of the tire at all times tumbling over each other. Each tire can hold about 100 lbs of rocks and you have 4 tires going at all times each one with a different grit. Always use same tire for the same grit. You rotate the rocks once a week and you have a 100 lbs of polished tumbled stones each week. I have been wondering if you could use quartz sand as grit for the first stage to do the rough rounding off? I am posting this on all videos about rock hounding to spread the idea, if this is you channel and you do not like that let me know.
@@repr26 Yeah, not the best way to go about it. If you're really on a budget, pull the tires and torch the outer flanges off of the wheel. Bolt some scrap conveyor belting to it as lagging to give it some grip. The mine I work at literally gives away scrap belting.
Love all the equipment. Fantastic. Thank you.
Yes, it is great when some equipment is still around to see!
"Edge of your seat" excitement brought to you by TVR Exploring. Thanks.
Thank you for coming along.
Those were nice rock walls done old school and not in a hurry. Probably old railroad guys.
Great exploring there! Wonder what's down that lower level! How far up the hillside was the one you explored? I am wondering if the lower one went to a haulage shaft rather than a hillside adit. What a shame all that equipment was just left there!
It was 2-300 feet up from the tailings and maybe 100 feet or so from the top of the mill... I'd love to know more about the underground workings there, but even the adit I went in is caved now.
Loved seeing the equipment. Come to Montana to explore some mines.
Love to get out there sometime!
Enjoy your effort.👍
You definitely missed something much bigger here. There is a level below those big ore cars fit into, and it's most likely at the elevation the ore cars are sitting at.
Probably blasted closed at some time
Well, all of the adits there are caved shut now. So, unfortunately, we'll likely never know. Undoubtedly, there is a lot more underground there...
Awesome stuff. Thanks!
There's probably some other mines in the area and just used one big mill, or there's a ton more down below that adit. Another great find. Be safe out there and have a happy 4th of july!
Thank you. Yes, it seems most likely to me that they were processing ore from other mines in the area as well.
Great Video TVR! Bring ropes and go down the man-way sometime. Would love to see whats down there. Happy Independence Day :)
I wasn't expecting this one and so didn't have ropes with me. It was damp in there and so the wood was quite rotten. Too rotten to climb down without ropes...
The stone work is pretty fantastic. I wonder if the mine was operational during WWII? If not I'm surprised it was missed during the scrap drives.
Hard to say, but, yes, you're right...
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Nice explore Thank you . That big equipment up on the Plateau did they stage it there ? Planned on moving it elsewhere to another mine ? Please stay safe .
I'm guessing they hauled a large amount of what was there and never came back for the last
Yes you are a wise Man . You Aid and protect the Camera guy and have unparalleled Addit scniffing skills and are respected by the viewers . Thank you for your observation . Stay happy .
Neat place, got to be more to the minem bring some rope and several other explorers and go down that manway, Love to see what is down there.
I've heard that adit I went in is caved now.
I think there must be another adit and haul level given the scale of the processing outside. There doesn't seen to be enough roads etc to suggest it came from elsewhere
There was definitely something below that that manway dropped down to... I just saw no sign of it outside.
Given the recent seismic activity in the High Desert today, this mine is NOT where I'd want to be during a 7.1 shaker !
It wouldn't be my first choice of places to be either during an earthquake...
Thanks for sharing. I wonder what all that spray paint was for.
Either surveyor or geologist marking if the mine may be viable for mining. Looked fairly fresh too.
I wish you could get frank from exploring abandoned mines channel to do a collaboration on that mine. Hes a fan of bats, and could help alot in going down that manway as hes good with ropes. Sadly though i think he cannot visit the usa without alot of problems due to some minor conviction he had. Maybe one day you could go visit him and go for a look around anyox or one of his other mines he visits.
That guy is completely nuts! His ropework skills are quite impressive, though.
@@Porty1119 LoL, yes, except when he gets his beard caught in his ascender/robe clamp!
I wonder what was at the bottom of that ore chute...
I don't know, but that adit I went in is caved now...
TVR- Based on the placement of the equipment, and the one parts nearer the Mine Adit, that looks like the top parts to a Condenser for a Cinnabar Kiln. I do know Nevada was known for Silver Mines and Quicksliver Mines. Both of those minerals often are found together or in closely related formations.
FYI, if folks are curious as to the type of timber often used in the Nevada Mines; the timber was often Desert Juniper. In dry climates such as Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Texas, this would have been 1. The local available timber. 2. In these climates the wood does not rot unless exposed to lots of water. Rather it cures into some of the hardest wood, its our American equalivent to Hawaiian Koa Wood, (Iron Wood). So if it remain undisturbed it will likely be there for another 100+ years, (IE: Mesa Verde National Park). Those Cave Dwellings in that park, the wood beams used in those structures is Desert Juniper. Keep in mind the timbers I am referring to are the natural timbers that still look like trees. The more modern timber, I would likely say is Douglas Fur.
-Shane McGuire
Nice mine. Man, that goes way back.
If this is the kind of thing you do on the regular with your truck, you'd do well to upgrade those shocks and springs. You don't need a lift or anything, just some slightly more forgiving suspension that won't rattle the truck to pieces. With most of the off-road focused pickups I've built, a leaf or two out of the rear springs is usually the first to go, as trucks typically don't ride well without a load on them. Removing some leaves from the main leaf-pack fixes that, and if you still want to carry stuff, you can put in staggered load-assist springs that only engage once the suspension has gone down a certain degree. Being that most trucks/SUVs are taller in the rear than they are in the front, the sag won't create any problems for you.
I'd love to have a real off-road champion...
@@TVRExploring If you're interested in a project vehicle of sorts, you should look into what Mahindra's offering with the Roxor. It's essentially an Indian Willys Jeep on the cheap.
I looked it up and it definitely looks like fun.
@@TVRExploring Indeed. The best part is that it's fun on the cheap. You can basically buy a base-model if you want to and add minor things to make it your own as you go. It's ugly as hell, but what do you expect? It's literally a cross between a Paddy-tractor and a Willys. It's not like your SUV daily-driver, where you may be averse to damaging it in any small way. It's made to be beat the hell up and then driven home. Just look at how poorly people in India treat their vehicles. That's the standard that Mahindras are built to put up with.
Love mine adventure vids 😁 btw, kept wiping my screen until I realized the dark spot is dust on your camera lens.
Thank you. Haha, yeah, spots happen, I'm afraid... Abandoned mines in the desert are a very dusty environment.
That equipment outside belonged to the Marcy Ball Mill, date approx 1915.
Thank you.
Any production estimates? Thanks for another excellent tour.
Thank you. I could locate no records on this mine...
Wow, is it nightmare Wednesday already ! 😊 😉 ( jk)
Reason the scrappers haven't been there yet is location and prices are way down right now!
Thanks for sharing and take care. 👍
TVR- The large cylinders at the end of this video confirm this was likely a Mercury Mine. Those are the guts of a Centerfuge Kiln. The very same type of parts still remain at New Idria and in the Kiln at New Almaden. If you looked carefully you would see at the top and bottom of these trammels there is fire brick affixed or fire mortar poured into the ends. This is where the red hot waste rock would pour out after the Mercury was extracted. The parts with the gears on them, were likely the parts that turned these kilns, (IE: Think large concrete mixer).
-Shane McGuire
That was a very nice mine, and somebody must have made some money looking at those big pieces of machinery lying about there, nice explore.
I hope they did...
So I'd say there's a pretty good chance that equipment you found up the hill was indeed pulled out of that mill. It looks like some of it has been mounted on temporary skids which suggests that it was in the process of being moved, and it's all of the same vintage, so my guess would be that someone intended to build a new mill using the equipment but gave up for whatever reason. The stone foundations in that mill are deceptive, because I think it probably started life as a stamp mill, but later received newer equipment as an upgrade, probably beginning around the turn of the century. The concrete loadings are definitely consistent with that, and there was one area you were standing at that had the large loadings and big drop consistent with a large jaw crusher.
My guess would be that this was a "contract mill", processing ore from mines in the area. The fact that they were involved with smelting would be strong evidence in favour of this theory, as generally the mine mills were only interested in producing concentrate, where the contract mills would often (but not always) smelt the ore into ingots which made payment a pretty simple matter of value of metal recovered minus cost of milling ore tonnage. Hard-up miners could be paid out in ingots, with the appropriate amount withheld by the mill as payment.
Is it possible that all that equipment was taken out of the mill when the mine closed down? It almost looks like it was put on the plateau on purpose so it could be re-used somewhere else. I noticed on one of the ball mills that the gear was sitting on wood, like they were trying to minimize any damage.
Based on the survey markings, I think a company came in more recently and did some exploration work. They may have planned on building a mill on that plateau, and sinking an ore hoisting shaft directly adjacent to it, depending on how deep the mineralization extends.
@@Porty1119
That could explain why no other entrance was found and why the porta has Recently been caved shut.
Hahahah. After you said cement I said "Concrete"....then *Concrete pops up on the screen...
Sign: Stay out stay Alive
TVR exploring: alright lets go inside
You have showed us evidence of Smelters, furnaces and equipment and probably used electric motors.
Soooooo, how and where did it get its fuel for operation?
Just checking on you. hope you are staying safe above ground, especially around china lake bud. god bless.
I appreciate that... Just got back from a long Nevada trip, but missed the earthquake by a couple of hours.
That was certainly a thriving bat colony in there. The mind boggles at the amount of sheer physical effort it took to get all that equipment out there let alone working the mine. A question though, assuming all that heavy equipment was used within the remains of the lower level buildings, what was the point of moving it all UP the hill once it all became redundant? Usually we humans, being pragmatic individuals, generally chuck junk downhill. Weird eh?
I was just thinking about that myself and I am not grasping the logic of that equipment relocation.
I think it was being moved to another mine or scrapped and that's what was left. Probably easier access as well.
Yes, I agree with Adit Addicts on that one...
rope off securely and check out the lower level. I am so curious. I looks a long way. (It'd suck if you got down there and it dead-ended).
The equipment you show at the end of the video was brought out there in the 1980s. There was a company that went out there and was going to run the tailings from the mines in the area and ran out of money... I'm pretty sure the carts you show at the mill ruins came from the aerial tram that used to be out there.
Yes, that definitely makes sense...
TVR -- Back in 1968 I was GIVEN by the Clay Company that I worked for , a Ball Mill complete with electric motor and everything , that was twice as large as the largest Ball Mill that you show in your video . The used balls in that monster were 6'' to 8'' in diameter and looked like cannon balls , and there were Hundreds of them . Sadly , I had to decline the offer as there was no way on my salary that I could afford to hire a Crane , and Semi with a Heavy-Duty Low-Boy Trailer to move it ; plus , where would I put it - I lived in an Apartment . < Doc >
Why do ladders shown in videos usually look relatively tame compared to in real life? Many times I've thought I don't want to go down that steep, sketchy ladder only to see my video later of an almost flat looking descent. Cool explore and equipment find, Justin.
Thank you. Haha, I know the phenomenon well! I'll tell you what though, two dimensions tend to flatten perspectives out. So, it isn't just in your head. The ladders really do look more modest when you're seeing them in the video than they actually are in real life.
@@TVRExploring glad it's not just me.
The bricks and pipes you saw where the remains of a boiler, powering steam equipment, riveted so pre-1930s
The ball mills etc are more modern, welded.
You could look up the patent number on that crusher for a date
You sure honked off the bats LOL
When you're going through Sagebrush like that do you ever worry about picking up unwanted passengers like ticks?
Could be there is something on the other side of the mountain. Your other right ( left ), then to the right. It would cost more to get there then what you would make off of it. Would love to try to restore it.
I didn't see anything on Google Earth, but it is easy to miss such things.
Saying cement slab is like saying "I'm eating a flour cake", while eating a cup cake. Cement is an ingredient of concrete.
Which is why I put the "*concrete" comment in the video to correct the fact that I was distracted and misspoke when I said that...
@@TVRExploring Yeah I saw that, no worries mate, I work with concrete almost daily and you would be surprised how many people call it cement.
And you still got some great vids, keep it up.
There must be more entrances or have they been buried cool equipment find though
Exactly. You don't build a mill that big with as much equipment for an adit that goes straight with a crosscut at the end. The winze was just that. They weren't bringing ore up or there would be a bigger area for a hoist.
Great video, but at first I thought I had a couple eye floaters, until I realized those translucent spots were in the video.
Yeah, spots happen, I'm afraid. Dry, dusty environment...
I have been studying the first video you took of the carts . I wish you had take some from farther out. You can clearly see the carts ran out on a track in two spots do to the straight lines of the tailings, and it looks like the one cart may be sitting in some kind of hopper. Sense it's likely there is no tracks hiding and those carts would have turned fast, it would indicate the lower entrance would be right behind it or possible to the left has they may not want part of the mill on top of the mine entrance. The slot in the wall seems to point the tracks would have gone through there. Also, even if they mind ore from other mines, why would you have such big carts and so many for just dumping, especially has it looked like those carts where to big for the one you went into to even fit.
After make the before comments, I noticed something. Not one sign of wheels. No sign of the cars being able to be dumbed, and also it seems they were made to sit on the ground. The one on its side seems to have a different bottom then the sitting on top of the ground.
huge ball mill at the end
I haven't seen many bigger than that one.
Man dude those miners were seriously badass tough to have dug those tunnels
Giant Powder (dynamite ) blasted those tunnels , but the guys that worked it were for sure ,total bad-asses !
a used ball mill the size of the small ones there can be north of 30k without the stands or motor
if somebody was hoping to open a mine those would be worth trucking out. it would be cheaper than buying them.
Idk where the hell you would find new plates for the insides though.
Wish I was there too! :)
What is the difference between waste rock & tailings?
@Siegfried S tx.
That is just Amazing what man did back then I just don't see how they made any money unless it was lined with gold.
BTW, do you think I could fit that gear driven drum at 16:33 into my pick up truck? ;_)))
That bat was going bat shit crazy, LoL 😂
I dunno about you, but whenever I see stacked timbers like that in a shaft, I take it as a bad omen. It either means that the shaft beyond the piles has been decommissioned, or was never finished in the first place. Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! lol
I second your statement at 11:17
At 10:52 in the ceiling, left of middle, in that orangey spot it looks like a rod or tube protruding?
That's just orange paint
16:30 = www.scribd.com/document/153120567/MARCY-Grinding-Mills Marcy Mill Mine And Smelter Supply Company (Marcy Mill MASSCo) Shows all the Equipment they manufactured, what it is and how it worked.
Thank you.
Hi there how are you great video thanks, did you ever found samthig expensive,??
Thank you. Yes, we've seen many valuable minerals and equipment...
Can I ask what flashlight you're using? Always a great video sir!
I don't remember the make and model off of the top of my head, but if you look in the description below the video, I have a link to all of my gear there.
Do you ever prospect in these old mines?
No, we're just there for the history...
What are the Orange spray paint markings that I see in many of the mines you visit?
When you see those, they are either survey markers or indicate where a sample was taken.
What does the orange paint mean I see in a lot of these videos?
Likely survey markings. Companies and independent prospectors such as myself will often mark up workings when entering them to determine if the mine is worth drilling. I mostly mark off bad air or ground conditions to discourage people without training from getting into dangerous parts of a mine.