Wow! Do you know what they were mining here? I love the rail workings and all that machinery on the outside, particularly the wind turbine. Those adits went back a long way into that hill side as well. Seems it must have been some what profitable even if mined on a budget. Really enjoyed sketching this one out as well :) m.imgur.com/4LYlHfX?r
Thanks for sharing another great sketch! No, we thought they might have been mining silver here, but we are not sure... Like you said though, they sure did a lot of work if they weren't making any money. There was definitely a lot of cool equipment there. We loved all of the repurposed, homemade contraptions too.
TVR Exploring, I can see silver making sense. Especially with the samples you saw all over the upper waste rock pile, along with the blue grey rock seen on the inside. Did you notice if any of the samples felt particularly dense? I know from an experience at a mine in Sardinia, silver is often found in conjunction with lead, several other minerals and quartz, forming noticeably dense rocks (would have to get out a text book to remember exactly why and in what geological settings though). Glad you liked the sketch too :).
Thanks for your Great videos , I think those sacks of ore were recently filled from the spot where the shovel and chisels were those sacks were new and clean looking
Thanks for dragging us along, a mine this big wuld make one expect a large cabin somewhere.I wonder about how hard it was getting all that gear up the hill. Thanks again.
Yes, we were somewhat puzzled over where the miners slept. There is no way they commuted here on a daily basis given how remote this mine is and how difficult it is to get to. However, the only sign of habitation evident was that bed frame next to the rails headed out along the mountain... So, your guess is as good as mine. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Good video it looks like that mine is still being worked looking at the new white ore bags filled by the port hole worked by a small time miner with the new looking plastic pipe and all the fresh looking water bottles and buckets.
Our guess for most recent activity was 2013 based on a handful of water bottles and some other stuff. I picked up one of the (full) water bottles and it completely crumbled. So, it had been out there for a while - I didn't touch it very hard either.
The PVC pipe is also a good indication of recent activity. If you ever return or run across it again, there are dates and manufacturer names on the pipe. There was also a very new shovel in the compressor shed. Some of what you were thinking was a collapse, I believe was the more recent mining activity and they were just not removing the waste rock and following a seam of ore above the existing work.
Some of my upbring was in the Sierras. There is plenty of lore there, some of it mining. Though this sort of video is naturally of interest to me, there is something else you did. (Something wise.) I am not fond of what you may call, Beer Stories, or beer talk. In the Navy we called them Sea Stories. I was really impressed with the maxim you posted. It's ok to poke around up there at the mine, to say you guess what this device is, or that. But the honesty to say it is uncertain informstion and to correct your self -- that is good character. And your talk was pretty clean too. I'm just an old fashioned fogey. Our ways were once pretty much the right ways. So I wanted to thank and encourage you. Also I thought Mr McBride was smart wearing the chest waders. I like "just in case" thinking. This is 2-2-2020. I happened upon your channel just now, and subscribed. Thank you!
ok why read about miners , ? why I've been reading many comments and they are sharing a wealth of information, and now a special thanks to them who worked mines and who have taken time to post their experiences, thank you for all your hard work......Don, and you too Mr Ames.....
Thank you. Yes, there was some pretty amazing stuff scattered around this mine... There was an innovative group of miners here that evidently quite liked to tinker with equipment.
This one had an exceptional amount of stuff left behind, but I'm frequently surprised by how much equipment is just left to rot and rust at abandoned mines... At the mines that are more accessible, a lot of that stuff disappears pretty quickly due to scrappers and souvenir hunters (or the site gets bulldozed by the Forest Service). I suppose the equipment is so difficult to get into some of these remote locations that they can't be bothered to try and get it out again. By that point, they've either been successful enough that the equipment has already paid for itself several times over or, conversely, they have already lost so much money that it is easier to just walk away from the whole thing and try to erase it from memory.
The areas of continuous collapse look to me like at some point there might have been a small quake. That just seems like a long area of collapse. Interesting that there was new stuff (pvc etc) along with the old. The small gas engine and rotary fan for ventillation is a cool find. As for how they leveled the floors. Certainly not gravel, that would take WAY to much rock. In the mines I worked in it was with the mucker, pry bars and the like. I would imagine that back in the day they used pick and shovels and got it as close as they could. Nicej job on all three vids. Be safe guys.
Yes, I was surprised by the long section of collapse as well, which is why I mistakenly thought that they had not finished the mine beyond that point or had tossed a bunch of waste rock back there. I was impressed by the ventilation systems for both the lower and the upper adits.
+ Doc McCoy - In small mining operations, a Drag-Line bucket or anything that could be used as a heavy drag, would be used to scrape the floors reasonably level. I've even used a piece of heavy "I"- Beam to scrape the floors (hooked to an Air Tugger) in one of my mines. - < Doc, Retired. Miner for nearly 50 years. > .
Thank you. Mike Sandone has done a great job covering the mines that are available in that part of the world. However, yes, we are terribly spoiled to have access to all of the mines that are in California and especially Nevada...
Next time I am out west I will have to go check some out now. I have gone to the Elizabeth Copper Mine out here before it got turned into a EPA super fund site which started the bug. Thank you for the channel recommendation as well!
3:00 pipe running up the hill is probably the exhaust for the gas engine, so Carbon Monoxide gas doesn't get piped into the mine via the blower intake.
Thank you. Yes, it sure did. Someone suggested on one of the other videos that a scrap yard had decided to branch out into mining. They were joking, of course, but it sure does look like it!
The PVC vent pipe makes it look like someone had been there 'recently' (within the last 25 years or so). I saw a lot of artifacts at that last intersection. Any that give a clue as to who might be prospecting?
Yes, there were a few clues like that, which suggested that someone was prospecting there in the late 1990s or even into the 2000s, but certainly not recently and there was nothing that gave us any information about their identity or what they might have been up to. As with most collections of artifacts at this site, the material at that intersection was a jumble of old and new equipment and seemed mostly random.
It would very interesting with all the material to try and date the mine by looking at cans, paperwork, machinery patent dates, etc. There were many artifacts that you passed that would add to the historic value of the mine. I think one of the boxes was an explosives box, but was panned by very quickly, many had dates. Miles of tunnels are...miles of tunnels, it would be interesting to delve into more history from all the artifacts.
Well, if you check out the first video in this series, you'll see that it was entirely dedicated to the machinery and other historical mining artifacts outside. Sometimes it is a delicate balancing act between keeping things moving along and spending time on each individual artifact. I always receive complaints when I spend "too much" time on the history of the artifacts...
What an intriguing mine! Washing machines? Well, the sides of the drums are a little too thin to make ball crushers out of them and it didn't appear that any were working so washing ore samples is out. I give. The only one in use was for ventilation. To keep your ore samples from spoiling the smart miner always kept them out of the elements by storing them inside the mine even if they had to stumble over them. That's another one I can't really guess at. I would hazard a guess that this was a mine operated very frugally. Lots of salvage parts and machinery. Also, the narrow width of cross cuts can indicate an attempt at reducing the amount of dynamite used. Drifts could be a bit wider chasing a vein but you've seen the high dollar operations that you could drive a semi through. I posed the question of the how the floor was leveled in order to put tracks down with the gentleman who explores mine in British Columbia. His response, guess, was that they covered the floor in gravel. I'm not sure I can buy that. The floor would be just as rough as the ribs and back and gravel would have to be applied to cover the highest point in the floor plus the thickness of the ties. That's a lot of material of a relatively small size. Some mines with a mill might be able to produce a great deal of gravel but which came first, the gravel or the tunnel from which the material came from? I could be wrong. Not the first time. At any rate, this is one of the most unique mines I've ever seen, mostly because of the supporting buildings and materials left in place. It was a long wait for part 3 but well worth it. Thank you very much for taking the time to show it to us.
The washing machines were a first for us... They definitely went big on the washing machines though! Yes, I believe there is ample evidence that these miners were operating on a shoestring budget, but I've really got to hand it to them for their ingenuity. Some of the contraptions and innovations at this mine were a sight to behold. I'd be surprised if anyone ever made any money off of this mine, but it sure was interesting for the rest of us to see how they tried. This is one of the most unique mines that we have seen as well and I'm glad all of the materials and such were left behind. I have been pondering your floor leveling question and I examined the floor of a large adit I was in the day before yesterday quite closely. The floor was mostly dirt that was packed down very hard and the rails were elevated off of this dirt by a combination of dirt and smaller waste rock. Using dirt to level the floors of the adit would be a pretty easy material to work with.
Well, if that's what you've discovered, I certainly won't argue the point. My only question was the amount of dirt/rock that would be necessary considering the floor would be as jagged as the ribs and back of the Vulture mine which is pretty typical of most mines driven by blasting. I'm going to keep looking even though you're probably correct. On another issue I thought about, I've never seen a ventilation blower run off a 3.5/5 hp gasoline engine but then it occurred to me, the only mine you would find that at would be one that almost nobody had visited, otherwise the blower and the motor would have become the centerpiece of some suburbanites amateur mining museum. What I especially liked was the 10 foot + exhaust header. I suppose it would have defeated the purpose of the blower to have it sucking in fumes. Thanks again for a super video.
Oh, I'm not saying that I'm *CORRECT* like I have all of the answers... I am just saying that in the mine I examined the day before yesterday, those were the conditions. If you read the comments below, they mention using heavy draggers or "I" beams to scrape the floors of the mines level. Yes, you are absolutely right about the presence of the equipment. At most abandoned mine sites, this would have been stripped bare for the amateur museum you mentioned. The remote location saved this one.
I really need to start reading other comments before I reply. And here I was starting to accept what you found ;-) I'm sure I have seen a device that sort of resembled a skiff cart without wheels that had an extraordinarily heavy bar for the cable attachment and extremely thick walls. Also, I did find out why you see so many ore carts without wheels; they are offered for sale for upwards of $1500 on the 'net. Thieves! Thanks to Doc McCoy and 001DesertRat for the info.
Haha, no, you should never accept what I say! Always question it... I have an advantage with the comments because I get notifications on everything that comes in. Really, I have to say that I have a great audience - any question or unknown piece of equipment we encounter, someone always knows the answer... And, often, people in the audience spot stuff in the video that I missed. $1500 a wheel? That's wild. Well, yeah, I can see why people take them then, but it is a shame... I wonder how much a whole ore cart with all of the wheels would sell for? Now that would probably be too much for most people to haul off!
At a lot of the mines, there are a lot of washing machines. I may have an explanation. They liked them for washing their samples, It was quicker and easier to let the tub do the work, lol. It's also why you find them pulled apart; gotta get every ounce! I was told this many years ago by an old miner. Said it was the best invention ever! Would clean their clothes and their rocks, lol.
Some mad stuff left outside, I wonder how recent that mine was, if it's a old prospect re-opened or all recently done, hard to tell really. I think the tunnels look massive, although the lens can lie sometimes, Cornish old mines are a bit narrower and lower than those, not great if you are tall, I am starting to think maybe the Cornish were all pixies (or Piskies as they say here) Sure was a pretty decent size mine, I wonder if there was anything else above it on the hillside? Great video as usual, nicelly documented.
Well, I think that the two adits are fairly old based upon the use of track, my guess as to the age of the waste rock pile and the rusted state of the equipment up there... However, this mine had equipment dating back to the early 1900s as well as mining equipment that was from the 1970s or 1980s. Kind of muddies the picture, you know? The small size of some of the older mines out here in California (constructed by Cornish miners) is a sight to behold. Like you said, either all of the miners were pixies or the miners were walking around with sore, aching backs and necks all of the time. We hiked the rest of the way up above the mine to the top and on this side of the mountain, there were just a few cans and bits of boards up there, which I suspect were connected to the several prospect pits that were dug around the edges of this mine. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Hard to blame them given what they had to work with... I undoubtedly would have removed the bare minimum as well (even if I did know that mine explorers of the future would appreciate it if I created a spacious, well-drained adit for them).
Probably a secret Research & Development operation of Speed Queen... Haha, after all, during World War II, they did switch production over to weapons to support the war effort. So, I'm sure this was a secret project to maintain their development of washing machines away from prying eyes and those that would criticize them for not being 100% focused on the war. How's that for a washing machine scenario?
The blower engine probably was powered by propane, which explains both the pipe connected to it, and the propane cylinders. In the Midwest farm country, old automobile engines used to power irrigation wells run off of piped-in LPG.
Have to admit, I kept looking for a comment on the hanging bag in the upper adit. Unless I missed it or no one else noticed the cot hanging from the roof around the 4 minute mark.
the long collapse my of been the last series of blast to DROP material so the could of cleared out after the wind turbine could blow some fresh air in after the dust settles just guessing and something happened they have the means, if it were tough driving up there imagine how difficult to get back and forth, the washing machines basses seats for taking a break the tubs had to be cheaper than the barrels surprised no one dated the ribbed ones, and the heavy one , in this video I seen quite a few propane tanks, the small gas engine was a surprise, one thing try to see it these motors are stuck or not, in future, so says a gear head, but most likely stuck, I missed this series rear yeah much head ...i notice that in deep one of the big shorings had some wood blocking at the top that didn't look to old ..
Yes, I always look inside and, no, there are never explosives. The occasions when we have found dynamite or other explosives, it has always just been sitting out in the open...
I was wondering the same thing! I wish more exploration of the artifacts was done on camera. Tunnels dug in rock are cool, but the artifacts left behind are even cooler and add a lot to the story of history about each place
interesting in return back and exploring drifts, how much rPVC was stacked well back in that levels adit? rPVC being prevalent in last 40-50 years or less? Engines,hoists, machinery overall is significantly older by oh....50 years?
a lot of gold on that fault line left behind looks like they were looking for just swarms and the washing machines for panning so some where there is a pond or spring tank up the mountain? lots of signs the re are squatters continuing to pick the bones of the beast...
I'm wondering if they were using the washing machines to strain/sift ore from big to small. Kinda like an early version of wash plants or automatic sifting machines. The less manual work they have to do the better
at 2.11 are they two LPG bottles on the left? Along with the PVC piping maybe a sign of a more recent mining effort to give the mine another go but love the old equipment and the adit.Also the last drift the vent pipe was pVC and those where plastic water bottles on the ground 12.40.Would guess it was a small time prospecting job picking the mine over being an opal miner I know that in every mine there are always the pods or seams that are missed
Yes, it is an older mine, but, like you said, people have obviously been poking around in there off and on up until recently. Perhaps people will be back again if precious metal prices rise again?
Wow, I'm surprised the ran a pipe all the way from the compressor shack to the upper adit! Sure a lot of ore samples left behind, wonder if they had something crop up in their personal lives that ended mine work prematurely? I think that's the largest passable collapse I've seen you navigate yet!
Yes, there were a lot of unusual and surprising things with this mine... The appearance of suddenly walking away from a mine has been unexpectedly common in our experience. Often, the mine sites we find have the appearance that the miners just lay down their tools one day and walked away from whatever they were doing without taking a thing with them. I don't know why that is, but we see that quite a lot. Ha, yes, that was definitely one of the longest - if not THE longest - passable collapses I have made my way through in a mine. You can see why I kept thinking I was at the end!
I suppose in many it was rather like that, turn up for work the next day only to find out you're out of a job, no entrance and no souvenirs! 2 weeks notice may not have been a thing back then. Indeed I could!
Yes, I suspect you are right. Maybe the owner is too broke to pay the miners and finally admits it or maybe the owner absconds with all of the money left at the mine. Or the owner is the one doing the mining and just runs out of money and hope... There are all sorts of scenarios.
Those air pipes are very important, TheFurriestOne. I believe there were two dead bats on the floor half way thru the video. Bats have a higher metabolic rate so their oxygen requirements are a bit above ours. They could have died from low oxygen. Low oxygen gives no symptoms, maybe a mild head ache or may cause some heavy breathing, but if you're working you might expect that. Carbon dioxide, on the other hand, causes lower blood pH when it builds up in your body, followed by burning in the lungs and its heavier than air so it settles in the lower levels of the mines. Low oxygen and high carbon dioxide are both quickly followed by passing out and death. Mines commonly have low oxygen because the sulfide ores immediately begin to oxidize, as do many other minerals, as soon as they are exposed to the atmosphere by the mine digging. Piped in air also helps a little (very little) with the dust.
It just stopped after a short distance as the rest of it had been removed. However, there were several small prospect pits nearby and so I suspect the pipe ran up to one of those in the past.
It kinda seems like there's a technology gap with some of that stuff. PVC pipe, old washing machines, pink ribbon, ect. Any info on when the mine was started and how long it was in operation? It doesn't seem like it's not too well hidden since there are plastic water bottles inside it.
The plastic water bottles are from someone that was working the claim at some point... I don't know when it was started, but it has been worked off and on for decades.
Man..I'm starting to wonder if when you say "This is 100%, definitively the end" if it really is and there's not like 6000 ft of drift beyond. j/k. really great job. Try Kelly Mine, Magdalena, NM..
Yes, it was indeed PVC... Although it is a mine that has been around for a while, it seems that someone has been poking around inside of it more recently.
The PVC pipes are from the person(s) who mined the ore recently and left the bags of ore near the mine entrance and left all the trash. In fact, you may even find him (them) beneath that collapsed back debris you climbed over. That pile had considerable iron staining, so it was probably tempting for them to sample. A 71 year old man died last year in an old abandoned lead/silver mine outside Austin, Nevada doing just that. The Forest Service put up a new "Keep Out" sign and new barbed wire at the entrance after they found him. Glad to see you don't pick around, especially in such an unsecured mine. Picking up discarded washing machines left in front of homes has always been done. Most people discard them, not because they don't work, but because one cycle doesn't spin fast enough or the bearings make too much noise. What do the miners have to lose, they simply discard it in their mine dump when it's truly dead, then pick up another free one on the street. A small generator runs them just fine if the mine has no electrical service. Love your videos. Stay safe!
By the narrow passageways and colors of the surrounding rock I would say this was probably a uranium mine from the late 40's to early sixties. IE the presence of PVC pipe and the air cooled tecumseh single cylinder engine for the blacksmiths forge blower they were using for ventilation air. Certainly not gold as that seems to be the wrong type of rock formations. But I could be wrong...
Often the PVC pipe will have the manufacture date, I could see red writing on the pipe did you notice a date. It would help to date this mines operation.
Anyone else find it eerie that this mine and camp were left so untouched, and that the mine also had evidence of a massive cave in... Wonder if anyone is under that rubble.
I just got through watching a video of this mine by someone else, they found a solar panel wired to a battery and a modern looking generator. They noticed the head lamps and the propane tanks. the generator was to the left of the two propane tanks.....All this was at this upper area....
4:02 - 4:05 Pause. To the right. Modern LED headlamp?? Blue object on camo straps. Edit: Ok. After reading down the comments, I see someone has already mentioned it. Still took me by surprise. Old stuff... more old stuff... walmart-ish LED headlamp.. Then the bathroom vanity light at the "T" in the side-drift. Looks like they used whatever they could get their hands on. Heck, I do the same thing though.
The washing machines are explainable. (Dudes, give me all your old washing machines.) Typical miners, going cheap as possible. I was kinda surprised, that they actually did take the exhaust away from the blower, for ventilation. usually (Being cheap) they would only go as far as it was necessary. blower intake going thru a tub of water. Interesting though, the lower tailings pile looked a lot larger than the mine. Did you think so as well ??? (Kinda hard some times to see the actual scale of things)
Ha, yeah, that's a pretty good breakdown of miner psychology... I think that winze may be the explanation for the waste rock pile that seemed larger than it should be. At least that was my guess at the time because the same thing struck me.
You know, the equipment and whatnot left behind is certainly interesting in and of itself, but it is sad that some of these places have been so littered in the process of people getting what they want out of the earth. I'm no rabid environmentalist, but a healthy respect for nature is the honorable path. It's simply in our own best interest as a species to be decent about our waste and whatnot.
I don't mind the metal and the wood left behind so much, but the plastic bothers me... I agree with you fully on maintaining a healthy respect for nature (which we as a species are absolutely not doing at present).
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Wow! Do you know what they were mining here? I love the rail workings and all that machinery on the outside, particularly the wind turbine. Those adits went back a long way into that hill side as well. Seems it must have been some what profitable even if mined on a budget. Really enjoyed sketching this one out as well :) m.imgur.com/4LYlHfX?r
Thanks for sharing another great sketch! No, we thought they might have been mining silver here, but we are not sure... Like you said though, they sure did a lot of work if they weren't making any money. There was definitely a lot of cool equipment there. We loved all of the repurposed, homemade contraptions too.
TVR Exploring, I can see silver making sense. Especially with the samples you saw all over the upper waste rock pile, along with the blue grey rock seen on the inside. Did you notice if any of the samples felt particularly dense? I know from an experience at a mine in Sardinia, silver is often found in conjunction with lead, several other minerals and quartz, forming noticeably dense rocks (would have to get out a text book to remember exactly why and in what geological settings though). Glad you liked the sketch too :).
cool sketch!
Love those old glass jugs !!
Yes, I love coming across stuff like that.
Thank you for all three videos. The best was all the things around the cabin. And you did a very good job videoing. Thank you.
Thank you. Yes, this was a fun site... My favorite was the stuff around the cabin too.
interesting, thanks for taking us along and sharing your adventure.
Ron
Thank you for watching and commenting. I enjoy taking individuals such as yourself along...
Thanks for your Great videos , I think those sacks of ore were recently filled from the spot where the shovel and chisels were those sacks were new and clean looking
Yes, it looked like someone was up there poking around within the past few years...
Keep the great video s coming stay safe and happy travels
Thanks for dragging us along, a mine this big wuld make one expect a large cabin somewhere.I wonder about how hard it was getting all that gear up the hill. Thanks again.
Yes, we were somewhat puzzled over where the miners slept. There is no way they commuted here on a daily basis given how remote this mine is and how difficult it is to get to. However, the only sign of habitation evident was that bed frame next to the rails headed out along the mountain... So, your guess is as good as mine. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I love your videos. It must have been heartbreaking for the miners to have given up and leave all of that behind.
Yes, I'm sure it was. We see it so often though.
I love the videos you put on line. Be safe
Thank you very much. I'm glad you are enjoying them...
Good video it looks like that mine is still being worked looking at the new white ore bags filled by the port hole worked by a small time miner with the new looking plastic pipe and all the fresh looking water bottles and buckets.
Our guess for most recent activity was 2013 based on a handful of water bottles and some other stuff. I picked up one of the (full) water bottles and it completely crumbled. So, it had been out there for a while - I didn't touch it very hard either.
The PVC pipe is also a good indication of recent activity. If you ever return or run across it again, there are dates and manufacturer names on the pipe. There was also a very new shovel in the compressor shed. Some of what you were thinking was a collapse, I believe was the more recent mining activity and they were just not removing the waste rock and following a seam of ore above the existing work.
It looks so easy to get lost in that mine...so many adits going everywhere. I hope you take lots of precautions so you don't get lost.
Some of my upbring was in the Sierras. There is plenty of lore there, some of it mining.
Though this sort of video is naturally of interest to me, there is something else you did. (Something wise.)
I am not fond of what you may call, Beer Stories, or beer talk. In the Navy we called them Sea Stories.
I was really impressed with the maxim you posted. It's ok to poke around up there at the mine, to say you guess what this device is, or that. But the honesty to say it is uncertain informstion and to correct your self -- that is good character. And your talk was pretty clean too.
I'm just an old fashioned fogey. Our ways were once pretty much the right ways. So I wanted to thank and encourage you.
Also I thought Mr McBride was smart wearing the chest waders. I like "just in case" thinking.
This is 2-2-2020. I happened upon your channel just now, and subscribed.
Thank you!
Thank you.
Awesome exploration
Thank you.
ok why read about miners , ? why I've been reading many comments and they are sharing a wealth of information, and now a special thanks to them who worked mines and who have taken time to post their experiences, thank you for all your hard work......Don, and you too Mr Ames.....
It is great to have the miners - retired and otherwise - chime in...
Great video a lot of neat stuff at that mine, I think my favorite so far! Be safe!
Thank you. Yes, there was some pretty amazing stuff scattered around this mine... There was an innovative group of miners here that evidently quite liked to tinker with equipment.
Wow that's crazy I'm surprised they left that all behind in the mines
This one had an exceptional amount of stuff left behind, but I'm frequently surprised by how much equipment is just left to rot and rust at abandoned mines... At the mines that are more accessible, a lot of that stuff disappears pretty quickly due to scrappers and souvenir hunters (or the site gets bulldozed by the Forest Service). I suppose the equipment is so difficult to get into some of these remote locations that they can't be bothered to try and get it out again. By that point, they've either been successful enough that the equipment has already paid for itself several times over or, conversely, they have already lost so much money that it is easier to just walk away from the whole thing and try to erase it from memory.
The areas of continuous collapse look to me like at some point there might have been a small quake. That just seems like a long area of collapse. Interesting that there was new stuff (pvc etc) along with the old. The small gas engine and rotary fan for ventillation is a cool find. As for how they leveled the floors. Certainly not gravel, that would take WAY to much rock. In the mines I worked in it was with the mucker, pry bars and the like. I would imagine that back in the day they used pick and shovels and got it as close as they could. Nicej job on all three vids. Be safe guys.
Yes, I was surprised by the long section of collapse as well, which is why I mistakenly thought that they had not finished the mine beyond that point or had tossed a bunch of waste rock back there. I was impressed by the ventilation systems for both the lower and the upper adits.
+ Doc McCoy - In small mining operations, a Drag-Line bucket or anything that could be used as a heavy drag, would be used to scrape the floors reasonably level. I've even used a piece of heavy "I"- Beam to scrape the floors (hooked to an Air Tugger) in one of my mines. - < Doc, Retired. Miner for nearly 50 years. > .
Nice explore guys, wish we had mines like that to explore in Vermont and New Hampshire
Thank you. Mike Sandone has done a great job covering the mines that are available in that part of the world. However, yes, we are terribly spoiled to have access to all of the mines that are in California and especially Nevada...
Next time I am out west I will have to go check some out now. I have gone to the Elizabeth Copper Mine out here before it got turned into a EPA super fund site which started the bug. Thank you for the channel recommendation as well!
There are plenty to keep you busy when you are out west again... Copper mines can have a lot of good stuff!
3:00 pipe running up the hill is probably the exhaust for the gas engine, so Carbon Monoxide gas doesn't get piped into the mine via the blower intake.
The ties and rails are in great shape.
The desert preserves things really well.
Nice man! That mine has a lot of character!
Thank you. Yes, it sure did. Someone suggested on one of the other videos that a scrap yard had decided to branch out into mining. They were joking, of course, but it sure does look like it!
Dunno about scrap yard, maybe a group of washing machine repair men got into mining! lol
Ha, it seems like it. They had a lot of washing machines left over in their inventory.
And not a single Washing Machine capable of washing a load of laundry. LOL
+ Mines of the West - "That mine has a lot of character!" - Yes, and a lot of characters have had that mine. LOL
Thank you 😊 interesting
The PVC vent pipe makes it look like someone had been there 'recently' (within the last 25 years or so). I saw a lot of artifacts at that last intersection. Any that give a clue as to who might be prospecting?
Yes, there were a few clues like that, which suggested that someone was prospecting there in the late 1990s or even into the 2000s, but certainly not recently and there was nothing that gave us any information about their identity or what they might have been up to. As with most collections of artifacts at this site, the material at that intersection was a jumble of old and new equipment and seemed mostly random.
Very well done
Nice find! The end you were looking at a shovel and two single Jack's I'm wondering about the hammer that should be there also.
Sample those samples!
Ha, as much stuff was around that place, I might have just overlooked it.
It would very interesting with all the material to try and date the mine by looking at cans, paperwork, machinery patent dates, etc. There were many artifacts that you passed that would add to the historic value of the mine. I think one of the boxes was an explosives box, but was panned by very quickly, many had dates. Miles of tunnels are...miles of tunnels, it would be interesting to delve into more history from all the artifacts.
Well, if you check out the first video in this series, you'll see that it was entirely dedicated to the machinery and other historical mining artifacts outside. Sometimes it is a delicate balancing act between keeping things moving along and spending time on each individual artifact. I always receive complaints when I spend "too much" time on the history of the artifacts...
There's always complaints about something no matter what, but I too also vote for more time spent detailing the artifacts!
What an intriguing mine! Washing machines? Well, the sides of the drums are a little too thin to make ball crushers out of them and it didn't appear that any were working so washing ore samples is out. I give. The only one in use was for ventilation. To keep your ore samples from spoiling the smart miner always kept them out of the elements by storing them inside the mine even if they had to stumble over them. That's another one I can't really guess at. I would hazard a guess that this was a mine operated very frugally. Lots of salvage parts and machinery. Also, the narrow width of cross cuts can indicate an attempt at reducing the amount of dynamite used. Drifts could be a bit wider chasing a vein but you've seen the high dollar operations that you could drive a semi through.
I posed the question of the how the floor was leveled in order to put tracks down with the gentleman who explores mine in British Columbia. His response, guess, was that they covered the floor in gravel. I'm not sure I can buy that. The floor would be just as rough as the ribs and back and gravel would have to be applied to cover the highest point in the floor plus the thickness of the ties. That's a lot of material of a relatively small size. Some mines with a mill might be able to produce a great deal of gravel but which came first, the gravel or the tunnel from which the material came from? I could be wrong. Not the first time.
At any rate, this is one of the most unique mines I've ever seen, mostly because of the supporting buildings and materials left in place. It was a long wait for part 3 but well worth it. Thank you very much for taking the time to show it to us.
The washing machines were a first for us... They definitely went big on the washing machines though! Yes, I believe there is ample evidence that these miners were operating on a shoestring budget, but I've really got to hand it to them for their ingenuity. Some of the contraptions and innovations at this mine were a sight to behold. I'd be surprised if anyone ever made any money off of this mine, but it sure was interesting for the rest of us to see how they tried. This is one of the most unique mines that we have seen as well and I'm glad all of the materials and such were left behind. I have been pondering your floor leveling question and I examined the floor of a large adit I was in the day before yesterday quite closely. The floor was mostly dirt that was packed down very hard and the rails were elevated off of this dirt by a combination of dirt and smaller waste rock. Using dirt to level the floors of the adit would be a pretty easy material to work with.
Well, if that's what you've discovered, I certainly won't argue the point. My only question was the amount of dirt/rock that would be necessary considering the floor would be as jagged as the ribs and back of the Vulture mine which is pretty typical of most mines driven by blasting. I'm going to keep looking even though you're probably correct. On another issue I thought about, I've never seen a ventilation blower run off a 3.5/5 hp gasoline engine but then it occurred to me, the only mine you would find that at would be one that almost nobody had visited, otherwise the blower and the motor would have become the centerpiece of some suburbanites amateur mining museum. What I especially liked was the 10 foot + exhaust header. I suppose it would have defeated the purpose of the blower to have it sucking in fumes. Thanks again for a super video.
Oh, I'm not saying that I'm *CORRECT* like I have all of the answers... I am just saying that in the mine I examined the day before yesterday, those were the conditions. If you read the comments below, they mention using heavy draggers or "I" beams to scrape the floors of the mines level. Yes, you are absolutely right about the presence of the equipment. At most abandoned mine sites, this would have been stripped bare for the amateur museum you mentioned. The remote location saved this one.
I really need to start reading other comments before I reply. And here I was starting to accept what you found ;-) I'm sure I have seen a device that sort of resembled a skiff cart without wheels that had an extraordinarily heavy bar for the cable attachment and extremely thick walls. Also, I did find out why you see so many ore carts without wheels; they are offered for sale for upwards of $1500 on the 'net. Thieves! Thanks to Doc McCoy and 001DesertRat for the info.
Haha, no, you should never accept what I say! Always question it... I have an advantage with the comments because I get notifications on everything that comes in. Really, I have to say that I have a great audience - any question or unknown piece of equipment we encounter, someone always knows the answer... And, often, people in the audience spot stuff in the video that I missed. $1500 a wheel? That's wild. Well, yeah, I can see why people take them then, but it is a shame... I wonder how much a whole ore cart with all of the wheels would sell for? Now that would probably be too much for most people to haul off!
+TVR - Name you were trying to remember @ 13:55 was a Shovel and two Single-Jack Drills. - < Doc > .
Ha, yes, the shovel I got. For some reason I just completely blanked on the single-jack drill bits... It was a long day.
At a lot of the mines, there are a lot of washing machines. I may have an explanation. They liked them for washing their samples, It was quicker and easier to let the tub do the work, lol. It's also why you find them pulled apart; gotta get every ounce!
I was told this many years ago by an old miner. Said it was the best invention ever! Would clean their clothes and their rocks, lol.
That's interesting... I haven't heard that before. Doesn't surprise me a bit though! Thanks for the comment.
I bet all those barrels where for collecting and holding water.
I like your videos. Thanks.
Looks like there still working that one with all the ore samples.
MAIN LINE PROSPECTOR Latest guess by what Justin and I picked up from water bottle dates and various other stuff laying about was 2013.
Some mad stuff left outside, I wonder how recent that mine was, if it's a old prospect re-opened or all recently done, hard to tell really. I think the tunnels look massive, although the lens can lie sometimes, Cornish old mines are a bit narrower and lower than those, not great if you are tall, I am starting to think maybe the Cornish were all pixies (or Piskies as they say here)
Sure was a pretty decent size mine, I wonder if there was anything else above it on the hillside? Great video as usual, nicelly documented.
Well, I think that the two adits are fairly old based upon the use of track, my guess as to the age of the waste rock pile and the rusted state of the equipment up there... However, this mine had equipment dating back to the early 1900s as well as mining equipment that was from the 1970s or 1980s. Kind of muddies the picture, you know? The small size of some of the older mines out here in California (constructed by Cornish miners) is a sight to behold. Like you said, either all of the miners were pixies or the miners were walking around with sore, aching backs and necks all of the time. We hiked the rest of the way up above the mine to the top and on this side of the mountain, there were just a few cans and bits of boards up there, which I suspect were connected to the several prospect pits that were dug around the edges of this mine. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I guess it's the same as the old mines here, the bare minimum was removed to get to the ore they needed. Cracking little mine though!
Hard to blame them given what they had to work with... I undoubtedly would have removed the bare minimum as well (even if I did know that mine explorers of the future would appreciate it if I created a spacious, well-drained adit for them).
The Vulture mine owned and operated by the Washing Machine Mining Co.
Haha! Yeah, they decided to diversify their business, I suppose...
TVR Exploring. It's amazing to me how resourceful all the old miners are, and what they could accomplish with what was available to them.
I completely agree. Some of the innovations we have seen to deal with a problem are amazing.
Probably a secret Research & Development operation of Speed Queen... Haha, after all, during World War II, they did switch production over to weapons to support the war effort. So, I'm sure this was a secret project to maintain their development of washing machines away from prying eyes and those that would criticize them for not being 100% focused on the war. How's that for a washing machine scenario?
The blower engine probably was powered by propane, which explains both the pipe connected to it, and the propane cylinders. In the Midwest farm country, old automobile engines used to power irrigation wells run off of piped-in LPG.
That definitely makes sense.
So Cool!
I would still be scared to be in there...lol!
LOL, probably a lot easier to just watch us do it! It is definitely a lot less work...
Absolutely! lol I really enjoy watching your videos!
Thank you. I appreciate you watching them and, especially, leaving comments like that!
Have to admit, I kept looking for a comment on the hanging bag in the upper adit. Unless I missed it or no one else noticed the cot hanging from the roof around the 4 minute mark.
What are the propane tanks for?
What kind of stuff are you hoping to find in the back of those old mines?
the long collapse my of been the last series of blast to DROP material so the could of cleared out after the wind turbine could blow some fresh air in after the dust settles just guessing and something happened they have the means, if it were tough driving up there imagine how difficult to get back and forth, the washing machines basses seats for taking a break the
tubs had to be cheaper than the barrels surprised no one dated the ribbed ones, and the heavy one , in this video I seen quite a few propane tanks, the small gas engine was a surprise, one thing try to see it these motors are stuck or not, in future, so says a gear head, but most likely stuck, I missed this series rear yeah much head ...i notice that in deep one of the big shorings had some wood blocking at the top that didn't look to old ..
Brought to you by the Minnesota Mining and Maytag Company. Our miners don't smell like miners!
You should be a copy writer!
The box that was labeled "High Explosives Danger". Did you happen to look inside and see if there were any?
Yes, I always look inside and, no, there are never explosives. The occasions when we have found dynamite or other explosives, it has always just been sitting out in the open...
I was wondering the same thing! I wish more exploration of the artifacts was done on camera.
Tunnels dug in rock are cool, but the artifacts left behind are even cooler and add a lot to the story of history about each place
interesting in return back and exploring drifts, how much rPVC was stacked well back in that levels adit? rPVC being prevalent in last 40-50 years or less? Engines,hoists, machinery overall is significantly older by oh....50 years?
Yes, a lot of these mines have been worked off and on for many decades. So, you can see an interesting mix of new and old equipment.
a lot of gold on that fault line left behind looks like they were looking for just swarms and the washing machines for panning so some where there is a pond or spring tank up the mountain? lots of signs the re are squatters continuing to pick the bones of the beast...
Yes, I'd say you're definitely right about the last bits being picked off of the bones!
I'm wondering if they were using the washing machines to strain/sift ore from big to small. Kinda like an early version of wash plants or automatic sifting machines. The less manual work they have to do the better
With the innovative guys at this mine, that is certainly a possibility...
at 2.11 are they two LPG bottles on the left? Along with the PVC piping maybe a sign of a more recent mining effort to give the mine another go but love the old equipment and the adit.Also the last drift the vent pipe was pVC and those where plastic water bottles on the ground 12.40.Would guess it was a small time prospecting job picking the mine over being an opal miner I know that in every mine there are always the pods or seams that are missed
Yes, it is an older mine, but, like you said, people have obviously been poking around in there off and on up until recently. Perhaps people will be back again if precious metal prices rise again?
Sad but true even here in Australia
I saw in a 1929 Buffalo Forge Company Cat. a Blower No 2-E similar in design, but electric.
There was a lot of stuff at this mine. I wouldn't be surprised if they had an electric one stashed away somewhere too.
Wow, I'm surprised the ran a pipe all the way from the compressor shack to the upper adit!
Sure a lot of ore samples left behind, wonder if they had something crop up in their personal lives that ended mine work prematurely? I think that's the largest passable collapse I've seen you navigate yet!
Yes, there were a lot of unusual and surprising things with this mine... The appearance of suddenly walking away from a mine has been unexpectedly common in our experience. Often, the mine sites we find have the appearance that the miners just lay down their tools one day and walked away from whatever they were doing without taking a thing with them. I don't know why that is, but we see that quite a lot. Ha, yes, that was definitely one of the longest - if not THE longest - passable collapses I have made my way through in a mine. You can see why I kept thinking I was at the end!
I suppose in many it was rather like that, turn up for work the next day only to find out you're out of a job, no entrance and no souvenirs!
2 weeks notice may not have been a thing back then. Indeed I could!
Yes, I suspect you are right. Maybe the owner is too broke to pay the miners and finally admits it or maybe the owner absconds with all of the money left at the mine. Or the owner is the one doing the mining and just runs out of money and hope... There are all sorts of scenarios.
Indeed, so much lost history with only speculation remaining, which is fun of course but it'd be interesting to know too!
Those air pipes are very important, TheFurriestOne. I believe there were two dead bats on the floor half way thru the video. Bats have a higher metabolic rate so their oxygen requirements are a bit above ours. They could have died from low oxygen. Low oxygen gives no symptoms, maybe a mild head ache or may cause some heavy breathing, but if you're working you might expect that. Carbon dioxide, on the other hand, causes lower blood pH when it builds up in your body, followed by burning in the lungs and its heavier than air so it settles in the lower levels of the mines. Low oxygen and high carbon dioxide are both quickly followed by passing out and death. Mines commonly have low oxygen because the sulfide ores immediately begin to oxidize, as do many other minerals, as soon as they are exposed to the atmosphere by the mine digging. Piped in air also helps a little (very little) with the dust.
Crosscuts, raises, ? Single jack drill steel. Where is the mine at?
What are the pink ribbons hanging from the ceiling at certain points???
Those are from surveyors assessing the mine... Occasionally, they also mark a point where samples were taken.
TVR Exploring thanks
Where did the pipe go that continued up?
It just stopped after a short distance as the rest of it had been removed. However, there were several small prospect pits nearby and so I suspect the pipe ran up to one of those in the past.
That would be to divert the exhaust up and away from the blower intake, so they wouldn't be blowing carbon monoxide into the mine.
Really hard to fault them for not wanting to blow carbon monoxide into the mine... Thank you for spotting that and explaining it.
It kinda seems like there's a technology gap with some of that stuff. PVC pipe, old washing machines, pink ribbon, ect. Any info on when the mine was started and how long it was in operation? It doesn't seem like it's not too well hidden since there are plastic water bottles inside it.
The plastic water bottles are from someone that was working the claim at some point... I don't know when it was started, but it has been worked off and on for decades.
What state was this Vulture mine?
Man..I'm starting to wonder if when you say "This is 100%, definitively the end" if it really is and there's not like 6000 ft of drift beyond. j/k. really great job. Try Kelly Mine, Magdalena, NM..
Haha, probably best to never take anything I say too seriously!
Oh, and thank you for the tip.
Is that PVC pipe? The white pipe? According to the interwebs the mine closed a few years prior to PVC. Curious.
Yes, it was indeed PVC... Although it is a mine that has been around for a while, it seems that someone has been poking around inside of it more recently.
The PVC pipes are from the person(s) who mined the ore recently and left the bags of ore near the mine entrance and left all the trash. In fact, you may even find him (them) beneath that collapsed back debris you climbed over. That pile had considerable iron staining, so it was probably tempting for them to sample. A 71 year old man died last year in an old abandoned lead/silver mine outside Austin, Nevada doing just that. The Forest Service put up a new "Keep Out" sign and new barbed wire at the entrance after they found him. Glad to see you don't pick around, especially in such an unsecured mine. Picking up discarded washing machines left in front of homes has always been done. Most people discard them, not because they don't work, but because one cycle doesn't spin fast enough or the bearings make too much noise. What do the miners have to lose, they simply discard it in their mine dump when it's truly dead, then pick up another free one on the street. A small generator runs them just fine if the mine has no electrical service. Love your videos. Stay safe!
By the narrow passageways and colors of the surrounding rock I would say this was probably a uranium mine from the late 40's to early sixties. IE the presence of PVC pipe and the air cooled tecumseh single cylinder engine for the blacksmiths forge blower they were using for ventilation air. Certainly not gold as that seems to be the wrong type of rock formations. But I could be wrong...
Often the PVC pipe will have the manufacture date, I could see red writing on the pipe did you notice a date. It would help to date this mines operation.
Yes, I know you're right. Unfortunately, I didn't think to check when I was there...
Can i ask, what are all the washing machines used for?
really l
I would love to be able to answer that question! I just don't know...
Good question.
Anyone else find it eerie that this mine and camp were left so untouched, and that the mine also had evidence of a massive cave in...
Wonder if anyone is under that rubble.
That thought did cross my mind as well
It didn't look like much at the surface but turned out to be quite and adit.
This site was full of surprises!
I just got through watching a video of this mine by someone else, they found a solar panel wired to a battery and a modern looking generator. They noticed the head lamps and the propane tanks. the generator was to the left of the two propane tanks.....All this was at this upper area....
Sounds like something that was brought in after we visited?
Interesting mine, is this in California?
No, this is in Nevada.
4:02 - 4:05 Pause. To the right. Modern LED headlamp?? Blue object on camo straps.
Edit: Ok. After reading down the comments, I see someone has already mentioned it. Still took me by surprise.
Old stuff... more old stuff... walmart-ish LED headlamp.. Then the bathroom vanity light at the "T" in the side-drift. Looks like they used whatever they could get their hands on. Heck, I do the same thing though.
Yes, there has been off and on activity here for decades. It covers the full range of junk from all eras!
A lot of pvc pipe?
There were a lot of odd things about this one...
Do you ever see gold in these mines
whats amazing to me is someone dug every foot of those tunnels and It had to have taken years.
Sure that's not the Flagg mine.?
There were no washing machines harmed during the making of these three films..........by Justin.🤔
curious the propane tanks and pvc pipe..... Initial use of PVC pipe in North America. 1952
This has been worked off an on for many decades...
Why aren't you reading labels on containers?
Time pressure
they liked clean clothes, fantastic explore once again, no guts no glory!
its so neat to see these historical sites unaltered!
Nothing like a clean set of clothes... Yes, it is a real treat to come across unspoiled mine sites like this!
The washing machines are explainable. (Dudes, give me all your old washing machines.) Typical miners, going cheap as possible. I was kinda surprised, that they actually did take the exhaust away from the blower, for ventilation. usually (Being cheap) they would only go as far as it was necessary. blower intake going thru a tub of water. Interesting though, the lower tailings pile looked a lot larger than the mine. Did you think so as well ??? (Kinda hard some times to see the actual scale of things)
Ha, yeah, that's a pretty good breakdown of miner psychology... I think that winze may be the explanation for the waste rock pile that seemed larger than it should be. At least that was my guess at the time because the same thing struck me.
The gas engine had an exhaust line up the hill. The blower is a centrifugal pump! Ingenuity. Bad ceiling. Bail out.
David Howard I love the ingenuity of miners
Portal opening to tunnel
adit opening to mine
then adit opens into shaft
winze vertical connecting shaft between two levels
Confucius say: Engage brain, before inserting foot.
Confucius say man who goes fishing with another mans wife will only catch crabs.
Well... I'm certain they always had nice, clean work clothes for the next day. XD
It's the little things that count, right?
to bad all the modern trash people leave!!! super video's
Thank you very much. Yes, I agree. I hate to see plastic around any historical site...
This mine must have been marginal at best for ore production.
Yes, I don't think that anyone got rich off of this mine! Actually, that seems to be the case for most small mines.
LMFAO!! Corrections, corrections!
Details...
You know, the equipment and whatnot left behind is certainly interesting in and of itself, but it is sad that some of these places have been so littered in the process of people getting what they want out of the earth. I'm no rabid environmentalist, but a healthy respect for nature is the honorable path. It's simply in our own best interest as a species to be decent about our waste and whatnot.
I don't mind the metal and the wood left behind so much, but the plastic bothers me... I agree with you fully on maintaining a healthy respect for nature (which we as a species are absolutely not doing at present).
Umm In a dirty mine with constant sweat you would need to wash your clothes every day.
Excellent point. They must have been very concerned with always having a clean, white shirt to mine in.