The Mine Shafts Project. Hydrology.

[The Old Ruminator]

I wasn't intending to stray into " engineering " in case it implied some sort of responsibility on my part. Essentially it was for my use only as the others were OK on SRT. I funded most of the material and did the design. Its likely that when our licence expires next year the shafts will be permamently closed again. Maintaining access is a problem neither we or the landowner will want to undertake. We certainly dont want to be lumbered with any deteriorating engineering or decide who can go down it. That old issue with fixed aids and long term responsibility. So for the moment I say its my use only. The closure of the licence would mean that we would be free to do a proper site specific write up and put the whole project to bed. We are mainly focussed on one main dig now. So if objectives are not achieved by the end of Summer likely they never will be.
So back to the engineering for a bit.
Everything had to be planned and prepared before arriving on site. Everything had to fit through the small cap holes and be fitted above a 20m plus deep void. Mostly its all scaffolding based. The poles extended by a base jack onto a stainless 12mm thick rod in the rock. You fit one end of the pole to a pin then screw up the base jack to sit on the pin the other end. All brackets were screwed into the wall using 100mm thunderbolts. The design means that no part of the structure is seperate. In effect everything hangs on a brace in the entrance tube. Each ladder section is joined rung to rung by two scaffold clips or through bolts.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Clamping ladders together.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Fitting the galvanised wall bracket.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Building the 20m platform adjacent to the dry level. The long pole is screwed in the rock via a modified clamp.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Looking out of the level to the 20m platform.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Bridging the void across the capped shaft. Strut support centre.

 

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Working in the dry high level.

 

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The new adit access shaft ready for capping.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Exploring an overhead stope.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Planking the 20m platform with U bolts.

 

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The diver gets attacked by a shark.

 

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The diver looking at the byrite lode.

 

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The diver passing the 20m platform.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

The 20m platform is mainly supported by the ladder which in turn hangs from the primary support in the entrance pipe. The horizontal poles sit on pins in the wall. A near vertical support was added underneath to make it look safe.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

2021. Main shaft cap prior to the engineering.

 

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Main shaft 2021 with massive beam across. Later the upper platform went there.

 

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The diver in main shaft. Note the massive beams which carried the pump rod gear.

 

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Wet shaft breakthrough point showing 200 year old concrete cap.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Main shaft before our capping and gate.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Wet shaft before capping and gate.