Old Mine Exploration....

[jwilliams3]

Anyone ever explore old empty mines?



Share your experiences...



I know its dangerous, just wanted to know if anyone has done this here.

 

[klenger]

I've seen plenty of them in Colorado and a few in Arizona, but I don't venture very far into them. Like you said, dangerous. I do enjoy seeing the old mining ghost towns. Holy Cross City being the best. Holy Cross area photo tour

 

[scootergmc]

I do it. What do you want to know... ?

 

[ROADWARRIOR]

A couple of friends and I went into an old lead mine along the Mississippi river. Someone had blasted a hole into the cement plug, so we could slide through. I was told this was in operation around the early 1800's. There were only a few places where you could fully stand up, they must have been real short. lol We were on our hands and knees for most of it. It went back for a half mile or so to a underground lake of sorts. Lot's of tunnels off the main tunnel also. It appeared like it may have had tunnels above and below us also. The air quality was crappy. The water was clear as anything I've ever seen. It ran out of the ceiling in a lot of places. There were some vertical shafts that you had to push your body against the walls to cross over. They went down to a lower level? They were filled with clear cold water. It was the darkest place I've ever been and awful quiet. I know that I wouldn't want to work in those conditions, but felt safe in there from an air raid. . Two friends went back at a later date and swam across the mini lake and said it was a dead end at the other side with a bunch of names written on the wall.



Dan

 

[jwilliams3]

Sounds very cool.



Scooter,

Any good finds in those mines? historic or otherwise?

 

[RHerrmann]

mines

I prospect for gold as a hobby, and just want to say that mine a has many hidden dangers. too many to list but here are some, many vertical shafts may be covered by debris, rotted support timbers and rock, bad air, oderless toxic gas, old dynamite that has crystalized = nitro glycren (sp?) one SMALL vibration and your gone. I have seen cases of dynamite in mining districts just left there on the ground, with signs warning people to stay away. the stuff has become so unstable it can't be moved.

Be careful an enjoy. use the buddy system. take two light sources. Let someone on the outside know where you are going. If you see dynamite, stop, back away, do not make any noise. get out as quiet as you can.

 

[Highfinance97]

My friends and i go in them all the time here in NEPA here is some pix.



There is A LOT more where these came from



Michael

 

[jwilliams3]

Those are some COOL pictures!!

 

[rbattelle]

Wow, really cool. I wish I lived near an abandoned mine. I wonder if there's a website that shows locations of abandoned mines... hmmm...



-Ryan

 

[jwilliams3]

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/holden-mine/photos.html



Check that one.

Found it last night.

 

[scootergmc]

Sounds very cool.



Scooter,

Any good finds in those mines? historic or otherwise?

I spend most of my time out in Nevada, and yes, there's a lot to be seen. I don't know what you would consider a good find, pretty much everything is historic- there are a lot of old air compressors, machinery, buildings, no tresspassing signs, etc. . and yes dynamite. Plenty of dynamite left around in the hillsides... God forbid the ATF finds out :-laf I love it. We don't go into the vertical shafts, to much work and too much to go wrong... even horizontal shafts the air can be pretty bad. Stale air has a distict flavor, if you will.

 

[Mike Ellis]

I am a mining nut, I have been fascinated by hard rock mining and mineralogy since I was a little kid - every trip to the mountains we go on a mine tour somewhere.



I have been around a lot of abandoned mines over the years, but I have always been very careful about exploring them. When I was a boy, I set out once to dig a shaft into a dirt bank on our farm - I had it going back about 6 feet, and just as I was crawling out the entrance the opening collapsed on me. I was buried up to about the midsection, and I couldn't move for nothing. It was a sick feeling realizing if it had collapsed and covered me up to my head, I woulda been stuck until somebody found me. I always remember that feeling when I get those urges to explore. NEVER EXPLORE BY YOURSELF BOYS.



Sometimes you just have to listen to that little voice inside your head, if it "feels" dangerous it just might be. There is an excellent short story by Louis L'Amour (former hardrock miner) about a cowpoke who finds a vein of very rich gold ore in crumbly rotten quartz - it's located in a chimney of sorts that is very unstable. The story perfectly captures the mental struggle between "Well I can get in there just a bit further and get more $$$$" and "that yellow metal ain't worth my life if this collapses". The cowboy finally walks away, to live another day.



That's a good story to remember if you start poking around underground. A mine can be an awfully quiet, dark, and lonely place to die.

 

[scootergmc]

some pics...



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Believe it or not, on the last pic, we actually got that engine to fire (on 1 cylinder). They just don't build 'em like the used to...

 

[Mike Ellis]

One more note - if like mining, watch the "Gold Fever" show on satellite TV, the host puts on several shows where they go into abandoned mines and explore. Oustanding stuff.



There was one where they were looking into a BIG crater where a mine had collapsed out in the desert, had a really deep sinkhole entrance that people threw stuff into (including, apparently, a few bodies ), they were talking to the law enforcement folks from that county and were told that they had to fish people out of there frequently. They then did a demo of this system they used to winch a fellow down into the hole, always dangerous because if there is gas in there you could be lowering a guy to his death.



When I watched that show, I thought about my mine exploring habits and how humiliating it would be to get winched up like a trout on a line :-laf :-laf

 

[Mike Ellis]

Outstanding pics Scooter!



For those new to mine crawling, it is a great way to tell where you really stand with your friends. You come across an old bridge or plank across a shaft, and every time you hear this simultaneous "Hey, (Mike/Kenny/Bill), see if that'll hold your weight!"



"Hey, do you smell anything down there?"



"See if that board's loose!"



"That rope still looks pretty strong, I bet you could swing right across there. "



Nothing like the support of your friends!

 

[Highfinance97]

I can tell you where most of the mines are in NEPA ive got maps :-laf

 

[rbattelle]

I did find a site that maps every abandoned mine in Ohio here.

Unfortunately, there are not many near me. The ones that are close appear to be right in a city, so I assume they're not "well preserved" far from civilization.



-Ryan

 

[BQuinones]

Stay Out! Stay Alive!

Not trying to pee on anyone’s parade, but having worked in reclaiming abandoned mines for over 12 years, I can definitely say that playing in/around abandoned mines is nothing less than dangerous. One step is all it can take to result in death. Regardless of how careful one believes he/she is, there are too many unknowns. Surface and underground mines present their own dangers and should be avoided. While admittedly, there are a lot of “cool things” associated with these mines, a better and safer option is to go on a commercial tour of a mine rather than conducting your own tour.



We have programs across the country trying to seal off these dangerous mines. Every year I read about dozens of accidents resulting in death and/or serious injury to people trespassing into active or abandoned/inactive mine sites. The “buddy system” will only give you company as you are either dying or hoping and praying that someone is able to find you before it is too late. IN addition, should you venture into bad air, your buddy (or perhaps you) will be there to be just another DEAD rescuer. Too many people venture into abandoned mines only to place their rescuers’ lives in jeopardy while trying to retrieve those stuck in a mine. The dangers are many, and rather than present a litany of dangers, I will refer you to the US Department of Labor’s “Stay Out! Stay Alive!” web page:



http://www.msha.gov/SOSA/SOSAhome.asp



This web page hosts a ton of information and statistics.



The states of Colorado, Utah, and the Bureau of Land Management produced a superb video documenting the dangers of abandoned mines. It is titled: STAY OUT and STAY ALIVE, Abandoned Mine Safety. A chilling near fatal accident is captured on home video in similar fashion to the Blair Witch project. I suppose if you continue to explore in and around mine sites, I may very well end up reading about YOU! Be sure to have a current Last Will and Testament.



I will get off of my soap box now.



Ben

 

[scootergmc]

You're right Ben, those pesky signs are everywhere...



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Seriously, there is no such thing as being too careful and the risks are readily apparent.



Hey Ben, any jobs available? What better way to have fun and get paid...

 

[RHerrmann]

Ben is 100% correct. I'm sorry, I should know better. My hobby places me in many mining areas, and I know to stay away and not go in or even near them.

In my previous post I said use "buddy system" and other things. I was wrong. I suppose I did not want to p*** anyone off. But now after some thought and reading Ben's reply, I would rather p*** someone off than see them dead.

stay out-stay alive mines are not playgrounds

That is why it was sealed with concrete in the first place.
old mines are death traps, even the operational ones are dangrous. Have you watched the news lately? The coal miners killed in W. V. and the mine in Mexico.

Once again, I am sory for my previous post. I suppose I had a brain f***.