We took the tour of the largest Silver mine in the west. It was a copper mine that was very profitable as well. Many kinds of minerals were mined here. Inside the mountain were 43 shafts, one above the other with 200 miles of tunnels. At its height of operation, two shifts totaling 3,000 men worked here. Around 160 men perished during the operation of the mine. We descended 1,800 feet on a narrow gauge, two foot wide mini, battery operated machine. We got to see the equipment used, the way the dynamite was used, and all of the equipment that was used. The temperature is 43 degrees in the mine.
 |
| This is the mountain that 43 tunnels exist. |
 |
| We are ready to go into the mine. |
 |
| The entrance to the Queen Mine |
 |
| Heading down and in, that is Debbie in front of me. |
 |
| Our Guide, showing us the shots that dump minerals into the ore cars |
 |
| The cars hold a ton of ore. |
 |
| Just push down the lever between the 2 wheels and the ore dumps out. |
 |
| Some of the equipment used to drill the holes for the placement of dynamite. |
 |
| A figure of a worker drilling a hole in the ceiling. |
It does look like a big-time mine. Having 43 shafts means a lot miners worked here. What were your overall thoughts on the mine, though? Were you allowed to try out those mine cars? Either way, I hope both of you had fun!
ReplyDeleteRosemary Bailey @ Wabi Iron & Steel Corp.