As someone who has explored all of Vermonts copper mines and have started working on other caves and various workings THANK YOU SO MUCH! ive been dreaming about whats at the bottom of this beaut, you are awesome man keep it up!!!!!
In fact, the best conditions for wood in a mine tends to be wet/saturated wood! Dry rot is a much bigger issue and leads to the the wood breaking down more quickly.
The timber comprising those water tanks was so thoroughly drenched, it had a soft texture when touched. The dampness was so deep that I could have inscribed my name simply by applying gentle pressure. This is what left me in surprise that it was still erect.
Fantastic ROV footage... Do you know how old this mine is or what was mined here? It was really cool to see that ore car on the wooden rails. I was intrigued by the two of you camping in the mine. There is a huge mine in Nevada that we have been working on for a couple of years now. With all of the rope descents required and the time in setting up the ropes, it takes us about 8-10 hours to reach where we last left off exploring. It takes about the equivalent time to get back out as well - and we're only about 30% down! This mine is huge. With that kind of time investment involved, the next logical step seems to be to camp out underground. At least it seems that way to me... The other guys on my crew that are working on exploring this mine with me are not convinced yet and so we're at a bit of a stalemate.
Earthquakes have ramped up 19-30,000% since COVID in 2020 around the world. California's quakes have spread out to Yellowstone. No one will rescue you. Resources are stretched far too thin. But by all means, go into the black.
I believe your exploration would be significantly more efficient if you set up camp within the mine. This way, you wouldn't squander valuable time retracing your steps each visit. The experience is thrilling in its own right, but I recommend learning from our error - avoid sleeping on the frigid rock floor.
If this is the copper mine in south strafford I believe there was limited production until the 1950s. There used to be some surface buildings but they were torn down when the site was cleaned up about 20-30 years ago.
elizabeth mine, pertinent info on mindat. I remember meeting a guy who worked in the mine, doubt that there are any around anymore. I believe all of the underground surveys and maps went to dartmouth.
I remember exploring some of the surface workings back in the early 90s, and ended up hiking the old smelter flue(sp?). It was a rectangular structure, made of the same flat stones, and ran up the face of the hill to the east. The winds are predominantly from the west, so the long structure must've created a significant draft for smelting. I hiked along the top stones, and hopped over collapsed pieces; but I was emotionally shaken and suddenly felt very unsafe when I jumped off the 4ft tall structure and heard the thud echoing from mine workings just below the surface! Just remembering the experience gives me shivers!!
Re: the deflating air mattress, it might have just been the air getting colder down there, overnight? Happens to me a lot when camping at a normal altitude 😅
This is not public land and they had no permission from the landowners to do this. People have destroyed the entrance gate but that doesn't mean you have the right to access the property.
