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This 2 Km Trail Will Lead You Through Ancient Mine Tunnels In Ontario
narcity.com
Explore our province's history!The Real Story Behind These Mysterious Hives In Nevada Will Fascinate You
onlyinyourstate.com
Many people drive by these giantThe new South Crofty images are doing well. I have reprinted and upgraded 198 images so far, some replaced some I have never printed before.
Here is a small selection, there are many more to come.
1. Paul Winja Coppinger and Julian North diamond drilling
2. Billy Bettison and Malcolm Harris rock bolting
3. Development miner Paul Gallie
www.cornishmineimages.co.uk/south-crofty-mine-underground/
Good turn out for the 'Migrants and Minorities in British Coalmining' Conference @ Nottingham Trent University on 11th July 2019 including a distinguished visitor! Some excellent papers given on the themes of women in coalmining and migrants and minorities in British coalmining.
11th July 2019
Phoenix United Tin Mine ruins, Minions
Phoenix United Mine is a disused 19th century copper and tin mine in Cornwall, UK
Mining commenced here in 1824 under the name of Clinicombe Mine. It became part of 'Cornwall United Mines', in 1836 but this venture was not viable. The mine was purchased in 1842 by Mine Captain James Seccombe who renamed it as Phoenix Mine. The mine worked the copper deposits of the old Stowes Mine with ore first available for sale by the end of the decade. Production increased over the next three or four years until in 1852 miners broke into a rich lode of copper. This was the start of a decade of exceptional copper production for the mine with its output rivalling that of South Caradon nearby.
By 1864 the copper reserves had begun to run out and Mining Engineer and entrepreneur William West bought a controlling interest in the company. Samples showed that there were strong tin reserves underlying the copper and so Wheal Phoenix was converted to recover tin. Within a year the mine expanded the workforce growing from the original 130 in 1851 to 460. Wheal Phoenix continued to expand and the workforce grew steadily to over 600 by the early 1870's. In 1875 West Phoenix was included in the sett with the dressed ore sent down the recently opened Liskeard and Caradon Railway, the wagons returning with coal for the beam engines. Tin production began to fall away from its high point of 34,000 tons per year in 1877 to 22,000 tons per year in 1897. It continued in operation until 1898.
The current engine house was built in 1907 over the Prince of Wales shaft - incidentally sunk to a depth of 1200 feet (200 fathoms). It has an unusual square base to the chimney. It housed a 80" pumping beam engine - the last to be built in Cornwall by the world-reknowned Holman Brothers of Camborne. It was built in a disastrous attempt to rework the old rich lode from previous years but in its seven years of operation it recovered only 95 tons of black tin. This one engine house is a highly visible section of a far larger group of mines - the Phoenix United Mines Group. To the north of the Prince of Wales shaft lie the remains of Wheal Phoenix, Seccombe's pumping engine house, a whim engine house, twin stamps and the dressing floors of Wheal Phoenix and West Wheal Phoenix along with associated mine and other buildings such as a Count House, Engineer's House, Crushing engine and the remains of an old Smithy.