Ghosts in the Nikolaus Eureka Mine (a.k.a. the "Montgomery and Schroeder Mine")
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มิ.ย. 2024
- SPECIAL NOTE: A TH-camr named 3ridetec informed me of a very strange, ghostly anomaly he spotted in my video. As I'm filming up the inclined shaft, he spotted something ghostly moving on the left-hand side of the shaft between the timbers. I had never noticed this strange phenomenon before. Definitely warrants some paranormal investigation, perhaps?
The Nikolaus Eureka Mine (also known erroneously online as the "Montgomery and Schroeder Mine", the "Christmas Surprise Mine", and whatever other names come up in the future) was a California talc mine that produced 75,000 tons of talc during its lifetime. As best I can determine, the mine operated off-and-on from 1945 to 1970. An old newspaper we found in the mine was dated 1927, so the mine obviously was worked much earlier in the 20th century as well.
We recently explored the entire unpatented mine site both above and below ground. This video documents our descent down the mine's 300-foot inclined shaft. Drift levels branched off at 100-foot intervals along the shaft, and we explored them all. Because talc is very soft, the mine is in a serious and dangerous state of ongoing collapse. Despite the dangers, we continued exploring safely and saw many artifacts including a jackleg drill, blasting cap boxes, fuse cord, vintage Coca-Cola bottles, and other things. To see all of this and more, follow along with us in this video as we investigate the Nikolaus Eureka Mine's 300-foot inclined shaft.
SPECIAL NOTICE: The Science Channel aired an episode of their TV show "Strange Evidence" which featured my haunted Horton Mine video footage! The episode was titled "The Devil's Mutant" and aired in Season 3 during June 2019. Check it out!
UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2021: I returned to the Nikolaus Eureka Mine recently for a follow-up exploration seven years after making this video! Didn’t make it down the inclined shaft on this return visit but will be doing so very soon. On this most recent visit, however, I explored a tunnel at the site that we did not go into when this original, 2014 video was made. Check out the video update by clicking here:
A Return to the Nikolaus Eureka Mine: Seven Years Later • A Return to the Nikola...
#ExploringAbandonedMines
#AbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#UndergroundExploration
#Ghosts
#ParanormalActivity
Came for the ghost, stayed for the quality of the videos and Frank's personality. Sir you have balls of steel and a strong mind.
glad you’re here! Thanks for your recent comments. I returned to this mine last summer a year ago but did not go back down the inclined shaft because I was by myself. Not much has changed up there after seven years. I did explore a new tunnel that I found up there which we apparently skipped for some reason during our initial visit seven years earlier.
My all time favorite Frank moment: "it sounds like snakes..."
Thanks for watching! The only thing that came out of that mine at the end of the day was the talc dust all over our clothes.
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ : Frank, the device at 05:14 is called a ''Jack-Leg''. The rock-drill is fastened to the swivel end and the spike is planted into the floor of the drift. When the valve knob is turned, air pressure extends the telescoping Jack-Leg. Now the rock-drill can be tilted up or down, swiveled right or left, & raised or lowered, all without the miner having to hold that heavy rock-drill in his arms.
001DesertRat Got it! Thanks for the explanation. It certainly was rare to find such a drill in an abandoned mine like this one.
+Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ The "paranormal activity" just looks like a member of your group still descending to where you are. Was everyone already down there, or was there still some coming down while you were filming?
thats what i thought but both his description claiming it was paranormal being a credible person and all and a close examination of the boots seems to suggest that it could be genuine there are alot of variables of course but the boots seem to be of a much earlier period with the sole design and the leatherwork, that they appear to have no legs attatched if you look to the very last couple of frames wich could simply be a lighting issue or dark pants/socks?
+Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ where was the ghost
80% who watch these videos do it just because of ghost.
There were ghosts down that video. The old relics of the miners there. Who knows how much the value of that old termometer in a pawn shop
Guess I'm in the 20% who just wants to see the mine.
I can't see any other reason why anyone would watching these videos.
i dont i like and interested in old mines
I watch these videos because
Frank and his channel Exploring Abandoned Mines and Unusual Places is the best when it comes to mines throughout the USA 🇺🇸 Frank’s voice is appealing, and he brings great entertainment and insight on mines.
The ghosts are cool, but I’ve always loved mines since I was a kid, so your 80% comment on people watching for the ghosts is hogwash Fake BLOOD
💪💪👻👻👍
To me what happens at the 4:25 ish mark on the left (which everyone is talking about) looks extremely like a foot going down a ladder almost exactly like at 3:15. Very eerily similar. Anyone else agree?
Spooky friends with scary boots
lol yep. didn't notice the second ladder at first but you're absolutely right xD
Same rythme and probably a light effect for the wrong place
it is. you can see the other boot come down behind it to rest on the step above. then as it moves it kicks some rocks and makes noise.
yep u right is a boot
8:40 “(what the hell was I thinking, letting these guys talk me into coming down here)”
No amount of money could get me into that mine. You guys are brave.Thanks for sharing!
Nice work Frank always love watching your vids and seeing all the vintage artifacts. We use to find a lot of old Blasting cap boxes and wooden dynamite boxes back in the day but all of that is gone now so it is always a nice treat when you show that they still exist. Take care and keep the vids coming me and Slim always get a kick out of watching them. P.S. do you ever use air monitors /
Jeff and Slim
Thanks, Jeff! No, I haven't invested in a gas detector/air monitor. Really need to get one for total peace of mind. I agree with you -- the relics are pretty much gone from these old mines. Explorers from decades ago already snagged most of them, I'd guess.
@@AbandonedMines11 I hope now you got one. A year ago a gas detector saved my ass, I'm not going in any mine without it now :D
@@markuss-gj2qm Yes, I've been carrying both an oxygen meter and a hydrogen sulfide gas detector for the last several years now. What were the details of your experience with "bad air" that you hinted at in your comment?
Those Coke items could've fetched a good price on several markets.
Pandoras Flame I would have carried the intact bottle back however that thermometer was really rough
I believe that gallon jug had held Coca-Cola ® syrup, that would be mixed by a soda jerk with carbonated/soda water.
@@CaptRich-bi3gp Like the modern bladders in a box for fast food joint.
@phxxr650r I agree with you about leaving things the way you found them.. but common, you don't think in this case it would be a good idea? Considering the tunnel is on the verge of collapsing & permanently sealing itself for good?
@@CaptRich-bi3gp A soda jerk? "Aaay, get yer soda here ya bums. What? What you can't HANDLE soda? Psch. Youse don't even deserve the damn soda. "
Another home run of a video Frank! I just like seeing these old items left behind and learning about the jack leg drill these are all just awesome to watch! But the collapses and snapped timbers are somewhat alarming! I just love this great channel ,as always thanks for taking me a long into a another mine guys!
Thanks, Lynn! This mine definitely was one of the more dangerous and unsafe ones due to it being a talc mine and naturally unstable. We didn't even explore the whole thing. There were one or two more lower levels that we did not go to. I have so much video footage from this trip that I will be publishing another video next weekend showing some of the horizontal tunnels we explored as well as the many surface structures. Stay tuned!
Wow that boot part gave me goosebumps haha! Although I caught something else around 9:24 looking like a hand or something just slowly moving quickly. You'll have to pause it or look at it a few times to see it clearly.
Uhh youre right, its on the left, when Frank stars to say "Square", got me chillos, ghost was watching them
More than that, it looks like someone wearing a veil peeking around the corner at them.
It looks like the same thing as 4:25. Same color and sort of weird fuzzy shadow look to it. It's following them around
At 9:54 something moves to the left on top of all the timber. Could be dust. But look for yourself.
In all honestly, your dedicated to going to abandoned mines whether they're creepy or not just so u can show us these cool and scary places this world has to offer, I respect that glad I subbed to u
looking at some of those collapses, you guys have some huge balls going further.
As for ghost....I never saw anything like a ghost.
This talc mine was in pretty bad shape. One of the worst I have ever seen or been in. I like to consider all of those collapses as collapses that are happening in slow-motion. I think that is an accurate assessment. I hope you noticed that we did not go past that one point where the timbers had collapsed to form an X across the tunnel. Sometimes one's instincts tell one to turn around and get the hell out. Thanks for your comment, Paul!
Exploring Abandoned Mines Thanks. You are doing a fantastic job. I love seeing these videos from my couch and appreciate the risks you take to bring it to us. Keep it up and safe explorations.
I saw a foot climbing down a ladder ... no idea if that was a ghostly foot or not.
Arcane & Rarefied It's the sole of a workboot of his offsider.
Paul Capocasa I'm glad you pointed that out thank you.I thought it was something paranormal but it now seems it is a boot.
4:28 To me it feel like someone was there just waiting and he thought you saw him so he started moving, which would explain the sudden rock falling and on top of that I can clearly see two feet coming down. It would explain the other movement too, it's creepy but someone was watching close by.
That’s the other explorer coming down the ladder
6:20 Is that a stick of dynamite in that box?
Piping he said
Probably a stick
7:35 " Apparition " of Black Shadow Figure Standing then Crawling Back on ground... Its Behind the guy in front to the upper left behind the beams. IT'S THERE !
Drew Ames either that or a flare
@@milesdyson5211 if you slow it down max, you can see it's a person with a flashlight
Very unstable mine workings. Fascinating the way the timbers are contorted by the huge pressure of all the tons of rock in the slow motion collapses. I didn't spot the ghost, so I'll watch it over to see if I can see it. Another great vid, Frank.
This looks like the most dangerous mine you've visited, with all the collapses.
That is the first gallon sized glass coke bottle I've ever seen, amazing. I'd love to explore a mine, but with my luck I'd get stuck :( Going to Vegas for a week in September, can't wait to check out some ghost towns. Awesome video 👍
damn that's a lot of nice lumber. I could build me a hell of a garage out of that.
Outstanding! This is an example of dangerous mines can be, but this also demonstrates miners harsh working conditions and how they worked the mines and what they used, I just wish we would preserve these historical places, I mean I'll bet by 2055 all of them will be forgotten and gone more of us and historians and explorers should help preserve them instead of just throwing them aside as if it was pebble. Sad, Keep up the exploring Frank!
I've been into the South Comstock Mine which tied into the Succor Shaft up in Silver City, NV. There is an amazing hollowed out room that runs right into a quartz vein and once you go down the winze to the lower level you reach one of the largest empty stopes I've ever seen. It was very dry and well ventilated. I haven't been inside it since around 2005 though. This is probably one of the most dangerous places I've seen you enter. Good videos, keep it up.
+Dennis Richardson Thanks for your comment, Dennis! Believe it or not, I haven't made it up to Silver City, Nevada. Hopefully one of these days in the coming year I'll make it up there. Sounds like you saw some pretty cool stuff when you were up there back in 2005,.
Braver man than I going past those slow collapses. Never know when they might get fast.
Thanks for posting. Always interesting to watch.
I think this is the most sketchy mine I've seen on your channel yet. but also with some really great artifacts at the same time.
Thanks for watching! We knew that the mine would probably not be in an optimal state because it was a talc mine. If given the choice between exploring a talc mine and any other kind of mine, I would go with any other kind of mine.
Exploring Abandoned Mines and Unusual Places Yes. Kind of rough on the lungs and skin. Cough hard a couple of times and it will all puff down around you!
I've seen a lot of things deep underground ... the guys who worked that mine had more balls than brains. that place is pretty deadly considering the target is talc. emeralds I could see. be safe out there Frank. no more places that bad.
kasnitch I noticed that the mine seemed to be put together in a very sloppy, careless way. The timbering seemed sloppy and half-assed unlike what I've seen in many other mines. Even the square-set timbering, which was used extensively in this mine, wasn't put together neatly.
Nice video man!!! Love to watch these and thought it was pretty cool to see these artifacts you discovered in there! Kinda weird they would usually be taken by looters
Catching up on/rewatching old videos! 👍👍Thank you! Frank! Thank you!💗🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙💗
Awesome! This mine was pretty cool despite all the collapses everywhere. I returned here last summer, you know, for a follow-up visit but did not go down into the mine because I was by myself. However, in that video, I explored a tunnel that we didn’t explore the first time around for some reason. Check it out!
WOW! This is by far my favorite video so far (I think I say that every time you upload a new video though..) It's amazing how those huge timbers are snapped by the massive amounts of weight they are holding. I wonder, were there still caps in those boxes or were they empty? And also, are those old blasting caps as dangerous as old dynamite or TNT? As always, thank you for all the great videos you put up for us all to see and I look forward to your next upload!
chocbro 1 The blasting cap boxes were empty. We did see some fuse cord laying around in a couple spots, though, that looked like it might've had blasting caps on the ends of it. Yes, old blasting caps are dangerous like dynamite is. Definitely not something to mess around with. Thanks for being a fan of the videos and watching and commenting!
The 'ghost' part of your video is just a bonus. I love watching your explorations into these places. I'm not claustrophobic but no way in hell I'd set foot in one of these mines. Hats off to you guys!
Great video, Frank! Wow, those fracturing timbers really illustrate the immense weight they are supporting. You guys have some courage, climbing through that narrow opening left after the collapse (towards the beginning of the video)! I am curious whether such collapses typically happen all-at-once, violently, or whether it's a more gradual event. Probably both scenarios occur. Another great video, Frank! Thank you for your efforts. Happy holidays all of you!
Fleotus Bing I mention in the video that the collapses are "collapses in slow-motion." But I'm sure some collapses happen in a split second. Talc is just inherently unstable to begin with. Any talc mine is going to have a lot of collapse in it regardless. Thanks for being a great fan and supporting the videos. I appreciate it very much.
Great footage! Always a fun journey with you and the crew!
Thanks! We do manage to have a good time out there.
I love watching your videos ^^ You have great content!
I was wondering though, how do you feel about exploring unstable mines? Pretty much walking under bowing support beams or crumbling ceilings? Does that ever put you off?
Great video! That drill you guys found, is actually the jack leg of a pneumatic drill that would be connected to the left hand side of the pipe. The leg you guys are holding is telescopic and adds pressure to the pneumatic drill while its drilling. Amazing find no the less!
2:33 could be a diamond still there XD
And I mean at 9:24 it's just a light effect. Nothing alive or ghost effect from this scene. It follow light move.
thank you so much in showing what's down their!
+John Broda Thanks, John, for watching and commenting! Always nice to hear when someone is enjoying the videos and what we find deep inside these abandoned mines.
fantastic video, looks very dangerous with them splitting beams! keep up the great work :)
Was just there exploring the above ground. Loved the still intact shed above the main shaft and the old radio/turntable cabinet inside. Stunned at the amount of work these guys did below ground! So much heavy timber.
I had heard quite a few years ago that the old radio and turn table in the shed had been removed. I guess that was wrong information if you said they are still there. Glad to hear they are still there!
@@AbandonedMines11 Yep, radio is still there. Have you been to the Santa Rosa Mine near Conglomerate Mesa? Difficult un-promising entrance that opens up to satisfying exploring.
you guys rock! i really enjoy watching your videos. nice work
Woah that climb to get out looks crazy! Love your videos man.
It wasn't too bad of a climb. I think things like that always look worse in the video than they do in person. Glad to hear from you, David! Thanks.
On a scale of 1-10, how dangerous was this expedition compared to your others. I would've been your buddy there sitting by the blasting caps thinking "I'm dying in this mine."
The drill that they found was the base of an pneumatic drill which uses air to drive the drill bit and to raise and lower the stand and water for dust suppression. The end he was holding to the wall would dig into the ground during drilling the other end would have the actual drill mounted to it. This is what it looks like in action th-cam.com/video/uSbFTHlNRt4/w-d-xo.html
+Matt Hawkins Thanks, Matt, for the link! I'm sure the other viewers will enjoy it, too. I really appreciate you doing that.
Jesus, imagine working with a machine like that in such close quarters. Not only deafening but I imagine the powerful vibrations potentially caused cave-ins.
Mario Paul mining was and is a dangerous profession that doesn’t compensate for danger nearly enough!
Yes. An air leg for sure.
that thing at 4 :35 is definitely not a rock. a rock cannot possibly move up a tunnel without pressure from a living thing
Yeah it was moving maybe a ghost?
+Volatile it looked more like a face inbetween the wooden pilar and the ladder
It's a boot, someone is climbing down the ladder
Raptor Primal it's a person
the thing moving on the left side of the video, in the gap of the wood. Almost looks like 2 feet.
I always enjoy these videos, keep it up :)
Dunno if it is a ghost or not but you clearly see two feet taking steps down a ladder to the left at 4:28
First (4:28) you see the right foot, then (4:30) the left foot and finally the right foot again causing rocks to fall (4:35)
Yeah cuz he didn't went alone xDD
No. It's the other guy
The rock fell BEFORE the so-called "boot' moved so no, not that explanation.
Light from other explore behind him. No ghost
It’s his friend’s I think
Thanks Frank, usual good video, will look forward to the next one,
Garry
Garry Stebbings Right on, Garry! Thanks for watching.
Anyone else notice that thing at 9:24 on the left side of the video?
i saw it 😐
kagapeme I saw it also definitely a boot coming down
U got eyes like a fkin eagle man 😂
what the hell i dont see it
that ok. they don't either :)
My anxiety goes crazy when I look at all that collapse. I would be getting out of there without stopping for lunch.
Dunces: entrance
Geniuses: PORTAL
Keep up the good work, love your videos! :)
Latsaaben Thanks for viewing! More coming very soon....
Thank you very much for this very interesting video, it was amazing the amount of artifacts there are inside this old mine. Certainly unstable with all the collapses or indeed ready to happen.
Thanks for your comment, John! Did you see that I returned to this mine this past summer? I posted a follow up video. I was by myself this time, so I didn’t go down the shaft. However, I did find a new tunnel up there that we somehow either missed or skipped exploring seven years earlier. Check it out!
@@AbandonedMines11 I will check it out.
I also see this "ghostly anomaly" at 4:31 , But i'm wondering if it's you or your partner stepping down on the left ladder alongside the shaft. ?? If not, something definitely moves.
That's clearly the bottom of his partners shoe as he steps down a rung on the ladder.
May be a fucking rat
You sir officially have balls of steel. Even watching just this video made me scared lol. Impressive work!! Those collapses and bent wood would make me so nervous.
Mike Green Thanks, Mike, for watching and commenting. This was one of the worst mines I have ever seen or been in due to all the collapse. I would rate this mine as a "deathtrap" and encourage others to stay out of it. Because this video is already over ten minutes long, I didn't include the footage I have showing that the claim is not signed properly or that there are no lockable gates or doors in the various portals to prevent access -- a stunning example of mining claim mis-management. Go figure.... Thanks again for your support, Mike! Really appreciate it!
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ You will always have my support brother!
at 5:00 .. that is part of a jack-leg drill. a style I've never used or seen up here in Canada. It appears to have the extensible by pnuematic leg part and a shoulder frame assembly that would hold the rotating hammer drill, that uses hollowed out drill steel with carbide wing bits, and pushes air and water to the toe of the hole to clear the cuttings. Google or wiki secan jack-legs .. those are most commonly used up here in hardrock mines ... although I have used 50 year old Ingersoll-Rands that need a gorilla to drill back holes, but can drill like the dickens .. also used Gardner-Denver, Joy and my favourite , the Secan by Boart
kasnitch Thanks for chiming in about the jack-leg drill we found inside the mine! It's interesting that the one we found is a style that you don't have or use in Canada. Could be a regional difference, perhaps. I and the other viewers appreciate your comment and its additional information. Thanks!
I am not suprised at the damage you showed us of those 12+12 beams, they used dynamite to mine that area and the slippage of the ceiling from the explosions, probably really fractured the talc into huge unstable sections, which caused many collapses while they were working, this would have been a very dangerous mine to work, loved the square set timbering shots you took, reminded me of the Yellow Aster at Randsberg, before that Canadian company screwed up the area, ray lowery
ray lowery Ray, the square-set timbering is very nice to see. There was a lot more of that in the mine than what was shown in the video. It definitely is a lost art-form. I agree with you -- this mine would've been very dangerous to work in. Thanks for commenting!
Great videos. One question, what is your procedure for finding your way back out?
+John Dueck I realize that the editing on the videos makes the mines look very confusing and disjointed. However, nearly all of these mines are simply one way in and one way out. The branching tunnels are usually dead-ends after so many hundred feet. It would be very difficult to get lost in these mines -- especially if one does not ascend or descend to other levels. In fact, there have only been a couple mines I've been in where getting lost WAS a real possibility if one didn't keep track of the turns they took and the ladders they climbed. Those mines were the Rachel Lincoln Mine (12 levels or so with miles and miles of tunnels) and the recently visited Admiral Aaron Ward Mine. Thanks, John, for the question!
+Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ why did you not look at the dynamite lol I would have I am a pyro lol 😂😂😂😂
+Parker YOU DONT NEED TO KNOW MY LAST NAME same lol
Great video Frank, and awesome artifact finds! Of course, the inclined/vertical shafts tend to have artifacts in drift levels due to accessibility. Most of the adit mines here in AZ have had too many visitors to find any of that stuff anymore. Our local group just did an explore in the Hilton Mine southeast of Tucson. We ended up in lower levels that still had carbide cans, wood dynamite crates, tools, even found a bit of old dynamite and an unexploded charge hole (we steered very clear of that). Once I edit the footage, I'll get the vid up on my channel!
keepers0215 Coming across the artifacts is nice although I'm more interested in how the mine was built and put together. People keep asking, "Did you take all that stuff home?" How in the hell would a person haul that jack-leg drill up the shaft? Or all those bottles? Or anything else for that matter? It's all mostly useless junk as far as I'm concerned. But I guess one man's trash is another person's treasure, right? The strangest thing I've found in a mine was in the Monarch-Rand Mine a couple years ago when we found a shrine at the end of a tunnel. Someone's cremated remains were in a cardboard container on the shrine along with a cross and other personal mementos of that person. Now that was creepy! They have since gated that mine, so I hope they left the shrine alone.
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ I do have some artifacts, a few tools, dynamite boxes etc, but I'm also mainly interested in the layout of a mine and how it was built, stopes in particular are my favorite mine feature!
LOVE your channel. I had to speak up on this one, because it was scary as hell.
+Abandoned Mine Exploration Nova Scotia Feel free to chime in at anytime. Thanks for watching. I just discovered your channel, subscribed to it, and will put a link to it on my channel's homepage under "I Recommend These Channels". Looks like I have some new mine exploration videos to watch later this afternoon and tonight! Keep up the good work! I like how you use animation in your videos. I'm not that advanced and only use Windows Movie Maker.
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ OMG we are a bit star-struck to receive a comment reply from you guys. Your channel is by far, the MACK DADDY of mine explore videos in the whole TH-cam world. The best by far. For me personally, your videos were the main inspiration to shoot the videos we do. We've had you as a Featured Channel since day one :)
Hey don't worry about your video editing... the simplicity is completely overshadowed by your CONTENT. Miles and miles and miles of glorious footage. Where you live is the envy of any mine explorer. So many mines! We're going to be lucky to find one tenth of the quality of sites you guys find, up here in Nova Scotia. So to compensate (plus for the fun) I go overboard in the editing stage and try to make it more like a "TV program".
Abandoned mine channels are fairly rare on TH-cam, and we're just starting out, so hopefully we can all entertain our very niche corner of the interwebs :)
Keep up the GREAT WORK. STUNNING explores !!!!
+Abandoned Mine Exploration Nova Scotia Yea He's lucky all right! I feel your pain about finding intact enough sites to explore. In northern California we deal with LOTS of flooded adits and f#*@ing mosquitoes! By the millions! I know I sound like a broken record, but, look at him! All fat - N - sassy with his miles of DRY, OPEN mines! It's just not fair! T_T lmao by the way this one scares the shit outta me frank! :D
+THE SLAKJAWMCGRAW Did you see the other ghost in this video that another viewer found it and showed me? It's at 9:22. Strange....
+Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ It's actually right after 9:24.
Wow, you guys are brave. I don't know if I could venture that far into a mine of that stature. Be safe and ATB, David
Thanks, David, for watching and commenting.
Love your videos. Did you keep any of the old coke bottles, or other artifacts
That is an air leg that was clamped to the drill it would not only support the drill while drilling , also it would feed the drill forward as the drill/ steel advanced .
Also known as a jack leg , air leg ect . Looking at the picture it appears that the crows foot was broken so that's probably why the miners left it as junk .
However because of the "Y" hose connection it could have been what's known as a "Sweed" leg. A type of after market adapter that was Clamped to the side rods of sinker drills ( jackhammer type) to enable the miners to use a sinker as a jack leg drill . They were not too popular because the feed control for the leg was mounted on the leg itself a real PITA to manipulate not to mention a knuckle busting proposition if you weren't careful .
yes I've had the misfortune of using one in a couple of tramp holes
Didn't care for it much . Give me a good old GD83 or IR300 any day !
bigwallrog Thanks for the info! Interesting to hear about the broken crow's foot. I would not have noticed a detail like that on that piece of equipment. Thanks for pointing it out.
Your videos are very kool and you remain so calm
Wow, amazing finds! Pretty sketchy down there though....looks like you'd stir up a lot of dust? Thanks for the cool vids!
Didn't seem to be a lot of dust down there like I have seen another mines. We unfortunately forgot to pack facemasks for this trip, so we went in there knowing that we were going to limit our time underground.
I love the mine tours. Great job
Imagine filming live and knowing that those were ghostly boots climbing down. I would stand there paralyzed with fear and/or pass out.
Just a word of caution, most talc deposits have asbestos as well,also how do you see a box that says explosives and not open it lmao. Love the video
Out of curiosity, did you hear any creaking from the bowed timbers? I would have turned back at the sight of that first collapse, but enjoy watching you explore mines like this that will soon be forever sealed from explorers due to collapse. Thanks again for another great video, be safe!
No, we did not hear any creaking sound from the timbers. Had we heard that, we would have made a hasty retreat back to the surface. I'm glad you are enjoying the videos and the mining history that they are documenting. Thanks for your support and continued interest.
Heh watched the video before realizing I didn't see any ghost. Checked the mark and yeah that's definitely one of them in the shot climbing. It's a boot. You can definitely see that it's a boot.
Love the videos. This one looked awfully dangerous. Neat stuff.
@2:05 a small drone with camera could have surveyed this collapsed area that would be very cool too see.
That coke thermometer, is holding up the mine. LOL.
Man your vids are great. This might be a stupid question but have you ever found live explosives? Last what in your opinion is your greatest find?
Daniel Griggs If you watch one of my War Eagle Mine videos from December of 2011, we found a lot of dynamite laying on the tunnel floor at the end of a tunnel. I think the greatest find was the Silver Rule Mine -- very remote, seldom visited, and it had a still-standing ore chute coming down the mountain. However, a subscriber just told me last month that he went to the mine in January and found that the chute had finally fallen over. That's why I make these videos -- this mining stuff is disappearing fast!
Excellent job as usual!! have you ever had someone who had worked in one of the mines you had explored contact you??
After I posted my video of the Billie Mine located just outside Death Valley, a few of the miners who had worked there back in the 1980s found it and left comments. It turned out that some of them had worked there at the same time, so they were able to reminisce about mutual, former miners that they had known, etc.. My video was a sort of catalyst that enabled those miners to reunite after all those years!
I took a look at 9.25 as well, someone mentioned in the comments having spotted something there. There definitely seems to be some movement on the left here as the camera pans to the right. This looks quite odd too, not sure what it is.
Glad to see others with you exploring other than yourself. Hope you guys saved the Coca-Cola bottle. That's a collector's item now and probably worth some decent cash if sold.
Another cool video guys. I was just wondering. I assume that you have a back-up plan in case something happens, but what sort of plan do you have if you are in one of these mines and you get a collapse behind you that blocks your way out or you get a collapse on top of you?
***** Someone on the outside always knows the exact location of the portal that we entered thanks to my SPOT beacon. If we don't come back out and send an "all is okay" message before sunset, our contacts back home know something went wrong and will know where we were last "seen" (i.e. they will know the entrance we last entered). Other than that, it's a very calculated risk. You will notice that we did not attempt to pass through that one section of tunnel where there was just an enormous amount of collapse coming from above and both sides. Also, there is a fourth level in this mine that has functioning ore carts on tracks that we didn't even attempt to access. We saw as much of this mine as we safely could without seriously pushing the envelope.
Good...I worry about you guys in these mines but I know you came out ok because the video is up and running. I really enjoy your videos. Maybe someday I can meet you guys somewhere and go along. be safe.
Came for the paranormal, stayed for the very informative contents #subed
I would like to have one of those old bottles.. watching some of his videos makes me want to check it out too..
"Slow motion collaps "... hey - who's in hurry he he. Nice video. Greetings from Norway. Asle
Hello All just found these videos, and i am enjoying them so far,
Question if i may, are you all former minering workers or mine engineers? as you seem to have a lot of knowledge of mining methods and operations
+mrpookie090 Nope, no mining background here. Some of us do have an engineering background, though. I consider myself an amateur abandoned mine explorer. Whatever limited knowledge I have of mines and mining was picked up from all the various explorations I've done -- and some research, too. Thanks for watching the videos -- glad to hear you are enjoying them!
Cryptid at 4:27 between the first and second timber on the left! Whatever it was looked like it was definitely trying to hide from you and as you moved and unknowingly got a better view of it it moved to try to hide behind the next timber down.
I saw that too!😅
Frank
On closer examination of your video , that is definitely a swede leg
The small hose Y- ing off the one inch hose gives it away not to mention the two side clamp saddle arrangement that would be clamped to the side rods of a sinker drill . My guess is the miners probably threw that nasty contraption away after the first use and
More then likely broke it on purpose .
FYI the pointy end of the leg your friend is referring to is the crows foot it has one point and two Chisel shaped wings on ether Side that when placed firmly into the muck on the (sill) floor would keep the leg from kicking out as the miner drilled and the inner leg ( piston section) advanced the drill into the face . One of the wings is clearly broken off in the video .those legs have a lot of air pressure Andif one kicks out it can and has caused some bad ankle /shin Injury's .
A crows foot is a standard replaceable item on every jack leg this fact further leads me to believe this particular Leg was purposely left where it broke .
I've seen Thor sinker drills with this arrangement and had the displeasure of using a couple , I'll bet there is some broken 1" chuck drill steel Laying around that hole somewhere . Early sinker drill were notorious for using 1" chucks , unlike the jack legs we use today that have a standard 7/8" chuck.
+bigwallrog Thanks for the detailed information! It really helps to enlighten and clarify what we saw in the mine.
U GUY'S ARE VERY BRAVE. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL, AND MAY GOD BE WITH YA'S ALWAYS.
4:28 someone climbing down while he’s looking up the shaft 😱😱😱😱
When I was a kid my dad used to take us out to the desert where we would explore some old mines. I was doing some research to see if I could find the area where we used to go, in the process I stumbled upon your videos. I am wondering if you have ever explored the Silver Lake talc mine near Baker CA? I think that might be the area where we went. Anyway I really enjoy your videos, very interesting. Thank you so much for sharing them!
***** I've been out that way but never to those mines. From what I've heard from other explorers, there isn't much to see there at those mines. I don't think the workings there were very extensive and, being talc mines, there is probably a lot of collapse. Lots of good camping spots out that way, though.
6:22 scared the shit out of me more then any ghost, thought it was a collapse starting, just tripped though!
Hey there! Wanted to ask, do you ever keep any of the neat things you find in the tunnels?
No
@@AbandonedMines11 is it bad to pick stuff from those places? (Bad luck?)
that spike thing at 5.40 looks like a spade on the end of a jack leg air/water drill to give the operators drill support to push the drill steel forward, the section with the handle telescopes in or out did you find the drill?
+Tammy Brinegar Hey, Tammy! Thanks for your informative comment. I haven't watched this video in quite some time, but whatever equipment I show in the video is what we came across. It's quite rare to find such a large piece of equipment left behind in a mine like this. It would be nice if somebody would go up there and haul that thing out of there and put it into some kind of mining museum. From what I can remember, though, it was pretty heavy and would be quite a chore to haul it 300 feet up the inclined entry shaft.
Your videos are amazing. Salute to you.
You are crazy working around those partial collapses.
Do you guys take the stuff that you find inside the tunnels? Or do you guys leave the artifacts there?
There is another movement at 9:24 of the same type and color as when looking up the shaft. It's on the left side yet again, just behind a timber. Creepy.
Turned out there were a lot of creepy things in this video most of which were pointed out to me by eagle-eyed viewers.
Interesting.
vroomoon it looked like a hand almost
That was an effect of the flashlight
vroomoon maybe that was a bat or a hand..
I seriously hope you took a bunch of those artifacts out of there...Worth some pretty substantial money...I'd LOVE to have a couple of those blasting cap boxes :O damn I wish there were mines to explore here in FL
CarbonTalon Most of these mines have actual owners who purchased the property. Taking anything out could be considered theft. They are meant for exploration only, or the owners could close it up if they wanted as well.
You guys are nuts going in that place!
Merry Christmas, uncle Eustus. Talc mines are tough to gift wrap, so here's the map.
Why, thank you, Cousin Cleetus! It's just what I always wanted. LOL
Alright I swear to god at 4:28 on the left side of the screen where it's mentioned in the description (between the scaffolding) there's that white boot that's rather obvious but just as he starts zooming up somethin whizzes by the boot. Then if you pay attention I noticed that when your hear a rock get flung or fall or something the boot reacts to it, personally it looks like it's going up when the rock sound happens
+DarkTheRaven Its the other boot xD He or It is climbing down. Then it gets to the next step and the visible boot "vanishes" behind the wood ( probably to the next step )
+SArtisto1 who wears two boots? :P
+DarkTheRaven That's his buddy climbing down the ladder
Yes,I see It too! a White In left
+AirsickCashew just so you know cause it took me a couple of times to catch it but his buddies are already below him so who is the fourth person coming down the ladder? there is only three of them.
9:24 algo raro a la izquierda
Wtf ! 😨
Es verdad¡ 😨
Looks like cobwebs
The water drill is a airleg for a rock drill, the bit you think is for drilling is the foot, the other end attaches to drill. Y piece hose feeds drill and the leg off main hose with a oil bottle between(turtle).
lol the crunch at 2:43 jolted me after seeing the collapsing tunnel
can you please tell us what state your videos are being filmed please
3:09 Looking up from the 200-Level Shaft
4:34 Looking up from the 300-Level Shaft Part 1
9:59 Looking up from the 300-Level Shaft Part 2
Part 1 seems to be one of your buddies climbing down, so far I haven't seen anything out of the unusual.
The Hercules boxes were a really cool find. Hercules powder was made at the Badger ordnance works plant here in Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin. The Badger ordnance works plant started in WWII to help the war effort.
Thanks for the info, Todd! I appreciate it.
This mine looks so sketchy all the way through with all the collapsed areas. How long does it take to build a mine like this? How long is it used?
Amazing! How do you know you're not going to hit "bad air" pockets and suffocate? What's your method of being safe about that? And it seems sketchy crawling through somewhere that already collapsed? I'm not criticizing you, I'm just curious how you decide what is safe and what isn't.
Frank, other people had already been through this mine. They were the guinea pigs. We knew the ladders were safe. We knew about all the collapses beforehand, too. While in the mine, we carefully considered our positions and the status of the rock around us before venturing deeper. We did not go as deep into the mine as the guinea pigs did who were there before us. They actually passed under some of those collapses and near-collapses that we chose to turn around at! Talc mines are always going to be unstable and full of collapse. It's best to avoid them altogether. Hard rock mines are much safer. If you go through my videos, I was only in one or two other talc mines this year -- and I've been in over 50 mines so far this year! I avoid talc mines for the most part. Thanks, Frank, for watching, asking questions, and commenting. I appreciate your interest.