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Greenlaws Firestone Level Dig - Lots of Steel and a Boulder Choke (27/05/12).


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After the bad roof and wall falls a few months ago the shoring up of the current part of the shaft was rethinked and a new form was taken. Steel and expanding foam. The roof and side where in such a bad friable state that they just kept on pouring in. Pete did some research and found a company rthat supplied a special expanding foam, that had a long cure time meaning it could be injected deeply into the loose material making sure you got good penetration before it all started to cure. The bonus was that this technique was also used in commercial coal mines as a standard method of stabilisation. This coupled with steel pillars supporting the hanging and foot walls really upped the states in the stability game.

Whilst I was down there this time, Pete had broken into what looked like the top of large boulder choke. This was the most promising view of such a choke to date. Others had been seen and dug through, but with no results. No levels and open stopes to be seen. Could this be the choke that leads to a breakthough and the end of the shaft run in?

The shaft bottom now is really deep and it seems for ever to climb down to the working area. Kibbles take a considerable time to reach the shaft top - a sure indicator of the progress downwards.