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Greenlaws Firestone Level Dig - Cleaning Rails and Shaft Chamber Progress, (29/11/09).


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Over the last few weeks there has been a lot of activity at the dig. Transformer poles had been delivered and some of these have been installed in the shaft, bracing the hanging wall, which has given much needed support for the entrance roof to the chamber that was broken into. From the look of things the shaft is heading into the chamber and digging has started in it. A channel has been dug out, so that the chamber floor is now level with the current bottom of the shaft floor. The spoil coming up is wet and makes bringing it up in the kibble hard work.

In the level, more of the rails have been cleaned up, the muck having been removed from in between them. The curve in the level where the tub was removed from has been cleared of debris and a wall built up. Clearing this out has highlighted the fact that there are steel rails on the corners, and the straight runs are still on wooden ones. I wonder if it was at the time when the steel rails were being introduced, but still expensive? This has occurred in two places on the level, both at corners. The blind heading that is being used as a dump, is slowly filling up, and some non productive work in terms of shaft sinking has to be carried out to completely clear the level of debris, so that barrowing to the surface can be done easily.

The weather is getting worse each week, this weekend saw rain and more rain, coupled with sleet, snow and howling winds - definitely warmer underground now!