Getting Lucky At The Good Luck Gold Mine - Part 2 of 2
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- čas přidán 9. 06. 2020
- Now, with this video, we’re getting into the good stuff at this abandoned gold mine… There were a number of things I liked about exploring this mine and some of them are things that really stood out for me as being features I have not seen in other mines. We can start with that crazy network of fault lines revealed by the miners…
That was pretty unique. I can’t think of any mines that I have explored where the fault lines were that fully exposed. Furthermore, they ran in, apparently, contradictory patterns to each other. So, mix in the quartz veins resting on those fault lines and we have ample evidence of significant geological violence centered around the location of this mine in the ancient past.
For the miners to dedicate as much effort as they did to following those faults, they must have recovered a good amount of gold from at least one of them! That four-way junction where drifts ran off toward each compass point seems a promising candidate for the “golden ground zero” given the amount of activity dedicated to that zone.
I have not seen miners work their way under the fault lines as they did in this mine. It reminded me of the breasting we see in the underground placer gold mines. It cannot have been fun to carve out those little chambers under the faults and so for the miners to put themselves through that tedious process of carving every little piece of quartz out - like scraping plaque off of a tooth - would suggest that they were being rewarded for their suffering.
I am, of course, happy that we connected with the mine shaft that we observed on the surface and now know how that fits into the layout of this mine. However, I am also most unhappy that we could not determine what was beyond that plugged mine shaft.
The location of the shaft and the lower adit also raises some questions…
Did the miners start at the upper workings after seeing an outcropping on the surface and then try to punch in from the side (the lower adit), discovering the other gold and quartz veins along the way? If that was the case though, why did the miners drive the adit ahead to that four-way junction (the one I referred to as the “golden ground zero) when the drift that ran to the shaft took off to the left far before the four-way junction?
And why was the shaft driven down there? It seems a somewhat odd location… Was it to follow a vein? For ventilation? Again, perhaps the upper adit or shaft were the first activity at this mine and after following a vein down with the shaft (and realizing how good the ore was), the miners decided to run in from the side with the lower adit.
All I know, is that I would love to have gotten beyond those rocks blocking the drift at the point where it met the shaft. Did the Forest Service drop all of those rocks down there? It’s hard to say… Given the activity along the fault in the lower adit, I’m assuming that there must have been some really good gold there because there is minimal stoping in this mine (at least on the accessible side of the shaft).
Unfortunately, the answers to such questions can really only be answered by those that were there mining and it saddens me that they are no longer of this world. Even if we could locate maps of this mine, they don’t answer the “why” questions. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t love to see a map of this mine to know how far the drift extended beyond that shaft though!
Aside from the large crew of miners that I discussed in the description below the first video, we have further evidence that this was a profitable - or at least very promising - gold mine as evidenced by the presence of the mill for processing the ore coming out of the mine. One simply does not see a mill at mines that were not delivering something.
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All of these videos are uploaded in HD, so I’d encourage you to adjust your settings to the highest quality if it is not done automatically.
You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here: bit.ly/2wqcBDD
As well as a small gear update here: bit.ly/2p6Jip6
You can see the full TVR Exploring playlist of abandoned mines here: goo.gl/TEKq9L
Thanks for watching!
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Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them - nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well.
These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever.
So, yes, in short, we are adit addicts… I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!
#ExploringAbandonedMines
#MineExploring
#AbandonedMines
#UndergroundMineExploring
The rollers are part of a Frue Vanner. A Frue Vanner a gravity concentrator. It was an inclined rubber belt about 4 feet wide that traveled upward at about 4 to 12 feet per minute while being shaken side to side with the pulp on being conveyed up the incline of the machine. Jets of water washed the gangue down into the tailings launder while the concentrates continued up and over the upper roller into an box for collection. The Embrey concentrator and the Triumph Concentrator shook the pulp longitudinally as opposed to laterally. The machines were expensive and required upkeep. Operations using these ranged from major installations such as the Parrot Concentrator in Butte to small installations such as shown here. Today there is only one known working example in the world, located at the Camborne School of Mines in the United Kingdom. Vanning was allegedly used in Cornwall until about 1985.
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. That is not a system I was familiar with...
@@TVRExploring A Frue Vanner was used on the Winkeye Consolidated Mine at Howland Flat. It averaged 7.5 ounces a day in gold. They ran the tailings sluice sands on it.
They never showed us in the Mineral Processing module. Plenty of Gems in the Processing lab.
Those are a bunch of interesting words that to the uninitiated sound like a made-up language!
would love to have seen where that rope went following that Raise....someone was High Grading .....must still be Gold in there ....nice work sonny Jim .
so c'mon, lets Goooo! but watch out for the worm people :) yeah looks like a good spot for sure. hey jeff add me on fb or email my name one word at gmail. I will visit socal and sierras soon, maybe we can go to some claims or I can help the mine
Yes, there are a couple of sections of this mine that I would really like to have seen more of - and that was definitely one of them!
Where slim at boy? LEEEEETS GO
Yeah, you gonna get wet
2:34 That's one of the most clearly defined quartz veins I've ever seen.
Your one of my favorite you tubers thanks for making the great content
Thank you very much.
@@TVRExploring Yes your videos are awesome,, the one in the old Soviet town was incredible,, that was my favorite one,,
You’re *
You always boldly go where no one wants to (motto), love to see that in all your videos, all thumbs up buddy.
Haha, that's a great motto! As always, thank you for the comment... You've been with me from the beginning!
Great job in finding and then documenting this old gold mine. Nice job on filming with the small equipment you use. Thanks for the explore.
Great video! Thanks for taking me on your adventures.
Cool deal!!
Thanks for the adventure. Keep em comin. Be safe!!
Thank you. Will do!
Another great mine, mining camp, mill machinery and as usual, superb video. Great job!
Thank you! I love mines that have all of those ingredients.
It's my understanding that where there's Quartz there's usually Gold, and there's still plenty of Quartz in that mine. Makes me wonder what stopped then, it doesn't appear to be a lack of Quartz.
World War II, rules and regulations, remote location, etc. There are countless reasons why these old mines are abandoned, but, yes, rarely is it because they were played out.
@@TVRExploring ya, f.d.r. was a peace of shit and Woodrow got the ball rolling. Illegal to mine? illegal to possess gold by penalty of 10 years of lock up? while living the largest financial crisis in history ? people where starving to death on the real, I still say by design, should have caused a revolt then and there, have no clue what the people at the time were thinking or it at all. fighting wars for freedom while giving up all chance for it at home WTF? seems its become a habbit/pattern. ya think? America is gullible.
get your head around that history the history they don't teach in school and you will get whos behind what it is that's stealing from you, the mining industry supports americas economy without it there is none, a nation has to produce not just consume for it to service its needs let alone thrive, give that some real thought indepth thought its worth your time and effort, the purveyors of vice and ilk the sanctioned kind, the kind 'THEY' don't go to jail for, its only elicit if it only benefits 'you' , big fat clue. warfare exist in all places. everywhere. learn to recognise it.
when you do it will stick out like a soar thumb every place you look, your under attack if you know it or not. its called policy. theft comes in many forms as well one is lack of opportunity where it is written. thall shall not? what when where and why? get informed. its not political to live free of pericitic entities . its a natural right.
ask yourself why your Gov. would be willing to kill you to keep you from gaining wealth that's justlaying in weight to be dug from the ground by those brave and strong enough to do it, I promise any reasons they give will be predicated on lies. Gov. is not your friend when they to the telling and you aren't doing the telling which is theright way around when its you doing the telling their the servant not you.
Very drippy , Thank you for the Video . Please stay safe guys .
Another great video sir! That was a rather soggy mine and that collapsed areas looked most sketchy at best. Thank you so much for posting these outstanding videos!
Glad you enjoyed it... Thank you. Haha, "soggy" is an excellent word for it.
A very nice second part, abnit wet place but you could very nicely see that they were chasing money lol nice stuff outside aswel, great explore thnx.
Nice job. Thanks for doing the videos that you do. Love them
Thank you for watching them and commenting on them...
discovered this channel by chance and became a fan! thanks for sharing and i wish you many more adventures! !
Awesome, thank you!
I went to Hawaii once. When I came home I realized how much I'd missed the green of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The mountain dogwood, and yes, the poison oak shimmering red. It's the sunlight, I think. The low humidity combined with the sunlight on the bright green is part of my DNA. Northern California. No where else quite like it. Even a fire couldn't drive me out. I'll end my days here.
Haha, you described the area well - and I already knew that you were quite familiar with the area based upon other comments of yours... Indeed, there is nowhere else quite like it.
@@TVRExploring Only bright green in the summer on the north slopes and valleys. Step over the hill to the south slope and it is all bull pine and oaks.
GREAT Video!! Thanks so much for "taking us with you."
Glad you enjoyed coming along... Thank you.
Another great adventure
sure like to fill a sample bucket at that site, thanks for taking us along.
Thanks for sharing, that was great video, bsafe guys!
Love the pictures of the old mill and the metal pieces. Nice vid. 👍
Thank you. Yes, this one had a lot of ingredients I like...
TVR Exploring. Love your vids. Stay safe. Scenery is always nice. Before u go in there! 👍💖
The best part is those Quartz Veins nice!!!
We were definitely impressed by them. The fault lines framed them up very nicely!
I have a hundred acres of old patented mines and you can follow a 2' wide quartz vein for 3 miles, off and on. Several mines worked this vein underground with fairly good success. A town known as Whitlocks had a post office from 1898 to 1906. A huge mill was fed from a large tramway running up to the vein on top of a mountain, and the shaft descended 900' with a few adits for drainage.
Great commentary, and video. Cheers from Australia.
Thank you! Cheers to Australia!
Listening to all that water raining down in that adit reminds me of the album by Andreas Vollenweider, Caverna Magica. CZcams that album and listen to it and then watch this video...it's a perfect fit!
Awesome thank you!
Considering what they left I can imagine what they pulled out. Great find and video
Quartz deposits bearing silver or gold ore which appears like raisins in a cake like those in the first part of your video were frustrating to mine but fortunately, the quartz actually formed a real vein. The individual pockets of gold/silver-containing ore appeared in the Comstock Lode in Nevada with barren rock surrounding 'raisins' assayed at just under $4000/t. I've always been amazed at how much water the over-burden could hold even during the dry late summer months. A 'shower' running in June was still running at the same volume in September just before it started snowing. It's disappointing to explore a hard to find mine and discover somebody's rope hanging from stope but they didn't steal the wheelbarrow. Probably not a conscience issue, it wasn't old enough. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, it is interesting how much water the ground can retain and then dribble out all year. I'm pretty certain that the rope was from the miners getting up into that little raise. This mine was very remote and there just aren't really any other mine explorers in the area...
Nice little mine to explore, lots of branching levels to go down, shame that shaft had choked the rest of that level. Some nice machinery left outside too, shame it gone to waste and not ended up in another mine.
Yes, this one had a lot of ingredients that I like. Except for the adit being blocked past the shaft... I hate unfinished business like that.
I wonder if that flowing water would be safe for consumption? I always enjoy these videos, seeing the geology and forgotten equipment.
Nice explor
Great. Thank you
Glad you liked it!
Quartz’s and gold have about the same melting temperature and that is one of the reasons they are often found together I was told.
nice explore guys. bits and bobs or odds and sods
“Gly”: That 2” - 3” area of fault gouge along the hanging wall looked pretty tasty. That would be a really good area to get a rock hammer into and scrape out some coarse free gold. I’ll bet the person who tied off that rope had similar ideas.
Yes, the geology in this one was interesting... Lots of things a gold miner wants to see!
Have you searched the California bureau of mines handbooks, especially 1957 and the 1920 edition that surveyed all the mines in the state? Many mines listed there in my neighborhood that never had a mill.
cool mine it is.much water. love from Globe Explore
Wow, they actually left a lot behind. The center of that vien they were chasing, must have been super rich.
I've noticed that the old timers seem to have usually just skimmed the cream off of the top and left behind a lot of gold, silver, etc. that could be profitably mined today.
@@TVRExploring Long story short I'm a grandson of an early 1900's Cripple Creek Colo. hardrock gold miner and an avid rockhound. Ive always wanted to go into a mine like that and leave 40-45lbs heavier. Its nearly impossible these days to stumble apon a non claimed mine here. Unless that is your second car is a helicopter...I have a few specimens of some old really deep,Telluride Calverite AU ore that my gramps had laying around (hidden in a wall). Always up for an equal or bettet trade...well be safe, lookout and listen for tommyknockers and keep up the fine work....
interesting mine thanks for the explore
Yes, we felt lucky with this one after the somewhat disappointing upper workings.
Fantastic Video. When you eat the bug you got your vitamin c for the day.
It happens more often than I would like!
You reckon that raise McBride partially scaled meets up with the plugged shaft on the surface? It’s definitely a bit offset from down in the adit, but considering it kept going farther than he could see, it seems like at least a possibility that it goes to the surface
The quartz compressed between the two faults was pretty cool. I wonder why they left so many of the veins unworked? Maybe they pulled the better quality stuff out first? Great stuff as usual, thanks
Yes, we don't normally see it outlined so clearly like that. There are so many reasons that it could have been left... All gold mines were ordered to be shut down during World War II as they were deemed "non-essential" to the war effort. That devastated the mining industry in this area as few of those mines ever opened again when the war was over. Other times, you get disputes over ownership or bad management. There are so many things that can lead to a mine being abandoned that have nothing to do with the mine being played out or not producing gold. In fact, many of these mines still have very rich veins of gold, but they are simply not large enough deposits to interest the big companies that have the resources to fight through all of the rules, regulations and permits required for mining now.
@@TVRExploring Ah, very interesting and unfortunate all the red tape and rules to extract such a precious metal. Thank you for replying
Excellent video series Brother. I would Love to have a Peice of the Iron parts to Forge a Camp Knife from.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed them...
Ever considered getting a little ROV that is wire connected to the remote and just hooking a little camera to it?
Hi, a very cool little mine that escaped being locked away forever, I'm wondering just how much gold they got out because they left quite a lot of quartz behind. Thank you so much for sharing. x
Yes, I'd be curious to know the production figures as well. It's a little strange that we didn't see more stoping or other evidence of ore being removed given the large crew that was working at this mine and the presence of the mill. That's the primary reason I'm really curious about what is beyond that section that was blocked off by the rock falling down the shaft. Or, of course, maybe the initial ore assayed out REALLY well and made the miners overly optimistic about the prospects of the mine. So, they invested in the mill and the large crew only to have it not work out that well? All speculation on my part...
@@TVRExploring I think your last idea is the most probable, especially if other mines in the area were making out good. x
Cameraman: *shows off the mine and explains it*
Friends in background: *kicks rock* *jumps in puddles* *plip plap smack*
very cool
Great pair of videos. Really enjoyed the geology lesson about the movement of minerals along the faults. Very interesting stuff. Judging from the tailing piles I think there was a heck of a lot of mine beyond the collapses and such. Pretty large infrastructure at one time.
Yes, it is frustrating to think of what might be behind where all of the rock that came down the shaft blocked further progress!
Those rollers are interesting, not something I've seen before. They don't look heavy enough to be for crushing rock. Maybe they were for a large conveyor belt?
I believe the rollers were part of a magnetic separation process. Typically involves two rollers with a canvas belt between the two rollers.
I've also seen vibrating roller belts, which vibrates the lighter dust away from the belt. Generally combined with an air blower creating a draught over the top of the roller belts to blow the lighter dust away.
I wasn't sure about those rollers either as that is a setup that I wasn't familiar with... Thank you @Mule Skinner Mining for weighing in on that!
If you need to get rid of some of that slate it makes for a fine roof shingle.
Is it my untrained eye or does that mine look like it still has something to give? I've watched so many mine videos and never see anything that stands out, yet this one is getting my spidey sense tingling.
I’d say you’re probably right, it’s just a matter of how rich whatever’s left in there is. Even if there’s some gold left that’s accessible, if it’s not rich enough to pay for all the work and materials needed to extract it as well as make a decent profit on top of that, then there’s no point in sinking in a bunch of money, time and effort to retrieve it
I wonder how many miners may have put a dam / weir in the creek and then installed a water wheel / turbine. I could certainly see that sort of thing with the gear housing extending over the water.
A mine I visited in Italy had exactly that. I'll try to post that video soon.
I'll take my dry, high desert mines over that nasty wet stuff any day of the week! The geology in there was really something. I know most Northern California gold is free-milling, but any smelter boss would be screaming for that vein material as flux if it were refractory!
I thought you'd be happy to know that the first 911 started work at a narrow-vein gold mine last week. The other one looks to have a seized hydraulic pump, still working on that...sent you an email too.
Haha, yes, the dry mines are really nice compared to slopping around in the mud. We do get rewarded for our suffering at times though, as you saw with the nice veins and geological action in this gold mine.
Yes, I saw that you'd sent me an email. Sorry, I'm between trips and just finished up an EMT course and so I'm way behind on emails. That's exciting to have the 911 up and running!
@@TVRExploring Damp mines are one thing - both mines I'm working with are damp, but don't have more than a few inches of water in the active workings.
An EMT course is an outstanding idea! I wound up with significant combat lifesaving training during college and carry quite a lot of medical supplies with me, but I should work on refreshing my training.
heck of a lot of sulphric silver
I’ve never mined for gold or dug a cave but I’m telling my wife that those caves are amazing and that those guys back in the day must have been some tough ass men.
Indeed, the old timers were tough!
Tough and most likely damned hungry too lol
Not to mention tired and filthy for $30 an ounce
@06:2 I would have on egress broken that berm so the drive drained for future explorers? And yes just a small vertical section and let the water slowly do the rest . Depending on the ground fall trough the drives you came in through if needed to make a safe exit .
They didn’t realize they were searching in vein
Ever find a privy in a mine? Kinda funny thing to wonder about. And how did the miners work the stopes that go up way high?
Yes, fairly often in the larger mines. Also, the drainage channel along the rails is called the "piss ditch" for fairly obvious reasons. The miners would jam timber supports in to be able to access the stopes.
there's gotta be a way to protect your Cam bubby , constantly worrying about it while all the rest of whats going on around you in those tunnels is gotta suck, they got stuff for that get a diver box or something or make your own, at the very least at least the old operators looked like that wasn't their first rodeo .
every time I see you in a mine this good i think id love to turn it into my home , rehab it and take a few steps to make it liveable there's a lot of water coming from some where if you could find the source that in and of itself is valuable, love ya bubby be careful , get some neoprene for yourself draging your ass around in those leaky waders climbing over crap and squeeseing though all those tight places F that,,
get something that fits better, you wont be as tired at the end of the day and I suspect you'll stay dryer and warmer, loose grampas fishing outfit. if there's any value on not skimping its on yourself, neoprene is a gift from the Cave gods. there's a hand full of ways you could die in there.
eliminate a few of the factors bubby like a good gambler take the gamble to of the game. fuck sake stay dry for your own comfort anyway take better care of yourself bubby.
Do you ever try bringing some ore back with you?
In-ter-resting :)
thumbs up
How would old time miners work in those wet muddy conditions without rubber boots?
Hey, you mentioned something about the echo inside the tunnel, is the absence of an echo in such a section considered bad? If it is, why so?
I believe it's because loose rock absorbs sound solid echos
@@shawnmay8073 wow, makes sense. Thanks for the reply!
Was that big pile slate or Mica????
Hey just an idea
Get one of those cheap 4K sport cams off eBay comes with water proof housing if yo loos or damage it no big deal could put it on a stick to look under /in the water.
I've got a GoPro that would have served well in that capacity, but I didn't think I would need it on this trip. It's a constant juggling act to try and anticipate what you need versus balancing out how much you can carry while hiking in to these remote locations.
@@TVRExploring the road goes both ways come on content content what's da matta which cha
Wow. At 7:32 I had a classic case of pareidolia. It appears a human figure is trying to extract itself from the face of the adit. (A la "The Frighteners") Another thoroughly enjoyable video sir. Namaste!
How much gold is in the quartz????
@ 18:30 That would be an vintage babbitt pillow block bearing
Was it this wet when the miners were working the mine? If so, they had water to use to sift through the rock for gold.
I don't want to be morbid, but it appears that you go where no man has gone before .... in a long time!
What would you do if you came across a collapse, and saw human bones sticking out from under the debris?
Well, the miners would have had the water dripping down on them like we did, but they wouldn't have had the dammed up sections we encountered because those would have been cleared out.
Indeed, in these mountain mines, many of them have not been visited in decades or even longer (that is not the case with this gold mine, but with many it is).
I came across a dead miner while exploring the lapis mines in Afghanistan. When I got back outside, I told the miners working there. They just shrugged... Life is cheap in much of the world.
Chase the right hand rule!
I can't believe someone couldn't say let's go digging!and claim it.
Is that soot on the surface? Looks like it all needs a good pressure wash.
Dust from blasting
I see people commenting their concerns about your safety in mines yet watching the last part of this video I think you're probably more in Danger from Rusty Nails and rattlesnakes and such from the older busted up Mills.
Haha, that is entirely true, my friend. All of my worst mine exploring injuries have taken place on the surface!
@@TVRExploring
I have Finally had the opportunity to do some further research into the mines here in Thurber, TEXAS and I have found out that they're are 12 separate mines with the deepest at 150 yards, many are interconnected and most of the portals are on private land. I'll relay more details as I find them.
The left wall of the fault is the hanging wall.
That mill got its ass kicked by Father Time. Jesus, no mercy. lol
Father Time always wins in the end!
How do the mining companies stop the employees from stealing there products?
Haha, they don't! It's called high grading and the mining companies have a constant struggle with it. The miners view it as part of their compensation.
That's what I figured lol.
Where is this?
👍
Greetings
May have been small ball mills
Okay, but what’s the noise at 14:35? Hard to hear it over your talking.
Tommy knockers
Why doesn't anyone bring a metal detector and spend some time sweeping around.
Looks like their luck ran out on the buildings
Harsh winters up there... I'm actually surprised how much was still left given the age of this operation.
About what elevation is that at?
If memory serves correctly, I believe it is 5,000 feet(ish).
"... your bearings..."
sergeant, I wasn't issued any of those. where the heck are we?
A cheep metal detector would make allot of sense !! small peace would pay for everything !!
Why is it good to hear your echo?
Because everyone likes their own voice! Also is rumored that if you can't hear your echo it has to do with ghosts stealing the sounds. Don't wanna get haunted now
@ 7:07 I think they're known as "Mucking Plates"
I swear I saw that eye @13:00 move
In the first video or this one?
If Quartz holds the gold, why would they pass through it. Why not just follow the blob of quartz?
Do u ever think the forest dudes might blast it shut whilst you're in there?
There is a lot of prep work that goes into something like that. We'd be out well before they actually did anything.
@@TVRExploring thats good to know 😬 pesky mine closure department! 😁
Hanging wall vien.
Why don't people take all the quartz on the floor and that huge chunk of minerals at the top of the hanging wall?
Not all quartz has gold in it... Some of it is barren.
@@TVRExploring thanks. I was always confused by people saying "woh! Check out all this quartz" yet its still there!. That makes it tones clearer! Still its a beautiful stone without gold too.
I know where a quartz vein the size of a 2story house coming out of a mountain I’ve plucked huge crystals off it is there gold there now I have to go back
Well, quartz does not always equal gold. Some quartz is completely barren...
@@TVRExploring dam dam dam
The first video where we see a quartz vein. Ten or twelve gold mine videos but never see any gold?
nangendi kuiiii
Echo , no Echo ?????
Mom was responsible for the man who n my old to
Looks like theres lots of gold in there? Right?.................JB............
Uh.. like.. totally..