Cool Underground Tunnel and Nanaimo's Old Mine Shafts

[riverrat]

For weeks, I was looking at the big hole in the ground where the new Nanaimo conference centre's going in. There's some kind of tunnel now visible, running from beneath Commercial St, and I always wondered what it was. Here's a pic; you can see the tunnel coming out, in the bottom left.



It looks like the workers have been asked about it by a million people or something; they've painted "old storm drain" above it.



But we all know it's an old Nanaimo Chinatown opium tunnel. More fun that way.

EDIT: Rick posted another photo, showing what's inside the tunnel, in post #82.

[fitz]

verrry cool - definately an opium tunnel.

mmmm... urban exploring!

[Nick]

That's pretty intense. I never actually took the time to look at it... I just thought it had something to do with the construction.

[Mr. Flibble]

Heh, awesome that they wrote that above it.

[riverrat]

I'm trying to imagine it's some fantasy portal - it goes into Smaug's hoard, or Moria, or the Secret World of Og, or it's an old Ho Chi Minh tunnel, or a rogue Mycenaean's burial mound, an aboriginal tunnel carved to access a prime abalone farm, the list goes on...

[stanley strazza]

Awesome thread............and you would think after the many years of coal mining around this town, with tremendous amounts of honey-combed ground because of it. why not open a shaft or two to the public.............c'mon city fathers do the tourist thing like they did at Britannia Beach on the way to Squamish...............for the life of me I can't see why this was not done years ago...........Nanaimo's black goldmine $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

[Mr. Flibble]

The reason there are not coal mine shafts open to the public is the type of rock you find coal mines in (sedimentary) tends to collapse fairly quickly after being mined.

Coal mines often have butressed celings using railroad ties to prevent the celings from collapsing inwards - whereas gold mines are usually in ignomineous rock which is much stronger - and thus rarely butressed (unless inherently weak).

Coal mines also have the problem with coal-gas (methane IIRC) that can explode if exposed to a spark or ignition source, and cause people in the mine to suffocate and die. (Hence the expression, Canary in a Coal Mine). Gold mines do not have this problem.

So, gold mines are "generally" safe to enter when older - coal mines are not. This is why the mines are not open to the public, and if you do find an open one that has not collapsed (some are still around) DON'T GO IN.

Here is a picture I took of my buddy Curtis in the "Silver Star" gold mine near Osyoos:

[stanley strazza]

thanx Mr. Flibble......I understand you and your discriptions on not opening a coal shaft........I read a book called "Ginger Goodwin" from up Island around Courtney area that was responsible for the Canary in use at the coal mines there........In order to get the mine operators attention about gasses killing the chinese,the workers from the mines staged a strike that was bad enough to call the lawdogs in to break it up. Soon after the Canaries appeared on the site............thanx again Mr. Flibble your absolutely right.

[Mr. Flibble]

YW - but I just realized that I said "ignomineous" instead of "IGNEOUS" rock, so Gerry will have to take me to task on that. I could correct my error, but it is bound to be amusing to leave it.

[Bunky]

Hi there MR. Rat.
I was just wondering if you could tell me the location of the new conference center being built in Nanaimo.
By the by I love your pictures of the River. As teenagers I and my friends would go swimming at a few places down Nanaimo River Road and Cedar. Loved to go to White Rapids on Sundays and then go and watch the drags at the quarter mile.
Regards Bunky.