Cool Underground Tunnel and Nanaimo's Old Mine Shafts

[explorer]

seamen or gr74 you got take me to your last find that is the coolest one yet

[AceMcCool]

Those big pipes usually are used for powering compressed air tools which is also a source of air. The pump is usually outside the mine as its loud and big. I suppose for deeper mines they would have one within the mine itself. The smaller pipe could be for pumping ground water out.

[GR74]

Thanks Ace. The mine that we recently found last Tuesday looked like it had 3 entrances. We went in and took the tunnel to the left. It passed by the 2 other entrances that were sealed and then branched off and went down.

The following photo is one of the entrances that has been sealed. It was taken from the inside the mine, looking out. You can see that they used dirt to seal this entrance. Outside, you'd never know what was there. If a guy only had a shovel and knew where to look right away....

Another point of interest in this photo is the way the coal seam is so close to the surface. You can see it in the wall to the left of the entrance. I say that its easily head level. Looks like the miners hit coal right away on this one although I have no idea if this mine was extracting coal from all 3 seams.

[Harewoodian]

While doing some research I discovered that there is some info on the Bright Mine down at the Nanaimo Archives on Wharf St.

Here's a description of the mine fonds : http://memorybc.ca/index.php/informa...show/rad/19715

[AceMcCool]

Have you guys seen this? Lists the people killed in the mines and what they died of. Lots of fall of timber or rock as well as a ton of mine car related injuries. Of course it mentions the protection island cage fall and the big explosion as well as the China man numbers.

http://www.nanaimoarchives.ca/searching.php

[GR74]

I went back out to the mine to try capturing some of the ruins with a camcorder. Obviously you need a lot more light, which I did not have. I can't see myself attempting this again as I am not about to carry 100 million candle power and a pile of equipment down into these places. The less you bring down there, the less you need to worry about.

I found the junction again and followed the main tunnel with the pipes down about 150 feet until it hit water, which they all do. There was another 2 way junction there, both routes were collapsed. You could see timbers in the water and the pipes had been removed roughly 50 feet before reaching the water table. Some rail ties were found to be in place without the rails.

The following photo shows what one end of the pipe looked like. I'll go back and take more photos later.

[GR74]

Here's another photo of the pipes.

[seaman]

that intake is pretty cool, too bad I couldn't have made the trip with you

[Nostradama]

Saw a small item in the local daily, a press release from some local government-appointed medical talking head, issuing the annual warning about bats with rabies. There was a mention of those kids who picked up a dead bat at the colliery dam a few years ago. But in all honesty, I think the risk is minimal. Part of what he said was basically "Once you start showing symptoms from a bat bite, you're dead anyway." Cheery folks, aren't they?

Yeesh, a little common sense, like "Don't pick up a dead bat" or "Stay away from a bat that's acting crazy, not just trying to get away from you" pretty well covers it. Not to say that I don't understand how it would be perfectly normal for a bunch of young kids to pick up a dead bat. They wouldn't know. But bats wouldn't keep me out of caves or tunnels. Cave-ins, yeah, bats, no.

Apologies for the title on this. Wandered off topic, deleted, couldn't delete from title.

[Mike Bates]

Hi!
I have been reading all the posts here with great interest over the past couple of months when I get a chance to sit and look online. The interest I've gained in coal mines started when I started my job in Building Inspections for the City of Nanaimo. I do plan reviews in the office, and during the course of doing Plans Reviews for construction of new homes, staff are required to look up the location of known coal mines. We use the Pacific Spatial Systems book that I'm sure alot of the people on this forum are familiar with. What has intrigued me is the reference I've seen in a number of posts to finding mines that are not listed in the book. These mines I would like to be able to locate and identify on our maps for future reference. If new construction happens in the future in some of these undocumented areas, there is the possibilty of subsidence under the new home due to the additional weight imposed over the mine and potentially cause partial collapse of the dwelling or worse. I would really like to contact some members of this forum to investigate these sites to find out their location and their extent. If any one is interested in helping out in this area you may contact me at mike.bates@nanaimo.ca or phone the office at 250.755.4460 ext 4386. Thanks!! Mike.......

Mike Bates
Plans Reviewer, Building Inspections
Department of Development Services
238 Franklyn Street, Nanaimo, B.C.,V9R 5J6
Tel: 250. 744. 4460, Local 4386
Fax: 250. 755. 4439
mike.bates@nanaimo.ca