Old drill holes in my property

[gold guy]

What did the old miners in the 1800s use to drill with

 

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[Goldwasher]

Backaches

 

[Gravelwasher]

Dynamite

 

[zumben]

mules, chinese

 

[Silver Worm]

with a prayer that it wasn't a zincon at the bottom of the hole.

 

[kuger]

1800's is a bit vague....you have some pretty significant leaps and bounds in mining technology from 1849-1899

 

[Lanny in AB]

Before jackleg drills/compressed air drills with or without water to stop the dust, they used a single-jack (smaller sledge hammer/shorter handle--one guy working alone) or a double-jack (bigger sledge hammer/longer handle--usually two guys), and they used a variety of drill steel/types/lengths. Here's a little link that might help you.
Hand Drilling and Breaking Rock for Wilderness Trail Maintenance - 84232602 - Forest Service Publications - Publications - Recreational Trails - Environment - FHWA

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Goldwasher]

if their big enough to see still...it wasn't a single or double jack, and those where mainly used for blasting holes I believe right guys? If it was for Placer sampling I would think more t
like an auger in a casing just like nowadays?? What makes you think its a drill hole? and from 19th century. also i wouldn't expect a drill hole from the 1890s to make it past 1901.......ive seen drill holes filled within one winter on property developments.If you are in a gold bearing area and it was mined i would be looking for "prospects" dug test holes....trenches,cuts, small holes near exposed bedrock. Test drilling was also used extensively during the depression..some sheltered drill holes may have made it

 

[Buckshotnc]

if their big enough to see still...it wasn't a single or double jack, and those where mainly used for blasting holes I believe right guys? If it was for Placer sampling I would think more t
like an auger in a casing just like nowadays?? What makes you think its a drill hole? and from 19th century. also i wouldn't expect a drill hole from the 1890s to make it past 1901.......ive seen drill holes filled within one winter on property developments.If you are in a gold bearing area and it was mined i would be looking for "prospects" dug test holes....trenches,cuts, small holes near exposed bedrock. Test drilling was also used extensively during the depression..some sheltered drill holes may have made it

Gold Guy, don't know where you're located but I'm In Western NC and I have part of on old 1800-1900 gold mine on my farm and there are a lot of tailing piles where they mined. Back to the drill holes there are numerous ones on the hillsides 4"-6" in diameter and on one wash in the woods there are probably 75-100 drill holes along side the wash but no tailing piles so I assume they never gold mined it but maybe they were looking for something else besides gold. Well I invited a geologist to my farm who is director of operations at a large feldspar mine and showed him the holes and asked him if these holes would still be basically open 100-150 years later and he said yes. Some have caved in somewhat at the top but I can take my hiking stick and gouge down 3'-5' with very little trouble. Maybe in other areas the holes would not be visible after a short time but apparently it is different here.