We finally opened the portal.

[TheMahoneyMine]

After six+ months of exploration and sampling we put together all the clues and excavated the face 20' down and began jack-hammering in. Now remember, we are just a little mom and pop operation.
Well, we were indeed on target and about eight or so feet in the hammer bit hit a void. We found it!
After opening it up a bit one of us went in for a short look around and the drift doesn't look very decomposed at all.
Next weekend we will be back with all of our gear and PPE to explore further. Here is a link to a video of a really good day.



Enjoy.

 

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[N-Lionberger]

Virginia City area you’re gonna need to import some timber. There used to be a good bit of it there but it’s all underground now. I have a few underground gold locations I’ve been looking at but the cost of the wood has been prohibitive.

 

[Assembler]

Virginia City area you’re gonna need to import some timber. There used to be a good bit of it there but it’s all underground now. I have a few underground gold locations I’ve been looking at but the cost of the wood has been prohibitive.

A possible solution is the use of a chainsaw mill to mill your own timbers on the claim if there is any trees on it. Just saying.

 

[southfork]

Virginia City area you’re gonna need to import some timber. There used to be a good bit of it there but it’s all underground now. I have a few underground gold locations I’ve been looking at but the cost of the wood has been prohibitive.

Made me laugh trees are rare out in the Great Basin or the high desert. There's a lot of wood under Virginia City.

 

[TheMahoneyMine]

We have found access to railroad ties at a decent cost. By being picky we can get good thick timbering, already soaked in creosote and perfect for the task. The challenge is that we are on the back side of Mt. Davidson and half way up a mountain. Our road that was put in 100 years ago has seen MUCH better days. Eventually we will just have to bite the bullet and have someone re-establish the road so that we can get trucks in and out. Right now it is 4x4 accessible but not an easy ride. I can't imagine bringing railroad ties up via our 4-wheeler.

 

[Assembler]

We have found access to railroad ties at a decent cost. By being picky we can get good thick timbering, already soaked in creosote and perfect for the task. The challenge is that we are on the back side of Mt. Davidson and half way up a mountain. Our road that was put in 100 years ago has seen MUCH better days. Eventually we will just have to bite the bullet and have someone re-establish the road so that we can get trucks in and out. Right now it is 4x4 accessible but not an easy ride. I can't imagine bringing railroad ties up via our 4-wheeler.

Just a tip do not breath in the sawdust when you cut the RR ties to size as it is very toxic to your system.

 

[russau]

Creosote on your skin WILL cause blister's that burns (especially )when exposed to sun light ! And some states say that you can't use creosote timber's because they are considered a hazmat material !

 

[Assembler]

Creosote on your skin WILL cause blister's that burns (especially )when exposed to sun light ! And some states say that you can't use creosote timber's because they are considered a hazmat material !

Ventilation should be high on the list if any creosote timbers are use in a close area. I would only use pressure treated wood for the base that is in direct contact with the ground / rock and not the timbers them selves. A metal bearer would be better to use.

 

[Joanne]

If you are thinking of doing some timbering in your mine, here is a good resource. It's from the Idaho Bureau of Mines and is a book on timbering in small mines. Small Mine Timbering (It is a PDF file so you can click the link and read it.)

Also, on YouTube you can find https://www.youtube.com/c/Askjeffwilliams who has quite a number of videos that show timbering techniques.

I hope this useful to you.

Joanne

 

[Mountaineer2020]

Congratz on getting that adit open! Good grief that was a deep one.