Hello,
I just want to make a few points here. The most important, is that, especially in the desert environments - the first few feet of a mine tunnel or adit are the most dangerous. The mouth of the tunnels are exposed to rain, wind and the rest of the elements, and they are the
most likely to come crashing down on you.
Always have a person OUTSIDE, to dig you out. Back in 1994, about a half-mile from one of our claims, was an old mine. A newly married
couple decided to honeymoon on that claim. The next day, this woman came screaming and crying and running in circles. (literally, she had
a vehicle, but was so distraught, she ran all the way up to us instead of driving). We, along with another person, went down to the mine, and there was her new husband, who had been afraid to go too far into the tunnel, about 3 feet in, standing up, buried to his shoulders.
He died before we could get him dug out. Great honeymoon.
Also, just because a tunnel or mine or adit looks abandoned, doesn't mean it is free for you to poke around. We have mining claims - we spend about a month on the claims, and we have tried to store extra water and tools in the tunnel. (about 100 feet back in), and every single year, someone takes the tools, the emergency blanket, the emergency matches, and usually use the water bottles for toilets. Just because an owner or claim holder is only there a month or two out of the year, doesn't mean you or anyone else gets to mine or highgrade
or metal detect on that claim.
There are legal claims in just about any and every spot in California and Arizona. If you are taking minerals (even a little flake of gold or silver) you are claim-jumping and stealing.
Every single year, without fail, we go to our claims and people have high-graded (making the tunnels unsafe), and every year we have to spend at least a week, restablizing the walls and ceilings, digging tons of dirt that we should have to (and have no gold) before we can
even pan a pan of our own.
Before you go poking around old mines - make sure you visit your local, friendly, BLM office, and make sure you are not on a legal claim. You
cannot go by claim markers - we put new claim markers up every single year and someone always has to vandalize them. (except for one, which is "hidden" because you have to climb up a cliff to get to - and that's too much like work for someone who just wants to grab a little
gold for themselves). We take pictures every single year of us putting up new claim markers (proof, just in case), and, just once, I would
LOVE to go to the claims and be able to set up camp and........mine. (instead of cleaning up tons of garbage and fixing dangerous tunnel entrances first).
So, be careful in those first few feet of tunnel. Yes, the air in the back can be dangerous, or non-existent - but, first you have to get past the more dangerous threat of unstable openings. Make sure you have electrical devices as opposed to gas-run lights (it will burn up available oxygen-fast), and, depending on where you are - if you are in an area that can have earthquakes (California), bring a glass coke bottle with you.(empty) Place it on a rock where it is in danger of falling off. Balance it carefully - don't place it securely. The slightest rumble from the ground will make it fall off - and you can get the heck out of there. (its the closest thing to an early warning system). Even
a 3.9 earthquake will shake it off a rock. Enough to almost not feel, but enough to take a part of the tunnel down - especially the entrance.
Remember, nothing - nothing - is worth your life.
Beth
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