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Offline SueTopic starter
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« on: January 21, 2007, 03:51:52 pm »
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If the gold bearing material washed away in a freak flood, I think I'd be downstream at the waterfalls region trying my luck  Smiley

 

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The end of a Celtic tradition: The last gold miner in Wales

It was once a thriving industry, the supplier of choice for royals in need of a wedding ring. But the principality's stocks of the precious metal have now all but vanished. Barrie Clement reports

Published: 20 January 2007

There are no signs. Nothing to guide visitors to the last gold mine in Wales.

Expected to close within months, possibly weeks, it is reached via a rough road through a coniferous forest in the Snowdonia national park. The road deteriorates into a narrow track as it winds its way upwards. Below and to the right of the road is the river Mawddach which tumbles over spectacular waterfalls as it rushes towards a lovely estuary on Cardigan Bay.

. . . Mark Wheeler, the last gold miner in the principality, reckons that much of the gold-bearing material was washed away by a freak flood in the summer of 2001.. . . .

There is no market rate for the metal because so little of it goes on sale. By some estimates however, it would fetch around ?850 an ounce - around three times the price of ordinary gold. It is quite simply the most expensive metal in the world. . . .

A century ago the miners' lives were even harder. They came to Gwynfynydd from all over the country - coal miners from south Wales, lead miners from north Wales and a few from over the border. They left their families behind and lived in "barracks" provided by the owners with a diet so monotonous that that one man wrote home:
"Rabbits young, rabbits old,
Rabbits hot, rabbits cold,
Rabbits tender, rabbits tough,
Thank the Lord we had enough."

The men worked a 10-hour day. For this the mine manager was paid five shillings (25p), the miners three shillings and sixpence (17.5p), labourers three shillings (15p) and "boys" one shilling and sixpence (7.5p).

The workforce was predominantly Welsh-speaking. American engineers who came over to operate the machinery were baffled by the capricious nature of the geology in the area. They were often told: "Nid yw'r creigiau'n deall Saesneg." (The rocks do not understand English)  Grin . . . .

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Offline dr.dtector
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FALSE CAUSE A BANANA DONT HAVE A BACKBONE
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« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2007, 04:00:04 pm »
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SUE~THAT LAST SENTENCE SOUNDS LIKE BUGAR TALKIN~DONT IT! Grin

Cheesy
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« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2007, 04:09:28 pm »
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Favorite quote of the day:
Bullshit baffles brains, as they say."

"It was wet, damp work," he said. "When I started I didn't know my arse from my elbow. The pneumatic drills we used were heavy and there was lots of shovelling to be done."  "In this mine gold would turn up in the most unlikely places," said Mr Wheeler. "The more you got to know about gold, the more confusing it would get. But you learned more from the miners who did the work underground than the geologists. Bullshit baffles brains, as they say."

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Offline SueTopic starter
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« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2007, 04:10:39 pm »
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Quote:Posted by dr.dtector
SUE~THAT LAST SENTENCE SOUNDS LIKE BUGAR TALKIN~DONT IT! Grin

Cheesy


 Grin Grin

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Offline SueTopic starter
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« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2007, 04:13:14 pm »
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Quote:Posted by oRo
Favorite quote of the day:
Bullshit baffles brains, as they say."



 Grin I liked that ol' miner a lot after reading the story. Cool guy!

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« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2007, 04:33:00 pm »
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Grin Grin Grin Here is a similar one i heard..............If brains were dynamite you couldn't blow the tail feathers off humming birds ASS

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« Last Edit: January 21, 2007, 04:36:14 pm by outback »
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« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2007, 04:40:37 pm »
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What a sad end to a great story..I have always wanted something made of Welsh Gold!!

Dean

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« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2007, 05:11:08 pm »
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Nice article!

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-"It is always the mistake of man to confuse insanity with genius"

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« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2007, 06:24:49 pm »
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GREAT ARTICLE

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« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2007, 08:46:53 am »
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Interesting read.  Thanks.

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