Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

[glenn kangiser]

Hmmmm ... I resemble that....

It was plenty cold up there as I got to the edge of Blue Lake.... though it certainly didn't feel at all cold to me.... frozen water and camera says it was though.. [ouch]



A bit hard to see but Blue Lake is in this picture... a ways back....




....aren't you glad I got past those boring trail pictures.....

[glenn kangiser]

Finally walked around the corner and rested my eyes upon the glorious tailing pile of the May Lundy Mine. 



This was the waste rock end of the tailings... not too much interesting looking rock there.

A long telephoto shot down the hill revealed an old ore processing building slumped over its foundations and machinery mounts.



Starting to get into the cool stuff now.... 


Cool....well... cold in fact...still cold, but I didn't feel it as I was plenty warm still from the long hike up the hill.... [ouch]






More soon.... the interesting stuff coming up...

[ben2go]

 

[glenn kangiser]

From the top of the tailing pile I could look down on the milling machinery that remained below.  While a lot of the major stuff is there it was obvious that junkers had come in and stolen all of the copper and brass years ago... probably when the 4x4 road was still open to the public.



I kind of like the ability to be able to drive up to a place like this but at the same time I know the junkers would be up and break and steal it all if they could drive in... so I guess it is best that it is limited to people willing to hike in to see it and get pictures as well as enjoy the wilderness area.

There is a constant flow of water from the mine as is the case in many mines.  A properly driven adit will run downhill out of the mine to drain the water without pumping.  About 2% grade it seems is desired otherwise pumps must be run all of the time to keep the mine from filling up with water.  In many mines in the Mariposa area mining had to be stopped in shaft mines where the water could no longer be pumped out faster than it came in.  A mine is basically the same thing as a water well when it is a shaft straight down into the ground if it gets to the water table or a water producing fracture.



Here is a shot looking at the caved in entrance to the mine.... maybe naturally or maybe by the liability preventers, but at any rate the ground above is glacial til so I wouldn't trust it to hold up with old timbers.

[ben2go]

[PEG688]

Nice photo's Glenn!  Heck of a hike! 

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks, PEG.  It was enough of a hike that while I did not get one blister in the 8 miles, I decided I needed some better hiking shoes so I ordered a pair of Keen Men's Oregon PCT Waterproof Hiking Boots.  My harness boots are great but a bit hard for long hikes I found out by the time I made it back to the truck.  Needed more cushion for the heavy backpack. [ouch]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003O2SBQG/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_opt



This is a lot heavier track than we usually see in mines.  The switch here takes the waste rock to the right and ore worth processing went to the left toward the mill below. 

[Redoverfarm]

Needed more cushion for the heavy backpack. [ouch]

Blame it on the pack and not the pack horse.

Nice looking area by the way.

[ben2go]

Those boots are a little pricey but nice.

[glenn kangiser]

I'm not a very good pack horse, John... I'll admit that. 

The area is so nice that I kept thinking I did not want to leave... except that this is one of the worst places for winter in the US and soon I would be getting my tootsies cold and whining like a little baby....

I have tons of pix from this trip... 497 I think, so am trying to limit myself to the more interesting ones.  I decided to take a break and walk up the trail farther and have a look at Onieda Lake, where the water came from to run the mine mill.

The log dam is still mostly there though the water is a bit lower.  Tons of ancient handiwork and dry-stacked rock walls still standing here.



Here is a shot of the lake.  I heard there are Golden Trout in there a couple days later.. from someone who decided they couldn't make it that far after they were almost there.  The guy had about a quarter mile to go. [ouch] 



I didn't see any fish so headed back down to the mill.  It was a long way around the lake and my time was somewhat limited.

Amazon was having a 30% off sale on the boots direct, Ben, so I had to change color but got the discount.  Unfortunately Amazon is bowing to California State wishes and has become a tax collector for them.....  lost over ten bucks on my savings there but still came out ahead...

The boots are rated near the top for hiking which I plan to do more of. 

[glenn kangiser]

Just getting used to the new method of doing panorama shots on the ZS20 so this doesn't quite cover the entire lake but you can see the rest of what the other photo doesn't show.



Everywhere you look up there it is like..... like..... I don't know.... a picture book?

Wandering back toward the mine from Oneida Lake, I came across another pile of interesting artifacts... it appears to be parts of a mine hoist or possible parts of the aerial tramway I soon encountered.... 



Cool stuff... 

[glenn kangiser]

After leaving the artifact pile I followed the cable on the ground to see where it would lead me.  I have found that looking above and below mining areas usually provides more interesting things to look at. [idea]



A series of dry stacked rock wall platforms went on up the mountain hundreds of feet above the mine.  There was a gigantic level area of loose rock up there that might lead to another mine entrance... worth a look......



I stopped to check out each platform along the way as well as have a look at the various formerly suspended tram ore buckets in various stages of.....all smashy.....



The next platform had more interesting parts of the tramway...



Part of the support tower and cable sheaves for the tram...


Stop and think a minute here....

Dry stacked rock walls that have been holding up and not falling over for around 150 years..... maybe we should all be using more dry stacked walls and less mortar at least in some of the less critical areas of our projects.  I know I have more rock walls planned at the underground complex now that I see them here....many over 8 feet tall and not falling down for this period of time, even after the building on them has been burned down.   

[ben2go]

The only concern I have with dry stack is me and my ability to judge the layout to prevent collapse. 

[glenn kangiser]

There used to be a good book on it online but it was not downloadable and seems to no longer be there.

A search will bring up some medium worthwhile info. I have a hard time finding great info on the web.  It is a little used art anymore.

I have some good pix coming up of vertical drystack walls.  As the rock is more odd shaped, it is good to lean it back around 2" per 3 feet or more and bring the backing up behind it as you go.  Chink the cracks with smaller rocks but before doing that I like to make sure that the rocks are stable and will stay where put by themselves. 

A rock that wants to slide off of the one below it will want to bring everything above it down with it, but that generally happens pretty quickly as you are building it and after a few  brushes with death you will stop doing that... [ouch]

[glenn kangiser]

Another thought on this Ben, or a couple.... [idea]

Generally it is not a good idea to mix rock types.  Rocks from the same place - the same type rocks generally stack together to make good dry stack rock walls.

Start with a simple project before moving on to a bigger one.  A raised bed garden two or three rocks high is a good one.  Save the higher rock wall projects for a bit later after you have gained skills an a few small rock projects. 

Rock walls over 4 feet tall may require permits if you are into asking for permission for that sort of thing...

Note that could vary with your immediate overlord of choice.... [ouch]

[ben2go]

   Thanks for the pointers.We are still outside city limits.We used to be considered a rural area.It's rare for anyone to check or give us crap for small projects unless it's apparently dangerous by anyone looking on the project.

[glenn kangiser]

Cool.  I would consider most drystack walls under 3 feet in height to be pretty safe especially if leaned back a couple inches into the earth behind them.  Smooth river rock would need more care than rough rocks like we have here.  As the wall gets higher, with relatively big rocks, the ones on the bottom are really pretty well jammed into place. 

The big rectangular rocks at the mine were ideal for wall building and safely reached 10 feet or so in height as well as supported the mill building I posted previously.... the black and white one from elsewhere on the net.

The top row of rocks will be the loosest.  I have run into my Great Wall of China many times blind siding my trailer around it.  All I ever do is wear a bit off of the corner of the trailer....  [ouch]

The rocks on the wall do not move... though the ones I generally hit weigh between 6000 and 10000 lbs themselves.  Most walls are built from rocks a man can lift with some work to easily lift by himself.....

[glenn kangiser]

This one... all on dry stacked foundation with the heavy machinery working away inside.  Some of the machinery at the mine had concrete foundations but the buildings for the most part did not.



The building with the fallen roof did have some concrete under it but as I recall the lower half of it without machinery did not.

[glenn kangiser]

I continued up the pile of broken granite checking out each platform as I went.  I got up to the big platform that was a relatively level spot and ...there was no hole...

The cable kept going.. I saw some wood colored structures way way up the mountain... or were they stumps.  In the bright sunlight I couldn't make them out but after I got home it was clear that they were still partially standing support towers as the tram continued way up the mountain.



Note the bucket still hanging on the cable near the top tower..... 

Now Blue and Crystal Lakes were clearly visible below as well as Oneida Lake to the right.





Telephoto of Blue Lake



Crystal Lake that the mine runs directly into.  Note the area of likely Iron stain as the water leaves the beaver pond and goes into the lake.  The fish looked fine in there so I assume there is no problem with the water.  The ones in the actual beaver pond were a bit more blue colored than the ones in the lake though.



Oneida to the right was only about half visible.


On back down the hill to see what else I could find that was of interest to me and possibly more past building knowledge on the rock walls that we could use here.  I always find myself studying the old ways for possible usable low tech info. 

[PEG688]

Very cool place and stuff thanks for posting the photos!

[ben2go]

Going back through all of this makes me wanna do some nature walking.

[glenn kangiser]

Glad you guys enjoy it.  I have been wanting to do this for a long time and living this close to it, it's a shame not to.  [ouch]

While it's not exactly about the Underground Cabin, I do find that I get a lot of my ideas for coolness from places like these... rock walls....corrugated galvanized.... big timbers, round and square... antique machinery and how it always makes a place look interesting. 

Yeah... it fits.   

Oh yeah... found the flower in the pix above is apparently Mountain Pennyroyal... very fragrant and tasty.... in the mint family I guess.

After looking the stuff over up the hill it was time to head down and I was hoping to not have to backtrack up the hill as I was getting close to my quota of exercise....

It was time to check out some of the rock walls for old time building techniques.  There will be several pix coming up showing the vertical walls they built here.


Note how the rocks are vertical yet the slopes on the top are leaning back toward the earth fill a bit bracing them against the weight behind them.  Water will not build up behind a dry stack wall building up pressure like it will behind a concrete wall with inadequate drainage.



See the small chinking rocks tapped into place with the rock hammer to help stabilize the wall.  Generally the big rocks are already self supporting in place before the small rocks are tapped in to keep things even more stable.  A foundation is not required.  The wall is free to make its own slight adjustments and will stay up if built properly.

Here is a better pix of the tram drive wheel that may have been on this or the higher level above before they burned down the mill.



My theory is that there is a shaft down from the top that the best ore was brought up through and sent to the mill on the tram ore buckets, while possibly waste rock was allowed to drop below to the ore cars for removal to the waste rock tailing pile.  Once in a while a full car of good ore was also taken out the bottom....just a theory.  Maybe Whitlock has a better one....

Here is another rock wall picture showing that a highly successful wall can be built from lots of shapes and sizes.   



Ben... when you go on your walkabout don't forget your camera... [idea]

[ben2go]

Ben... when you go on your walkabout don't forget your camera...

I'm gonna strap it around my neck. 

[glenn kangiser]

There you go.  Won't miss a shot that way.   

I went down to the next level of the mine on my way toward the lake, for a close encounter with the machines I had seen previously only from above..... to feel them ...to touch them... to caress their rust..... gotta love the old machines... [ouch]



The main thing in this pile was the old stamp mill parts...

Found a bit of info on the tram and mine.  Apparently the tram was there first bringing ore from the top of the mountain as I suspected, then the adit was driven later to bring the ore and waste rock out more easily.

The Homer mining district was established in 1878 in the Eastern Sierra's and included the May Lundy mine which is situated at over 9000 ft. over looking beautiful Crystal Lake. The mine was named after the pretty daughter of W. J. Lundy who operated a sawmill supplying Bodie with lumber in a canyon named after him.

  In 1894 a 10-Stamp Mill was built by the Jackson and Lakeview Mining Company at the base of the tramway to the mine high above. In 1900 the May Lundy Mine was bought by the Crystal Lake Gold Mining Company and the mill was expanded to 20-Stamps. A tunnel was run near the mill site to cut the veins nearly 1500 ft. from the outcrop. The actual May Lundy Mine is located high above the mill site and was connected via an aerial tramway.

The hike to the mill site is almost 4 miles on a old road with a grade of 65 Degrees at times.

http://www.ghosttownexplorers.org/california/maylundy/maylundy.htm

Here is the jack shaft that ran the machinery in the mine.  Before the days of portable engines the giant steam engine would be run off of a boiler with a big flat belt running to the jack shaft.  It ran across the building with a flat belt pulley of the proper size  at each location where they needed power for another machine.  RPMs were controlled by the size ratio of one pulley to the other.

That is why some were big - some were small.  Small to big gave lots of power.. low gear to the big pulley it drove.  Big to small made the small driven pulley high speed for operations requiring that, yet for both operations, the steam engine remained at a constant speed usually controlled by a governor.


Here is the stamp mill that crushed the ore chunks down to sand where it would first have the larger gold removed as it usually went across a mercury coated plate leaving the mill.  Here it looks like it continued down the hill for further processing before going into the cyanide vats to dissolve the rest of the gold that may have been in the finely crushed sand.


Here is a video of the Mariposa Museum Gold Stamp running.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz8HjvKo2eM

Here is what looks like an old locomotive boiler that made steam to power the steam engine.



A boiler this size could burn around 40 cord of wood per day but just below this mine at the current Lundy Lake area was the Lundy mill supplying timbers and wood for the Bodie Mine.  Timber was disappearing from the eastern Sierra at break neck speed in the gold mining days.  A very big use of wood in the gold rush days was just to keep miners warm as temps here at 8000 to 10000 feet elevation could go below zero for the winter and snow could be over 15 feet deep sometimes.

[PEG688]

Amazing to think how hard they had to work just to feed the boiler! My now deceased neighbor logged in his early years here in Wa. and told me they'd burn 7 to 10 cord a day to feed the steam donkey! 

All or most of the work they did was pure man power , yet they "Got-er Done!" , tough ole bastids!!