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Wheal Christopher
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

11 years ago

I saw the "wow" photograph in the 2013 competition. I have a mine shaft in W Cornwall which is now flooded and would love to know what is under the ground - galleries or shafts, size etc?

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Paul Marvin
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

Glad to here that you enjoy our work, they really do take some effort as I am sure the ones above ground do, tell me what info have you got on the mine that you have ? to see if it is worth a trip down there.

"I Dont Know Where I am Going, But When I Get There I will Know Where I am"

Wheal Christopher
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

11 years ago

http://www.cornwallinfocus.co.uk/history/christopher.php . That is all I know and don't even know if the water level at present is unusually high.

Drillbilly.
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

The link is right, in that there is very little information relating to it.

The 1880 map shows 2 shafts (the right one becoming recorded as a well in later additions) the main shaft (with the tips) is probably the engine shaft. The later edition (1908) shows 2 additional wells on the strike of the lode.

It's quite common for the detail to vary unexpectedly on OS maps....sometimes the earlier ones are better, sometimes not. It would be interesting to see if the other wells were shafts, or whether there was likely to be an adit.

If "that lot" are coming to dive it, I'd be interested in having a mooch around the sites marked "well" and also to figure where the adit was likely to be, if there was one. I expect there is more to it in the field than there was recorded.

Hamilton Jenkin writes a bit about it in "wendron tin" and it is featured in "the cunnack manuscript".

Paul Marvin
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

LOL nice to be known as "that lot" :lol: :lol:

"I Dont Know Where I am Going, But When I Get There I will Know Where I am"

Paul Marvin
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

One thing you can guarantee on is that the water level is probably at record levels, if you can the chance take a few pics and post them on here I would like to see them and I am sure there is plenty more as well.

"I Dont Know Where I am Going, But When I Get There I will Know Where I am"

Wheal Christopher
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

11 years ago

I have found some more details: The addit is approximately 48' wide, approximately 40 - 70' long and over 158' deep. Whether they mean at a depth of 158' is not clear. That's all I have.

Paul Marvin
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

I will have a word withe guys when they get back from the Orkneys and look at the feasibility of i,t the journey down there is a long one

"I Dont Know Where I am Going, But When I Get There I will Know Where I am"

Drillbilly.
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

What's the depth of the nearest valley (within 200m) relative to where you pull water out of?

If there is a valley, it's likely the mine had an adit and it's quite probable the adit is blocked and choked up with "fines". It is also quite possible that during periods of low rainfall, the water dries out to a degree permitting access.

Since it is a small mine, there is a fair probability they were fidding around with old and shallow workings which may point towards having the shafts sunk through workings, or shallow workings which are above the adit.

If it's in a valley floor, or pretty low down, they might have pumped to the surface. Without knowing the area intimately, it is difficult to call. If it was an old mine, it would be interesting to see whether there were any remains where the OS map indicates wells.

Wheal Christopher
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

11 years ago

#10

The mine is on a gently sloping plateau with a re-entrant on either side. The lowest point at 200m is 10m below shaft level and at 400m is 20m. The mine is not shown on the first edition OS maps. On current maps the only evidence is a"W" designating a spring.
Hope this helps

Drillbilly.
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

11 years ago

#11

It's possible they may have had an adit (I think West Wheal Chiverton's is at 6 Fathoms). If they did, I imagine there will be a very obvious gully to it. My feeling is that it probably did not.

I've got some chums who dived a pretty clean mine (no ochre) and it was like tomato soup when they had stirred it up. It looked pretty frightening.