stuey
  • stuey
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12 years ago
I had a map with the positions of the adits on. One of them was very visible on google earth. I have looked and I can't find it. It is impossible to locate the adits on the plan as they go off the plan. I know where Baseball Bat adit is, but not the other 3...I think. 2 deep and one shallow.

The golden rule of exploring is look for the adit first!
lozz
  • lozz
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12 years ago
"stuey" wrote:

I had a map with the positions of the adits on. One of them was very visible on google earth. I have looked and I can't find it. It is impossible to locate the adits on the plan as they go off the plan. I know where Baseball Bat adit is, but not the other 3...I think. 2 deep and one shallow.

The golden rule of exploring is look for the adit first!



Baseball bat adit, I think I understand what you mean, I didn't know there were more adits, relatively new to the area, is the plan you were refering to the girt big one at CRO? I have seen those but on my visit I was only interested around Union shaft at the time to see if my house was going to head south.
Many years ago I worked South Crofty, back in the early 70's I worked with a bloke who was an ace mine explorer I am sure he mentioned that he got into FC, as to how and where I do not know, he showed me around on my first trip down Cligga. He used to dynamite blow up rocks down on the beach near Porthlevan looking for apatite xtals, I don't think he would get away with that now. We used to get some nice specimens at Crofty, he would pack them all in bags on his motorbike and head to Switzerland to flogg them to some international wheeler dealer.
When at Crofty he got talking to an old crofty miner who told him where there were some real deal flourite xtals on the level we were working on, we hatched a plan. it was an end of shifts job before the cage came down.
We found the location, it was in a sub level inter part way down a raise, the entrance at the main level had a blind cover fixed over it, we removed that, he tied a piece of old mouldy hemp rope to the track and went down, the inters were about 20 ft down he swung across the raise on the rope into the inter then it was my turn, I did the same, once in there we found some good stuff, I swung across into the other inter and there was a short length of track in there, hmm I thought, I will stick that across the raise just in case, anyway after a few end of shift raids down there we had finished, I climbed up the rope back onto the level, he started to climb up, there was a bit of a sliding sound and a cry, the rope had parted and he slid down the raise, the cry was from the fact that his legs straddled the rail when he came to a halt, he said he didn't know which was worse his suffering parts or the prospects of falling down the raise, Happy days.

Lozz.
royfellows
12 years ago
Baseball Bat adit?
Angry landowner?
My avatar is a poor likeness.
Darran Cowd
12 years ago
Lozz,
Home and straight in the book, the plan appears to be the same De la Beche one you uploaded, but not credited as such...looking now I'd agree that run in I referred to could be the sub-surface tramway from Trathans shaft, more I remember about it something was said about it being 16ft deep and unkown that there was a shaft there. If you PM your adress I'll post the book down, you can drop it rouns my dad's when your done, he still lives in Par (midway between the two main parts of Par Consols; that Treffry chap was certainly busy!), I'llpick it up when I'm next down

Baseball bat adit, if that's where I think it is a group of us ended up being targets for marine distress flares, we were having a party in the small wood with the lovely little engine house (think it was for something like 30"?) in the lea of Penpillick just as the valley turns Luxulyan Valley, I might add not only with the landowners permission but with his son organising said party!

I was told that ECC as was did a lot of surveying across most of mid cornwall in the 1970's including anything of potential interest and recorded and awful lot in Par & St Blazey, may include these adits on the plans, this was from a friends father was one of their mining engineers (he ended up running their tip hydro-seeding project) - I'll ask if what happend to these records, although I'm not sure how things stand now its all MISERY - to quote a comic I know who worked in their accounts section when it was all change.
tomh
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12 years ago
If anyone is interested the chap to talk to about FC is Peter Trebilcock, he lives at blowinghouse farm, pontsmill and has a vast knowledge of the area.

Baseball bat adit is due to the landowners, they live opposite, would not suggest anyone takes a liberty with them. One of Peters friends has found an old photo of their grandad working near the mine and is building rapport with them so watch this space, amazing how effective an old photo can be at getting someone 'on side'.

The trouble with researching FC is its just so big and there are so many differend bits, old fowey consols, new fowey consols, fowey consols and even west fowey consols which was part of par consols - makes the brain hurt
Darran Cowd
12 years ago
Bingo, yes, a very interesting chap, didn't he help the Luxulyan Valley Project group with some of the stuff in Prideaux Woods before it was mostly grated or am I thinking of someone complete different? Talking of which the group did a very accurate recording of Austen's Engine house for the project, reproduced the in CAU project report for the LVP...
lozz
  • lozz
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12 years ago
"tomh" wrote:

If anyone is interested the chap to talk to about FC is Peter Trebilcock, he lives at blowinghouse farm, pontsmill and has a vast knowledge of the area.

Baseball bat adit is due to the landowners, they live opposite, would not suggest anyone takes a liberty with them. One of Peters friends has found an old photo of their grandad working near the mine and is building rapport with them so watch this space, amazing how effective an old photo can be at getting someone 'on side'.

The trouble with researching FC is its just so big and there are so many differend bits, old fowey consols, new fowey consols, fowey consols and even west fowey consols which was part of par consols - makes the brain hurt



Yes I remember Peter from our last meet up, I did say I would call and see him, he was going to show me Carmears and all down Pontsmill, but I have not had time as yet.
I have yet to go down the Ponts Mill turning, being retired is a busy business.

Yes there were several "Fowey Mines" as you say can get confusing. visually there's not a lot left at FC suface wise. the site has changed over the years a lot of the dumps went for road ballast I think.

I was wondering if the incline plane tunnel might have collapsed and filled in? It could not have been far below grass.
as I see it.

Lozz.
Darran Cowd
12 years ago
Your in for a real treat with that walk; the valley's chok full, three major leat systems (more if you include the dry ones for South Prideaux mine and the corn mills) two china stone mills, four clay dries (including the china stone one), more tramway that you can shake a stick at (including some decauville type narrow gauge pressed steel stuff overlaying earlier Treffry, canal (make sure to ask to go under the bridge at ponts mill, does't look like much standing on the road - but below!!!) and all that's before considering all the quarrying, the velvet path and the viaduct itself; almost tempted to jump on a train down myself now!
tomh
  • tomh
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12 years ago
As I said Lozz see Peter, make the time. He knows more about the surrounding area than can be posted on an open forum.
lozz
  • lozz
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12 years ago
"Darran Cowd" wrote:

Lozz,
Home and straight in the book, the plan appears to be the same De la Beche one you uploaded, but not credited as such...looking now I'd agree that run in I referred to could be the sub-surface tramway from Trathans shaft, more I remember about it something was said about it being 16ft deep and unkown that there was a shaft there. If you PM your adress I'll post the book down, you can drop it rouns my dad's when your done, he still lives in Par (midway between the two main parts of Par Consols; that Treffry chap was certainly busy!), I'llpick it up when I'm next down

Baseball bat adit, if that's where I think it is a group of us ended up being targets for marine distress flares, we were having a party in the small wood with the lovely little engine house (think it was for something like 30"?) in the lea of Penpillick just as the valley turns Luxulyan Valley, I might add not only with the landowners permission but with his son organising said party!

I was told that ECC as was did a lot of surveying across most of mid cornwall in the 1970's including anything of potential interest and recorded and awful lot in Par & St Blazey, may include these adits on the plans, this was from a friends father was one of their mining engineers (he ended up running their tip hydro-seeding project) - I'll ask if what happend to these records, although I'm not sure how things stand now its all MISERY - to quote a comic I know who worked in their accounts section when it was all change.



Hi Darren don't worry about the book, I will try and obtain a personal copy, I don't like borrowing stuff in case anything should happen to it, thanks for the extra info.

Lozz.
Darran Cowd
12 years ago
No problem Lozz I quite understand, if you have any trouble the offers always open, at worst I'm happy to copy the relevant sections (strictly within terms of fair dealing copyright of course).
Keep an eye out for the the Cornwall Archeological Unit/Luxulyan Valley Project report into the Valley too, from memory it was publised about 1990, probably like rocking horse poo now and only available as non-lending reference in some libraries; it really opens the whole place up; if you find two copies I'll pay top dollar for the other one!
If anything else come to mind FC wise will let you know.
lozz
  • lozz
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12 years ago
"Darran Cowd" wrote:

No problem Lozz I quite understand, if you have any trouble the offers always open, at worst I'm happy to copy the relevant sections (strictly within terms of fair dealing copyright of course).
Keep an eye out for the the Cornwall Archeological Unit/Luxulyan Valley Project report into the Valley too, from memory it was publised about 1990, probably like rocking horse poo now and only available as non-lending reference in some libraries; it really opens the whole place up; if you find two copies I'll pay top dollar for the other one!
If anything else come to mind FC wise will let you know.



Thanks Darren I did a bit of research years ago in that area and let the CAU borrow it for something they were doing.

Lozz.
lozz
  • lozz
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12 years ago
Out of interest has anyone tried PMR radios (walkie talkies)underground for communication purposes?
These are basically line of sight devices.

Lozz

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