Its going to take a forest of Acros by the look of it, but every single contribution helps, of course :thumbsup:

Any remediation strategy should consider propping well outbye of the problem area and working forward under protection.

Suitable support for directly under damaged arching might be Kennedy grating or expanded/pierced steel sheeting. Oh, and don't forget loads of scaff for tying the props together.

MARK

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Hey happy to help!!! OMG was first in there 30 years ago... Am I really that old?????;D

Yes.
the person putting the support in might need to be attached to a long rope which another person could haul in very rapidly.

big bungee a la 'It's a knockout' Circa 1976 instead of a rope would add tot he fun factor.

I can source a very large quantity of 4"x4" treated oak props dirt cheap. They would stack quickly to make 'shipyard pillars' which would put a lot of protection in fairly speedily, and would spread any load too. Would worry about acros punching through if there were only a few of the fellas.

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If a source of 4"x4" is available, would a Jenga-style timber pack be feasible to safely stabilise it long enough to work out a more permanent solution?

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Jenga towers are surprisingly strong in compression.

Anyone been down Boulby will have seen 10ft+ pillars of stacked timber adjacent to the roadways, sometimes deforming under the weight of 3000ft of strata, but nevertheless doing their job.

Oak would certainly do the trick. Would see you and me out too!

MARK

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Well we would be happy to help if this gets beyond jaw jaw and into something like action, otherwise we sit gibbering like a knitting circle as the place drops in!!;D

I had thought about using a crib stack with the beams, but it all depends how long etc they are to see how much could be covered. The roof at that junction is pretty high, might be approaching 2m unless I've got it wrong and to cover the whole area I think you would need 3-4m of support.

Mark - how long are the beams? Could a 'tunnel' framework be put up and the top covered, then packed against the roof in a pre-empt?

Steel has been mentioned, I have a friend in Somerset who could probably provide ‘I’ beams – but logistics of getting it up to Nent and then to site might make it cumbersome.

What about using the thick steel ‘foot plate mesh grill’ material as the roof and then that supported by acrow props? Could this be the simplest least work at site option???? Could we get 20-30 Nent explorers to donate £25.00 each for materials…. = £500-750. Quick look on www, Size0 props 1.3-1.8m £26, Size1 props 1.7-3m £32, surely 2nd hand could be got cheaper?

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Mark - how long are the beams? Could a 'tunnel' framework be put up and the top covered, then packed against the roof in a pre-empt?

mostly 3 to 4' long. sadly not any longer. mostly oak, but there is also the odd bits of sapele, iroko and mahogony among them. There's several hundred at the very least. The lad ws asking a quid a piece, but will do deals on 2 or 300 of them. They are sat in the docks at sunderland currently.

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Hello
I'd be happy to make a bit of a contribution if funds were needed for underground things in Nenthead. I may not be local, but I am there three weeks a year, and feel very passionately about the place.
Cheers,
Emma

I have a few tons of timber... sort of inherited it when I bought my house....4x2's some 4x4's I live on a smallholding so its stuff for fences, posts, all tanninised, seasoned stuff... It's working out exactly whats needed.... 🙂

We'd be looking at 40-50 pieces of shipyard oak to make one 2m trestle, call it £50 in round numbers. I'm guessing the optimum carrying load at 2 pieces per person (oak is heavy), so a work party of 6 would need to make 4 return trips inbye.

If sufficient timber were obtained and stockpiled (at Brewery Shaft inset, say), it could be gradually moved inbye every time a party visits the mine; even part-way would help.

Acrows, OTOH, could be moved in at 1 per return trip, so the higher cost might be justified by the faster uptake.

I'll happily buy an Acrow or donate towards oak beams.


MARK

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Oak square cribs built up from 4''x4'' timber would be very strong and would resist at least a 100 tons of compression.
These are known as chocs in coal mining parlance and were used behind old-fashioned longwall faces to support the working area and encourage the gob to break off in a straight line and fall in behind the face. They were generally about 2' x 2' square.
Looking at the photo, lengths of oak 3 to 4' long would make a substantial crib that, with the help of some longer beams on top would span the area that has started falling in. We'd just have to hope that nothing drops either side of the supported area thereafter.
Failing that, as mentioned by MrMike, a tunnel structure placed throughout the bad area would provide full protection. Its just down to the materials available and of course, I haven't seen the site first hand which is invaluable before making an assessment. Colin.

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I feel that the best way forward would be for the most experienced diggers / support constructors to pay a visit and inspect it. Measure it up etc...

Then choose the best option with materials / donations available.

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perhaps a smaller version of a Rhondda Tunnel type cog?

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🔗103282[linkphoto]103282[/linkphoto][/link]

I feel that the best way forward would be for the most experienced diggers / support constructors to pay a visit and inspect it. Measure it up etc...

Then choose the best option with materials / donations available.

I agree, a full survey of the area is the first thing we should do.
Along with a gauge check all the way in to know what size materials we can bring in.

My concern would be to ensure that the level remains open; supports round the current hole may just move the collapse point.

On a storage front, putting stuff in the Brewery shaft link tunnel is unfortunately just likely to increase the stuff at the bottom of the shaft, lower life forms being what they are.
There is an old timber store point inbye of Brewery which would be better.

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Having read Mr Mike's suggestion on competent lunatics that rules me out on at least one aspect, but I'd be more than happy to act as a gophering old git should that be useful. Sadly, or not, the lure of paid work will keep me in my eerie until mid-January.

I await someones command

My concern would be to ensure that the level remains open; supports round the current hole may just move the collapse point.

not sure how supporting around the hole can move the collapse point

supports not anywhere will definitely help move it though 8-)

If this is an active fall, speed/time is of the essence and whatever means can be magicked up to get something consolidated is the most important thing. You'd be amazed how much time you can buy with any old bit of grot shoved in a hole when needs must

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My concern would be to ensure that the level remains open; supports round the current hole may just move the collapse point.

not sure how supporting around the hole can move the collapse point

supports not anywhere will definitely help move it though 8-)

If this is an active fall, speed/time is of the essence and whatever means can be magicked up to get something consolidated is the most important thing. You'd be amazed how much time you can buy with any old bit of grot shoved in a hole when needs must

This is good advice - bung in a couple of acrows quickly and you buy yourself some thinking time.

Good luck and stay safe.

I must admit Mark's idea of filling polybags, is practical and a small team could easily build a polybag wall parallel to the main horse level.
CAT have used the polybag system extensively in their digs, and we followed their example in our own dig at Greenlaws Hydraulic shaft.
Once close to the roof, rails could be laid across the top them and attached to the right hand wall going inbye either by drilling the wall, and putting re-bar into the hole to form a rest or by jamming steel pieces directly in the ginging.
If a cash call is required count me in.

How about the Project Initiation Meeting taking place on site on Sunday 6th December, at 1130hrs? Underground travelling time to site is about one hour, so that would mean departing the entrance at 1030, or earlier.

If this is an agreed date, I'll keep an eye on the weather.

Bunkhouse facility available at Nenthead Mines (cheap) or Mill Cottage (luxury and warm) if you want to stay over.

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