Last shift at the George & Charlotte

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Tamarmole
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5 years ago

A couple of photos taken as Phil Hurley & I shut down the George & Charlotte mine on 20.3.2020.

Phil Hurley (L) and Rick Stewart (R) having just powered down the mine electrical systems for the final time.

[photo]120014[/photo]

The mine tally board (with apologies to the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway)

[photo]120015[/photo]

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ttxela
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5 years ago

Sad times. My thoughts are with you Rick. Hopefully we'll be underground together again soon!

Moorebooks
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5 years ago

Fingers crossed Rick

Hopefully Boris and his 12 week plan will work , he has clearly been to a Pink Floyd concert and seen the flying (floating) pigs

mike
;D;D;D

JohnnearCfon
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5 years ago

Very sad to see Rick, I echo the sentiments on your tally board and what others have said.

Kind regards,
John (the Wingrove owner!).

Tamarmole
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5 years ago

"JohnnearCfon" wrote:
Very sad to see Rick, I echo the sentiments on your tally board and what others have said.

Kind regards,
John (the Wingrove owner!).

I've laid up the locos (including the ex Llechwedd Keef) fully charged so that they should be salvageable if the mine ever reopens.

AR
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5 years ago

Hope you do manage to get up and running again once this is all over Rick.

Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!

ChrisJC
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5 years ago

This all has an air of finality about it.

Will you not re-open when this current pandemic is over?

Chris.

Tamarmole
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5 years ago

"ChrisJC" wrote:
This all has an air of finality about it.

Will you not re-open when this current pandemic is over?

Chris.

Not convinced we will; it's a case of watch this space.

ttxela
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5 years ago

"Tamarmole" wrote:

"ChrisJC" wrote:
This all has an air of finality about it.

Will you not re-open when this current pandemic is over?

Chris.

Not convinced we will; it's a case of watch this space.

Ah no, thats no good, people love a show mine. I remember as a child on holiday rushing to the leaflet stand to see if there was a show mine or cave to visit then hounding my parents until we went.

How about a management buy out.....

JohnnearCfon
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5 years ago

#10

"Tamarmole" wrote:

"ChrisJC" wrote:
This all has an air of finality about it.

Will you not re-open when this current pandemic is over?

Chris.

Not convinced we will; it's a case of watch this space.

I sincerely hope you are wrong Rick.

waggy
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5 years ago

#11

Have you been laid off until notice or can you still attend work to care and maintain?

[i]I am always upto my neck in it!

Tamarmole
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5 years ago

#12

"waggy" wrote:
Have you been laid off until notice or can you still attend work to care and maintain?

Got my redundancy notice today.

waggy
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5 years ago

#13

Thats not good at all. Im guessing it falls under mine management regs whats the plan with that. just abandoned again?.

[i]I am always upto my neck in it!

Tamarmole
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5 years ago

#14

"waggy" wrote:
Thats not good at all. Im guessing it falls under mine management regs whats the plan with that. just abandoned again?.

That's in the hands of the mine owner /operator; sad to say it's not my problem any more. I think they are just going to keep it mothballed until they see which way the wind is blowing. Can't say I blame them as the current situation didn't leave them much if any room to manoeuvre; if I was in their position I would have probably done the same thing.

waggy
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5 years ago

#15

Thanks Rick, big shame really as things will need to carry on when we have all come out of non hibernation. If we do as currently we haven't had alot of change in our side. iI would have hoped your employers would have kept you on so you could at least keep a salary. wrong really

[i]I am always upto my neck in it!

Tamarmole
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5 years ago

#16

"The Fresh Prince of Portreath" wrote:
The dam in the adit Rick. How much of a dam is it? Is it something we can take out with a breaker and a load of time? With some old layflat an air "sucker" could run off the overflow.

My dad was one of the people who did the first big clearance down there. Sadly, I think his photo record and fat report went up in a house fire.

About six feet of reinforced concrete - don't even think about it.

In all seriousness please stay away from the G&C it's not going to help matters and may well jeopardise any future reopening.

TheBogieman
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5 years ago

#17

Sad to hear your news, Rick. Hope something turns up for you soon...

Explorans ad inferos

D.Send
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5 years ago

#18

Hi,
Which dam are you referring to ?

During the rediscovery of deep adit level in 1971, there was a dam below a shaft, because of muck having fallen down from above, but we cleared this to get access further through to Ley's shaft. That opened up a superb through trip......
At the time the adit entrance was a long duck, and the train entrance was blasted much later on !
Ley's shaft was 500feet deep to adit, most on a steep underlie.
Before the adit was found, we made self-lifelining devices to get back up all the electon ladders....
Pity the place has closed, though.
Best Wishes,
D Send.

Tamarmole
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Newbie Topic Starter

5 years ago

#19

"D.Send" wrote:
Hi,
Which dam are you referring to ?

During the rediscovery of deep adit level in 1971, there was a dam below a shaft, because of muck having fallen down from above, but we cleared this to get access further through to Ley's shaft. That opened up a superb through trip......
At the time the adit entrance was a long duck, and the train entrance was blasted much later on !
Ley's shaft was 500feet deep to adit, most on a steep underlie.
Before the adit was found, we made self-lifelining devices to get back up all the electon ladders....
Pity the place has closed, though.
Best Wishes,
D Send.

During the development of the mine as a visitor attraction in 1977 - 1978 a concrete dam was built about 200m in from the portal just before Crosscourse Shaft and the flooded stopes beyond. The aim being to isolate the tourist mine from the old workings and prevent a major sudden water ingress should a collapse occur further into the mine. To prevent the build up of a hydraulic head behind the dam a pipe was placed through the dam (no Stu it is not big enough to get through) to drain water from the old workings and out to the river via the tourist section of the mine.

Must have been a fantastic through trip. I've looked at Ley's Shaft several times however even with SRT it scares the sh*t out of me!

Tamarmole
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5 years ago

#20

Some positive news. My redundancy has been rescinded and I am now on furlough. It looks like there may be light at the end of the tunnel.