Transport from Botallack · AditNow Community

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carnkie
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

16 years ago

A friend of mine has been asked how the ore was transported from Botallack. Being a friend he kicked it on to me. I did ask when are we talking about and it was a bit vague so I'm just assuming 19th century and tin rather than copper.
As the ore would be going to the smelter I'm thinking Chyandour or Ludgvan and probably by mule. I think the chap who posed the question is wondering whether sea transport was involved. Any thoughts on this are most welcome. :flowers:

The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.

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spitfire
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

16 years ago

In the nineteenth century yes mule trains were used for coal in mineral out. Latter as with Levant and other mines coal was brought in by traction engine, mineral as always went to the highest bidder

spitfire

carnkie
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

16 years ago

Would the coal have been brought in from St.Ives? And yes I understand the highest bidder but there weren't many smelters in the area as far as I know so I was thinking Chyandour. Could be wrong of course. Just been told there were two locos. on the Basset tramway. Apparently a chaps father worked on the other. Have you come across this?

The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.

spitfire
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

16 years ago

The coal would be brought in from Penzance and as I said the mineral would go to the highest bidder irrespective of where the smelter was situated.
As for the Basset tramway there was only one locomotive. The Dolcoath tramway had two

spitfire

carnkie
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

16 years ago

Thanks for that spitfire. Ties in with my thinking although the clarification regarding the smelters was most welcome. There were of course a number of smelters not a million miles away. I must admit I regarded the business of two locos at Basset with a huge pinch of salt. All the research over the years (not least by yourself) and not a sniff of two locos. Not least it surely would have been mentioned in William James' journal. I suspect it's a case of memory playing tricks and perhaps even mistaking it for the second loco at Dolcoath.

The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.