I will have to admit that exploring is something that I have come to enjoy. When I see a hole in the ground like old mine shafts, mining equipment and abandoned homesteads and vehicles, I get curious and want to go look just to see if there's anything worth looking at. I do need to say a thing or two on what you need to know before entering a mine shaft or if you by some chance discover a Gold or Silver mine. The first thing is, if your thinking about entering a mine shaft similar to the one you see in the picture above you need to ask yourself "Do I know what I'm doing once I get inside and how will I know if it's even safe".
Cautions on entering mine shafts
Well the first thing would be, only you can judge if you know what your doing. I would hope you did because if you don't you can end up being buried alive, or falling down a shaft that goes straight down for up to a thousand feet and possibly more than that. And if you was to go in alone and was to get hurt and you couldn't get out by yourself, than your pretty much S.O.L. and you will have the next three days to get squared away with GOD and get on his good side. Another thing to watch out for is the bad air that is inside when you get far enough into a tunnel. The bad air is caused from certain minerals, decaying matter from the timber supports or dead animals, and even methane gas which is explosive. So be careful if you smoke. One of the best ways to check for possible cave ins and combustible gases is to shoot bottle rockets ahead of where your going and even before you enter through the entrance of the mine. And the most important thing to know is, DO NOT TAKE ANY DIRT OR ROCK FROM THE SITE. If you get caught by the owner who has mineral rights of the area, a couple things can happen to you. One possibility is getting shot but most likely wont happen. But be prepared for it just the same and believe me when I say that these miners have plenty of places to bury you if they decide to do so. And nobody would never know you was even there. The most likely thing to happen is having the law come after you and this is something you don't want.
Over the couple of years of getting into mining and prospecting I have learned from the experienced miners that the first rule of mining is DON'T TELL ANYBODY WHERE YOUR CLAIM IS. The second rule of mining is DON'T TELL ANYBODY WHERE YOUR CLAIM IS. If people find out where your claim is and that gold is involved you will have so many problems with claim jumpers it would make your head spin and could cost you more than just missing out on the gold that just walked away with it's new owner. The thought of certain types of people getting their hands on some free gold will make them unpredictable and could possibly be dangerous. The area where I have a claim is very remote and it has been known to have claim jumpers that will sneak up on you when they think your not paying attention and will jump you and take everything they can that is worth something. So you do have to be careful about paying attention.
If you're at the point of getting ready to get your own mine and have done all your homework, one of the first questions is should I go after that lode mine (tunnel mining) or a placer mine (open pit mining). Well if you are just starting out a placer mine would be the way to go because the overall cost is much cheaper when it's time to run the pay dirt. With a lde mine you have to deal with needing the knowledge on how to shore up the walls and ceiling to prevent cave ins and there's also the explosive to blast through the rock. And that usually takes extra money to get the permits, if required by local laws, and you would have to hire out an engineer who specializes in explosives and the patterns to place them in.
But if you are someone who is looking into mining make sure you do lots of homework on what you need to do and what to look for. And one of the most important lessons you will learn is be prepared to lose money and to expect it for when it happens. Any miner will tell you that it has happened to them and most likely to happen again. So be prepared
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All pictures here have been taken by myself at an undisclosed location. ;)