24 November 2022 - ANCIENT LIMESTONE MINE BENEATH DENMARK

 

ANCIENT LIMESTONE 

MINE BENEATH DENMARK

G'day folks,

Nearly 40 miles and 1,000 years of limestone mines exist under Denmark. 

If the walls of Mønsted Kalkgruber could talk, they could say a lot about the thousands of people who have come through the mines over the centuries, but probably even more about the thousands of bats that currently live there.

The caves are very, very old. When Denmark was becoming an increasingly Christian nation around the 11th century, limestone mining was a profitable industry because the stone was used in cathedrals. From this time up until the 19th century, the miners used practically the same technique of assembly line-style limestone ferrying. Machinery was introduced in the mid-1800s, individual mines merged together, and the tunnels were mined more extensively. Limestone remained profitable until the mid 20th century. The mines closed in 1953.

The caves changed hands many times in the years following the quarry’s closing. At one point they were the property of Anker Buch, a concert violinist who staged performances in the acoustically accommodating caves, a practice which continues even now. In addition to cultural events in the caves, a museum dedicated to showcasing Denmark’s oldest industry also operates within the mines. 

 

Sixty kilometers (about 37 miles) of underground paths comprise the caves of Mønsted Kalkgruber, though only two kilometers of that are electrically lit. The tunnels vary wildly in size: Some are cathedral height, some are low enough that an adult can’t walk through upright. These tunnels open up into various cave “rooms,” some of which contain entire underground lakes. Visitors to the Mønsted Kalkgruber museum can wander through the caves on their own or take a train ride tour throughout. 

The train rides are only available between May and August, however, out of respect to the caves’ inhabitants: some 18,000 bats. In spring and summer the bats fly all over Jutland, eating insects to their hearts’ content. In the fall and winter months the bats retreat to the caves, when they need quiet for hibernation (hence no trains). During the beginning of the cold season, they tuck themselves into crevices in the caves, out of view from the museum visitors. In the latter half of the season though, the bats emerge from hibernation to test the climate. They fly about and hang from the ceilings as they wait for spring. The Mønsted Kalkgruber museum is intent on preserving the bat population, so much so that they feature a bat counter, noting each bat’s entry and exit from the caves.

1 December 2021 - SUNDAY CREEK COAL COMPANY , OHIO

 

SUNDAY CREEK COAL 

COMPANY , OHIO

G'day folks,

This is the site of the worst mining disaster in Ohio's history. 

On November 5, 1930, a Wednesday morning tour by Sunday Creek Coal Company officials and customer reps was cut short by a massive underground explosion. Eighty-two men lost their lives in what remains the worst mining disaster in Ohio history. Company officials had wanted to display the safety improvements made to the recently acquired mine.  

 Before the disaster, Mine Number 6 was said to be the Sunday Creek Coal Company’s best and safest mine in the Hocking Valley. The explosion took place around 11:45 a.m., about 10,200 feet away from the mine’s main shaft. There were about 250 people at the mine when the explosion occurred, many of whom were able to escape using ventilation shafts to exit the mine.

Investigations later revealed that a fallen wire had produced an electric arc in an unused part of the mine. The electricity ignited methane gas, causing a massive explosion. Investigators faulted poor ventilation and an accumulation of coal dust as contributing factors in the severity of the explosion. After the gas had been cleared and repairs made, production resumed a month later.

The mine was permanently closed in May 1945. The Sunday Creek Coal Company cited increased labor costs and strikes coupled with stagnant coal prices as justification to shutter the mining operation.

 

The tipple and various buildings fell victim to the ravages of time and now only the chimney and a few building walls remain standing. A memorial plaque stands at the entrance to the former mine property on Millfield Road.

The main entrance into the mine collapsed in 2012, creating a sinkhole. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources undertook a major project to seal the shaft in 2013, and now no trace of the tipple remains. A Historic American Engineering Survey of the remaining ruins was conducted by the U.S. Government in December, 2013, updating the condition of the mine site. 

Clancy's comment: Mm ... I hope our federal government reads this.

I'm ...

 

 

31 July 2020 - Abandoned Salt Mine 1200 Feet Under Detroit

Abandoned Salt Mine

 1200 Feet Under Detroit

G'day folks,

It’s no secret that Detroit has been hit very hard by the recession. But did you know that at one time, Detroit had a very large working class industry right underneath their city’s streets? 

Detroit had a very large salt mine that was basically an underground industry underneath their city. It was over 1,500 acres big and had over 100 miles of roads making up this underground salt mine. This mine stretches from Dearborn all the way to Allen Park. The mines were owned and operated by The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company. It was booming from the early 1920s up until 1983, when it was forced to close due to the falling salt prices. When business was good, they offered public guided tours, which was very popular with school groups. You can still see the entrance at 12841 Sanders Street, but it’s only open for delivery trucks. Read further to see exactly what they are delivering.

So how exactly did all of this salt get underneath the city of Detroit? About 400 million years ago, there was an area of land that is now called the Michigan Basin. This area was separated from the ocean but kept sinking lower and lower into the Earth. Because it continued to sink, the salt water from the ocean poured in as the ocean receded. Once the ocean water evaporated, it left behind huge salt deposits.

 Throughout hundreds of thousands of years, the Niagara Escarpment was formed. This was a large basalt rock area that covered a lot of land, including the whole state of Michigan. Because of this rock, it buried the salt mine, basically preserving it 1200 feet below the Earth. According to some estimates, there is 71 TRILLION tons of  salt in these mines.  Even though salt is not currently a hot commodity, it was at one time. For example, a long time ago in China, salt coins were used for payments and salt cakes were used in the Mediterranean. Even Romans paid their soldiers in salt.

 When the salt was discovered in Detroit in 1895, everyone was thrilled. The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company came in 11 years later, in 1906, and decided to start digging a shaft down to the salt. But during this process they went bankrupt due to the high cost of the project, and many workers lost their lives. But they kept on trying. In 1910, The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company completed the 1,060 foot shaft and began working on the second salt bed. They were bought by Watkins Salt Company. After the shaft was completed and the second salt bed complete, they increased their productivity and purity. By 1914, they were able to produce approximately 8,000 tons of rock salt each month.

 Due to the productivity, The International Salt Company who had purchased the mine from Watkins Salt Company, decided to increase the productivity even more! They employed more men and used better equipment, which included electric power, locomotives, and mechanical shovels. They decided to build a second shaft in 1922 and finished it in 1925, which increased the capacity of the mine and also decreased the amount of time spent hoisting the salt to the surface.

 Mining underground was not easy, by any means! Even in modern-day conditions, underground mining is not an easy way of living, so you can imagine how harsh it was in the 1900s. They decided to start using donkeys to help with the workload, but due to the conditions, a lot of them would die an untimely death. The equipment that was used underground often stayed there too. It was just too hard to get them back through the 6×6 foot narrow shaft opening.

 One thing that has been said about the mine is that it was clean and rodent-free. Miner Joel Payton remembers, “One reason we don’t have any rats in our Detroit mine is because the rats would have nothing to eat except the leavings of our lunch pails. And by the way, not only are there no rats or cockroaches or other living creatures in our mine, but also no remains of living things from past ages.”

 

They continued mining the Detroit Salt Mines until 1983 when it was no longer a profitable business to be in. This mine remained unused until 1997, The Detroit Salt Company LLC purchased it. They began producing salt again in 1988, and is currently mining salt today. But they are no longer mining table salt. They now mine road salt, which is used during the very harsh Michigan winters.

Clancy's comment: There ya go. I bet this comes as a surprise to many Americans. Maybe they should change its nickname from 'Motown' to 'Saltown.' Just sayin' ...

I'm ...