Wells Fargo MIne Shaft Located or MIne of No Return????

captain Jack

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Sep 26, 2006
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Don't know if this is way too late but I had two ideas while reading of how to get the dirt out.

1: two small motors plus a belt and some plywood fins could make a conveyor belt that would tote dirt to the top of the shaft and possibly dump it off the side of the hill you were saying you crawled up.

2: Depending on the surrounding landscape, if you could mmake a hole into the side of the shaft exiting the ground outisde the shaft and down hill, you could (if even remotely available) pump water into the shaft which would stir up the bottom and flow out of your hole (which you could put a piece of PVC through to avoid it collapsing or eroding to a hole that is too large.

Don't know if this helps at all or is possible but if nothing else it may spark more ideas. Best of luck! please keep us updated, I dream every day of having an opportunity like this. (and for the record, you're only as old as you believe and act) :)
 

OP
OP
Ecominer

Ecominer

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Mar 20, 2003
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I appreciate all of the ideas everyone came up with! There were some really great ideas and there were others.... I was out in the mountains after I wrote the original story, and took a fall. Cracked my elbow and tore up my knee. Made it out OK after some serious hiking, but it encourages the idea to always have a buddy or leave messages with someone where you are going in case you don't return.

It's not that I have ignored everyone on purpose I just haven't been able to do much lately.

Like I said earlier I have been down in the bottom of this hole and I will soon post some pictures of what it is like. The problem is working the top and the bottom without others catching on to what is going on. I haven't been out to this location for nearly two years, so if anyone is thinking I took your idea and used it I haven't.

When you see my pictures you may see how I rigged my original rope ladder. I can get in and out alright, the problem is hauling a bucket of dirt and stone up and out. Also, like I stated previously, it is not accessible by vehicle. I'll stop here for now, and be back later with some pictures for you hopefully.

Thanks again!
 

audigger53

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Mar 27, 2004
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The more I think about this the more I think you should rig up a "swing arm" with a pulley and a block and tackle.
Pull one rope to "swing the arm" in line with the shaft, pull the load up with the block and tackle, then pull a second rope to swing the boom arm ouit of the way of the shaft opening.
If you can drive some eyelets into the ground to act as pivot braces for the ropes to the boom, it should work without the pulleys.
Now I/you just need to figure out how to "dump the bucket" without having to climb back up to the top of the shaft.<G>
Boom arm on a swivel tripod, mounted so you can get it over the shaft with enough counter weight on it, so you don't "eat rocks" down in the shaft.
Bucket with a hinge plate on the bottom with a pullablle locking piin/latch?
Every thing needs to be portable to the site, except the counter weight.
Possible canvas pouch for loading rocks into for the boom counter weight?
Light to carry in and fill with what is at hand.
You could drive stakes into the ground to attach the eyelets to for moving the swing boom back and forth. It makes for a lot of rope in the hole, but it should work if the end of the boom can be at least 4 feet above the shaft.
That should give you more than enough room for the bucket and the block and tackle to clear the surface of the ground above the shaft.

Just thinking of how I would try and do it after the first couple of trips.<G>
 

D

DEMON

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get someone from another country to help they can't take it home anyways on plane
 

kieser sousa/rip

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Dec 3, 2006
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I got a couple of 5 gal. buckets,couple of hundred feet of rope ,pully and a shovel !When can we start ! ;D
 

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