tinpan
Silver Member
"CHARCOALMAKERS OF THE MINE DUMPS" 1880-1945 HEEPS OF FINDS
By 1880 full industrial gold mining was in full swing and a few locals realized that a never ending supply of fuel,was need to power the the mining industry and they had several ways to do this. The most used gas made from charcoal which was produced at the local gas works.The need for charcoal grew by the day.Charcoal pits and tanks were scattered all across the country side and any used sites.Some charcoal-maker took to using dis-used mine sites and often lived in the buildings and sheds.Charcoal take a bit of skill to make and had to be pure or the gas would leave a grease slim that blocked pipes and would often cause explosions.The best methord used was to dig a pit and line the sides and the bottom they dis-used steel plate to keep the charcoal free of trash.charcoal was produced like this right until 1945 as fuel was in short supply during the 2 great wars and the depression.
The other day when i was m.ding around the Husstler's mine and Empire Mine site i did notice quite a large area that bits of charcoal every-where.
On the flat in front of the the pepper-corn trees just back from the creek is large depression in the ground."Charcoal Pits" Once they became dis used locals threw there trash into them.Sort of a ready made dump.There was all sorts of trash in them so mding is out of the question so i dug them out by hand.The soil in the pits was easy to dig and the clay-pan was at about 4 foot and they are about 12 foot wide and 8 foot across and i dug both of them out and then neatly filled them in .This took about 7 hours and it was 9.30 pm when i got home.here the the pics of the site ,the dig,uncleaned relics, bottles,coins in the ground,and the way i left the site when finished.
Watch for the spoons i found and what happened when i cleaned on side.
Thanks for looking tinpan
By 1880 full industrial gold mining was in full swing and a few locals realized that a never ending supply of fuel,was need to power the the mining industry and they had several ways to do this. The most used gas made from charcoal which was produced at the local gas works.The need for charcoal grew by the day.Charcoal pits and tanks were scattered all across the country side and any used sites.Some charcoal-maker took to using dis-used mine sites and often lived in the buildings and sheds.Charcoal take a bit of skill to make and had to be pure or the gas would leave a grease slim that blocked pipes and would often cause explosions.The best methord used was to dig a pit and line the sides and the bottom they dis-used steel plate to keep the charcoal free of trash.charcoal was produced like this right until 1945 as fuel was in short supply during the 2 great wars and the depression.
The other day when i was m.ding around the Husstler's mine and Empire Mine site i did notice quite a large area that bits of charcoal every-where.
On the flat in front of the the pepper-corn trees just back from the creek is large depression in the ground."Charcoal Pits" Once they became dis used locals threw there trash into them.Sort of a ready made dump.There was all sorts of trash in them so mding is out of the question so i dug them out by hand.The soil in the pits was easy to dig and the clay-pan was at about 4 foot and they are about 12 foot wide and 8 foot across and i dug both of them out and then neatly filled them in .This took about 7 hours and it was 9.30 pm when i got home.here the the pics of the site ,the dig,uncleaned relics, bottles,coins in the ground,and the way i left the site when finished.
Watch for the spoons i found and what happened when i cleaned on side.
Thanks for looking tinpan
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