Little-Winds or under-ground Shaft, that communicates with the fide or bottom of the upper or grafs Shaft. It may appear ftrange to some of my readers, how Shafts under-ground, like those above, can be neceffary or even practicable; but it is very true, that few Mines are without many of them; and that, in the workings of former times, they were more numerous than grafs Shafts. The under-ground Shaft or Winds, is worked by hand, with a windlafs only; and its area is not fo large as the grafs or working Shaft; whence it is corruptly abbreviated the LittleWinds. Now that we may understand how necessary the LittleWinds is to the working of a Mine, the reader will be pleased to remember, what I have before hinted, that Lodes in their underlie, go away from the Shafts, in which the work or Ore is brought up the Shafts are thereby rendered useless in course of time, and therefore it is commonly requifite to fink down new Shafts, and cut the Lode at a deeper underlie, that they may draw up the work perpendicularly with greater facility. But thofe Shafts in deep Mines, are often coftly, and troublesome to be funk, from the surface of the earth; either by means of the water that falls into them, the intense hardness of the ftratum they must cut through in finking, or by means of loose foft ground, that requires much timber and boards to line the Shaft from top to bottom. When they find any of these difficulties very great, they fink a Little-Winds in this manner: they go down in the grass Shaft, from whence the Lode is gone fo far as the Shaft is perpendicular, or as far as they think proper; from thence they work in a drift or horizontal line, till they come as far over the underlie of the Lode, as they like: there they ́cut a Plot; and in the middle of this Plot they fix a windlass or winding tackle, and fink down their Little-Winds or Shaft until they cut the Lode in it, or to the depth they intended. If the Plot is not fufficiently large after the Winds is funk, they make it wider, for holding the work they wind up from the deeper workings; whence the men roll it away in wheel-barrows to the grafs Shaft, where is another Plot, Saller, or ftage of boards, to place it on, from whence they draw it up to the surface at their leisure. Hence it appears, that both the grafs Shaft, and Little-Winds, are put down in ftrait lines; and they would be parallel to each other, had the Winds been continued up to the grass or surface; but the line, or drift of communication common to both, is horizontal and at right angles angles to each other; and goes from the foot or fide of the grafs Shaft, to the top of the Winds. We may conclude, that the number and neceffity of these under-ground Shafts in a Mine, greatly depends upon the horizontal tendency of the Lode: for if a vein goes down nearly perpendicular, the grafs or working Shaft will answer its purpofe very well; but if it inclines faft, or underlies a fathom in a fathom, that is, if for one fathom in perpendicular depth which the Lode is funk upon, it is gone likewise a fathom to the north or fouth, the ufe of the Winds foon becomes neceffary. And though there is a great expence in finking these under-ground Shafts, and cutting of Plots, yet their usefulness counterballances it, where a great waste of ropes and expence of draft are occafioned by dragging upon the long and flat underlie of a deep Mine. In deep Mines, fome whym ropes coft fifty or fixty pounds; and perhaps cannot be used with fafety beyond two months if daily employed, on account of the great wear by dragging fifty or fixty fathoms upon the inclination of the Lode; befides the expence of putting four horses to draw half the work, which two, but for the depth and impediment, might perform; it being well known, the Kibbal in fuch cases feldom comes up half full to grafs. Nevertheless, these with many other difficulties are to be borne with in deep Mines inclosed by dense strata; and it muft of confequence follow, that the Winds is more eligible in a fair and feasible country. When a Mine is wrought very deep, it requires too much time to let many men down through the working Shaft, which is appropriated to the bringing the work or Ore to grass; and therefore their underlying Shafts, which are become useless, and out of course of working, are converted into a foot way. To make a good foot way, they build a Saller or landing plot of boards, on which they. reft the foot of a long ladder, the other end whereof reaches up to the top of the Shaft at the surface; then, from the foot of the ladder, they have an horizontal paffage to another deeper Shaft on the underlie of the Lode, where they have another Saller or landing place, and fix another ladder to defcend deeper; and thus they proceed, till they have ladders enough to go down to the bottom of the Mine. Yet it is very common in great Mines to have foot by ladders in their engine Shafts, which not only ferve the purpofe of going down into the Mine, but also of inspecting every U u ways crevice crevice of the pumps that have loft water, that they may rectify them when any misfortune happens. Those ladders in the engine Shafts are of various lengths; but at the foot of each ladder there is placed a Saller for it to rest upon, above which, the top of the next ladder prefents itself. Either in driving an Adit, or finking a Shaft in loose mouldering ftratum or country, they are often obliged to bind and fecure them with timber, to prevent the country from running into the workings, and thereby choaking them. If the ground is very loose on all fides, they make a Durns, as they call it, which for a Shaft is square like the frame of a window, and for an Adit is the fame as a door cafe. Between the Durns and the country they thruft in deal boards, whose extremities length ways are just placed behind each Durns; by which means the loose ground is kept secure from filling the workings and deftroying the men. This, in an Adit, or any other drift, is called Binding or timbering of it; but in a Shaft, it is Collaring the Shaft; and indeed every Shaft, before it is funk into the hard rock, or while it is in the rubble of the country, must be thus Collared; and the top is thence ufually denominated The Collar of the Shaft. All deep Mines likewise require to be well propped and fupported with stemples or maffy pieces of wood, which being boarded over make Stulls, as I have already obferved. These ftemples or pillars of wood, which fome call Lock-pieces, are generally placed perpendicularly, one end being fixed under the upper or hanging wall of the Lode, the other end refting on its underlying wall; fo that these pillars fuftain and keep up, not only the roof or hanging wall of the Lode, but also the prodigious weight of the impending strata or country. I have seen those maffive pillars crushed almoft together in fome Mines, by their incumbent roof, and have been filled with horror at their appearance; and in other Mines, where the Lode has been wide and but little inclined, they have appeared like the pillars which form the aile of a venerable piece of Gothick architecture. to fave the charge of the timber, and cost of breaking the fruitlefs part of the vein, they often leave pillars of the Lode unbroken and standing, especially if they are poor in nature, and of a hard ftony confiftence; and by driving holes through those pillars, which are called Arches of the Lode, they preserve a communication with the reft of the workings. But It It requires much judgment to know when to use timber, and when to do without it; for an unskilful perfon may at a great charge use timber where it is not wanted; or may apply it fo injudiciously, that it may not answer the purpose for which it was defigned. In this branch of Mining, indeed, many expert Miners are not versed; and therefore it is generally undertaken by perfons who have made it. their study and employment; who are usually called Binders and Timbermen; and who, according to their reputed excellence, have very great wages; for without a proper application of timber, both the workmen and Mine may be crushed together and deftroyed. Of fuch an event we have had too many inftances; but if a Mine that has fuffered thus, is worth the charge of recovery, new Shafts may be funk down from grafs, till they come under the old bottoms, and by leaving over head a firm back or separation, to support and keep up the run of the former workings, it will be again in as good a ftate as a new Mine. If only fome part of a Mine falls in, or a ftull runs; that is, if it breaks down, and fills fome of the bottoms with deads; it is ufually cleared by fhutting of Attal; which is performed by introducing upright Durns, and driving deal boards pointed at one end, between those Durns, and the loose Attal; and at the fame time clearing and shoveling away the deads as fast as they can conjunctively proceed with Durns and Laths; by which latter name they call deal boards. By this procefs they carry a drift of communication through their Attal, to different parts of the Mine. The great expence in hydraulick machinery that fome very deep Mines are chargeable with, very often induces the adventurers to stop their workings for fome time, till they bring home a new and deeper Adit. Accordingly they look out for a place to take a level from, that will neither be expensive, nor flow in the driving; and they put more or lefs force upon the Adit, as they are more or lefs earneft in the work. When they refolve to be expeditious about it, they are not fatisfied with driving one fingle end, but fink many intermediate Shafts between the loft flovan or tail of the Adit, and the Mine. In this matter, if they do not reflect maturely, and confider, whether they can fink so many Shafts, without drawing much water, they may severely pay for their improvident temerity. The greateft accuracy, fkill, and circumfpection are neceffary in dialing with a compass for an exact and abfolute level between the the Shafts and the Adit end. A fmall error will be of great, very great ill confequence; fo that none but fenfible, experienced Miners, ought to be trufted with fo momentous a tranfaction. The new Adit is feldom or never deeper, than the bottoms of the Mine; therefore the holding this deep level to the house of water, is very dangerous. very dangerous. All the former workings, if the Mine has been fet idle, muft of neceffity be filled with water to the level of the firft or old Adit. The whole Mine then becomes a house of water, according to the common expreffion; and supposing they were abruptly to hole the Adit, or make a communication from it to the former workings, without any precaution; then the great weight and preffure of the water, would force its way through fo precipitately, that the stream would inftantaneously fill the Adit, and the men could not efcape drowning. Therefore, whenever they are apprehenfive of coming towards a Gunnies, or hollows of a Mine filled with water, they bore a hole with an iron rod towards the water, about a fathom or two, or so many feet, further than they have broke with the pick-axe according to the denfity, or different texture of the ftratum in their Adit end. As they work on, they still keep the hole with the borier before them that they may have timely notice of the bursting forth of the water, and fo give it a gradual vent or paffage, which will foon enlarge itself, and drain the Mine, when once it begins to pipe out of the borier hole into the Adit. Yet notwithstanding all this care and prudence, they are often in imminent danger of their lives, and are fometimes loft by the fudden eruption of the water. This very hazardous business is generally undertaken by enterprizing workmen for the confideration of an advanced price; and I have met with several instances of its being attended with fatal confequences. In fome places, especially where a new Adit is brought home to an old Mine, which has not been wrought in the memory of man, they have unexpectedly holed to the house of water, before they thought themselves near to it, and have instantly perished. Some have driven by the fide of the house of water, and have perished alfo by its unexpected eruption. But I think where they are tolerably acquainted with their fituation, much danger may be avoided, by keeping three or five borier holes before them, radiated or displayed above and below, to the right and to the left, from the center of the Adit. This advice however |