Speedwell Mine - Near Canal Surveying - Wayne Sheldon
Thursday, 30 July, 2015
Present: Nigel Ball, Wayne Sheldon, Phil Wolstenholme
An evening trip into the mine was arranged via Nigel Ball so we could pick up the passages off the near canal. During the day it's used as a show cave so it isn't possible to access these passages. Little Winster Vein was the first port of call, surveying from the end to the canal. Little Winster Vein is a small worked-out vein that extends approx 23 m from the near canal to a forefield at the end, the end rising upwards approx 4 m. Shotholes show that the miners have driven this from the canal, the weird thing being that they get smaller at the end. There are a few shotholes coming the other way, were they used to take lead off the walls?
Once we had surveyed back to the canal, we surveyed down the level to the bottom of the shaft, marking a station on the wall. This will allow us to join it to the main survey. Nigel wanted me to measure the shaft depth. It actually only looks 10 m but its actually 20.5 m high. Once this was complete, we picked up the passage under the landing, too small to enter as there is dam that has been built to keep the water level a standard height, but I fired some splays in there. This passage has water sinking most of the time, and I'm sure this has been dye-traced to Russet Well, but in flood, water actually rises from here and I believe this has been dye-traced from Blue John Mine. The last passage we surveyed was the natural passage unter the tin sheeting, approx 30 m down the canal. This is approx 4 m long, with 300 mm depth of silt on the floor and this makes it rather low. The silt is from repeated flooding.
A very good trip and some more survey data for the Peak Speedwell 3D Model. Phil took some pictures of the Near Canal. Thanks to John Harrison for allowing us evening access to the mine.
Once we had surveyed back to the canal, we surveyed down the level to the bottom of the shaft, marking a station on the wall. This will allow us to join it to the main survey. Nigel wanted me to measure the shaft depth. It actually only looks 10 m but its actually 20.5 m high. Once this was complete, we picked up the passage under the landing, too small to enter as there is dam that has been built to keep the water level a standard height, but I fired some splays in there. This passage has water sinking most of the time, and I'm sure this has been dye-traced to Russet Well, but in flood, water actually rises from here and I believe this has been dye-traced from Blue John Mine. The last passage we surveyed was the natural passage unter the tin sheeting, approx 30 m down the canal. This is approx 4 m long, with 300 mm depth of silt on the floor and this makes it rather low. The silt is from repeated flooding.
A very good trip and some more survey data for the Peak Speedwell 3D Model. Phil took some pictures of the Near Canal. Thanks to John Harrison for allowing us evening access to the mine.