Underground Travels - The Croft Mine

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Originally uploaded by Mic2006.

This is the entrance to the Croft Mine. It was a wet wade into the tunnels which had been carved from within a garnet bearing pegmatite fissure. There was plenty of the pegmatite debris lying out in the forest dumps, strewn betweeen the trees and wooden beams that had once been buildngs. Beyond the tunnel entrance the stagnant air and smell of mold was overpowering. My shoulders having brushed the walls appeared to have released a cloud of spores. Bad air, rotting timbers and an unstable roof are but a few of the hazards that are encountered in an abandoned mine. In weighing the odds I felt it sensible to cut my underground explorations short.

I had ventured into the forest to photograph the head frame that was supposedly still standing. The land above was on a steep slope and at times the woods were almost impenatrable. In that crazy tangle the visibility was limited to a stones throw in any direction. I never did find the mine’s tower, I dont doubt that it was there, I just could not see it.