# Rampgill Mine Sublevels, Part 2



## Coal Cutter (Apr 3, 2010)

Last week I posted a report from the Hangingshaws Vein of Rampgill mine in Cumbria. As the mine is so vast with so many sub-levels I thought it might be worth posting a few pics from the last explore, which i haven't posted here before. Hope its okay with the mods, if not feel free to delete, no problem 

The main Rampgill Vein was explored this time. I have been down the horse level about 8 times last year but this was the first time we climbed the various rises to explore the top levels. Due to it being difficult to access with dodgy ladders and some 30 feet near vertical free climbs, a lot of the fine artefacts still remain thankfully. Here are a few snaps of some of the things we found:


This is the first rise we found. Nothing interesting was at the top except for an old oil can:









Then we found a nice rusty wire ladder:








Which took us to this climb:








This took us into an engine room. This is a small room about 15 feet square where ore would have been transferred to a hopper. Note the rope grooves in the timber where a haulage engine of some kind would have operated:








Old rotten ore tub in the room:








And a nice old wooden bucket:








This is a sump where ore was hauled up into the room from a sub level:








Further along in another hidden sublevel we found this fine ore tub and dynamite crate:








And a lovely stick of unused dynamite! We didnt touch it or use flash photography as it was leaking a little bit...








After another climb, we found yet another engine room, and here we found fragments of the Daily Mirror from June 29th 1916, reporting on the battle of Verdun in the first world war. It is a strange feeling reading a news report on such a famous event which was actually written when it was happening!








More newspaper adverts. Maids coats for 14 shillings!








Climbing up a shaft into a large stope we found more newspapers. This one has an ad for guns. Revolvers for 4 shillings, and walking stick guns, whatever they are. 








It was a nice trip, if a little strenuous. Thanks for looking at the pics


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## wolfism (Apr 3, 2010)

Again some fascinating things left behind, particularly the newspaper fragments. Liking the shot of the timber prop with rope grooves worn into it…


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## borntobemild (Apr 3, 2010)

truly amazing - i guess the air must be very dry for the newspapers to survive.


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## Faing (Apr 3, 2010)

fair play to all of you undergorund folk, ye must have gonads the size of watermellons the places you get to.great setsof pics and the paperis good stuff too.


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## Coal Cutter (Apr 3, 2010)

borntobemild said:


> truly amazing - i guess the air must be very dry for the newspapers to survive.



Interestingly, where the newspapers were, is soaking wet! The paper was very damp and water was coming in through the roof.

It may seem strange but dry comnditions are usually bad for preservation. On my mine trips I have noticed that timber is always better preserved when in wet mines, than when in very dry mines. Lack of humidity causes stuff to dry out and become brittle.

However, although I didn't touch the paper, on close inspection it looked very high quality. It resembled cloth, with a cotton-like texture to it, unlike modern newspaper. I suspect thats why it has lasted 100 years in damp conditions. I doubt if a modern newspaper would last that long.


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## phill.d (Apr 4, 2010)

Amazing pics of those old relics. 100 year old suff in such good nick.
You put some effort into reaching those places.
Top notch stuff indeed


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## Foxylady (Apr 4, 2010)

Coal Cutter said:


> However, although I didn't touch the paper, on close inspection it looked very high quality. It resembled cloth, with a cotton-like texture to it, unlike modern newspaper.



Off the top of my head (too late for me to bother googling it! Lol), it might be vellum, which I think is made from flax.
Excellent stuff, CC. I love those odd remains you find, as well as the more usual mine stuff. Love it.


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## hnmisty (Apr 4, 2010)

Here's a walking stick gun, it is quite literally a gun in a walking stick! now entirely illegal...
http://freakymartin.com/nitro/funtasticus/4844494d7c549guns034.jpg

Cannot believe that newspaper down there, I wonder if they knew how it would go down in history. Its hard to imagine someone sat down there reading their paper and eatin their lunch, reading about those battles that were still going on or had only just happened. I wonder whether they were wishing they were there or counting themselves lucky.

So glad there are people to go down here and get the pics so I can admire! Brilliant pics


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## oldscrote (Apr 4, 2010)

Foxylady said:


> Off the top of my head (too late for me to bother googling it! Lol), it might be vellum, which I think is made from flax.
> Excellent stuff, CC. I love those odd remains you find, as well as the more usual mine stuff. Love it.



Grand set of photos c.c. Flax produces linen, vellum was made from fine sheepskin.


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## thompski (Apr 4, 2010)

Cracking stuff as always my Northumbrian friend


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## Andymacg (Apr 4, 2010)

CC youve done it again cracking photos and i just loved the old newspaper , fair play to you climbing them dodgy looking ladders,


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## Sabtr (Apr 4, 2010)

A mine I couldn't manage. 

There are some great relics in there mate. I think the deeper we go in the more bang we find!

Thanks for sharing this.


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## Foxylady (Apr 4, 2010)

oldscrote said:


> Flax produces linen, vellum was made from fine sheepskin.


Cheers, oldscrote.  I was thinking that vellum was made from linen, which is why I said flax...because I couldn't remember the word linen!  I had no idea it came from sheepskin.


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## Foxylady (Apr 4, 2010)

Foxylady said:


> I was thinking that vellum was made from linen...



Ah! Ah! Just checked it out and I can see where the confusion came from. Vellum (or parchment) is indeed made from calfskin, and is used for things such as drum skins, lamp shades, as well as paper. But, Vellum Paper is made from cotton, sometimes with linen added to it. So, we were both sort of right.


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## caiman (Apr 6, 2010)

The old explosive is extraordinary. Not necessarily dynamite though; there were quite a few similar explosives available by then. Anyway, looking at the label it was made in Faversham, Kent by the Cotton Powder Company. The works closed permanently in 1919...


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## Coal Cutter (Apr 8, 2010)

caiman said:


> The old explosive is extraordinary. Not necessarily dynamite though; there were quite a few similar explosives available by then. Anyway, looking at the label it was made in Faversham, Kent by the Cotton Powder Company. The works closed permanently in 1919...



It was dynamite. It said so on the label, and on the crate lid. Interestingly, in this mine there are more modern and safer explosives from when the Vielle Montagne company mined the place between the late 1800s and about 1920.


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## caiman (Apr 9, 2010)

> It was dynamite



Ah yes I think I can see the YNAM on the label.


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