More Tin Mining in Regency Cornwall

Back down the mine, here is a miner having his tea break.





And this next is a video. You will not see anything, it was too dark, but you can hear the constant sound of water. And a little bit of our guide.  But it was the sound I wanted to capture. You can almost imagine the water rising up to fill those tunnels.

And how did they get rid of all that water. Well there were a couple of pumps available, a bucket lift for shallow depths and a rag and chain pump.

These diagrams show the rag and chain pump in action.  The next picture shows part of the bucket lift.

 

This next picture is of the stamping machine, you an see the water wheel behind it that drove the heavy weights used to crush the ore so it can be smelted.

They say that sailors used the noise of these machines located at the cliff top mines to navigate the rocky coastlines and I think this next video will explain why.

I have a few more tidbits to tell you about the mining of tin, but hope this is enough to keep you going for now, since I have a book to finish. :)

Until next time, Happy Rambles.