+Dragon Blink means the mine has no ability for natural ventilation so It has pockets of methan or carbon dioxide that you'll suffocate from before you realize it's too late. always bring your "Sperian Phd6" if your gonna go into shit like that
No. Miners would take a yellow Canary into the mines with them as they are more susceptible to methane suffocation than humans. If the Canary dropped dead it's time to make haste out of the mines.
It would be the electronic variety of yellow canary. I don't know what the modern ones are like but when I was a child I went into a closed coal mine in the UK on a school trip (It was open as a museum) and we all had to carry these massive clunky sensors that hung off our waists. They were really heavy (for a child anyway) We were told they were functional and for our safety though I can't help but think they were more for the experience than their function. It is doubtful modern ones are bigger than a multimeter. The one I wore was about the size of 2-3 house bricks stacked.
Falney he should have brought an air tester....or an scba unit...one wiff of the wrong thing and your brain dead or just plain dead...example h2s, sulfur dioxide, natural gas (aka sour gas)....hell if the oxygen level in the air around him is low enough he could pass out and suffocate in less than 5 minutes...
If you don't already have one , I would greatly suggest a gas/air quality sensor just so you don't end up in a bad pocket of bad air far inside. At the very least maybe a small o2 canister which can be found at some pharmacies for $20 or less. Just enough for an short emergency or they have the scuba versions of emergency air supply. Even a simple gas detector kit can be made pretty cheaply these days. Even try eBay for kits if you have basic soldering skills or pre built kit meters. Whatever you do just be safe and keep up the awesome explorations. :)
ApexMike Yeah lots of out of work canaries, after the whole workplace safety debacle with puddy tats, even with high visibility jackets on, most yellow canaries only thought they saw a puddy tat.
It's hard to know without knowing what state you were in, but that was an animal that was killed on purpose. The bone scattering is a pretty definitive sign of predation, especially to the extent it was. Rats, mice, and other small animals generally prefer to gnaw the food where it is, and cache smaller pieces. It's not a donkey, horse, or mule. The orbital sockets are too large, placed too low, and there are no incisors on the upper jaw. It's also not a mountain lion :P That's an ungulate skull. Cat skulls have pretty distinctive shearing and slicing fangs, and have far fewer teeth. Just from my education as a zoologist, I'm going to say this was a mountain sheep or goat skull. More than likely female. If you could tell me which state you were in, and what area you were around, I could probably narrow it down to a specific species. My guess? A mountain lion probably killed this, yanked it down here because it's a convenient hiding spot away from other predators, ate some of it, left, and forgot where it was.
Not for an animal caching. Cougars and bears in particular will drag a carcass for up to a half mile looking for the perfect, undisturbed spot. You see, predators only successfully hunt about 1 in every 10 times, which means every scrap of that meat is precious. Unfortunately, just like an overzealous squirrel, sometimes the predator completely forgets WHERE he or she left the carcass. I suspect the cougar was chuffed with himself when he dragged it down there, ate his fill, wandered out, then didn't realize he dragged it down so far the scent wouldn't carry. Rats, insects and other underground denizens took care of the rest. I wish he would have examined the corpse a little more closely. A damaged atlas/axis/C1 vertebra would really go far in determining what exactly killed this animal. So could gnaw marks on the bones, examinations of the scraps beneath the body, etc etc.
Looks to me like a former burro's carcass. I heard once that many of those wild burros are descendants of the mine ones. So, i guess, it's a fitting end.
I think my favorite parts of this particular mine was the miner's graffiti. It's great to see still on good shape after 50+ yrs and not destroyed by vandals or modern graffiti. Thanks for sharing these videos & experiences with us!
Gives you a real sense of time from the dates the old miners left on the walls. You somehow feel the weight of all the years that have passed since the miners made them. Another very interesting and atmospheric video, Frank.
Clouds Rain It was a tidy mine. Makes one wonder what might be down on those lower levels that I did not descend to. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks for pointing out Ernest Affranchino! With some research we were able to find records for him and his parents, his paternal grandparents, and his wife and son! All day we've been gathering the pieces of the puzzle to get birth dates and locations and death dates and burial sites for all of his family. We were able to find a living relative of his as well and contact her with all the info we found. Maybe you can give us the locations of the two mines you found his name in so that his descendants can see them. Here is his gravestone! www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Affranchino&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=28272986&df=all&
Alexis Carlsen Wow. That's Amazing. I often wondered/hoped a relative would see the graffiti and recognise the Name/Mine as one their grandfather or whatever worked in. How cool that you found them man X :-D
Bad air might've been a joke too. But, yes, generally you keep out of these things if you don't have a sensor, which he does mention carrying. There's also the fact that he's speaking, if his voice changes, he's in deep shit, so he would notice that. Been in an underground bell once, doing survey, and i got above the ground at 2 3 meters, my voice was considerably different than on ground level, and i did notice it, and the headache.
That intact electrical lighting is quite intriguing! It's so tempting to hook up a power source to see whether it might still be without shorts and actually light up! And that skeleton really added a creepy touch to the end, I have to say. Hard to imagine how it got so far into the mine to then presumably starve to death...
shenanigan87 if he hooked up the electrical and was to see if the lights would work there would be a problem with that. there is water on the lights and that would cause the lights to explode or cause a short.
And the fact that it is suspended by support's it is not grounded, I'd fire the fucker up, all it would do is trip the breaker if it had the correct AIC fault rating factor for such a distance otherwise it would just melt the breaker, your just like the guys I use to work with, ...fuckin lib...spot you a mile away...Main stream media, and the earth is flat...I'm done, time for another cold one!!
There's a claim under Lester Bisoni's name that goes up until 1992. Highly recommend searching his name in Google, there's a ton of interesting read on these two brothers.
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ I have gone in a lot of mines in cali and if they say do not enter it just makes me want to explore them even more.
caleb roach I know what you mean. If the sign on the door said, "SAFE MINE. ENJOY!", would it be as interesting or as exciting to enter? No, it wouldn't.
It is neat to see that old miners graffiti. What they must’ve went through in those tunnels! Frank has a nice voice and I like the way he explains things.
cigarzan Thanks for commenting! I bet you have some great stories to tell from 40 years ago. Most of those mines you were in are probably long gone and have either been bulldozed shut, blasted shut, or sealed off with gates. Feel free to regale us with some stories here -- always like to hear how things were "back in the day." Or post your stories on my UA-cam channel's DISCUSSION page so they are more likely to be seen and read by more people. Thanks again for commenting and watching! I really appreciate your support!
caramelfleece Thanks for commenting! Yes, I think I found a happy medium with the new video style. I still can't figure out what that animal might've been. It has flat teeth like a burro would have, but there is that bony projection on the skull right above the upper teeth. Totally baffled by that.....
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ I'm not sure what part of the skull that they call that, but from what I saw when I looked up burro skulls, I am pretty sure that is what this is. The bones look as though they were dislocated before the animal died though... or possibly someone came into the mine and kicked the skeleton. Either way I cannot help but think that the animal did not just walk into the mine. Especially being so close to the end of the tunnel. Here is what I think might have happened. The presence of the dirt pushed up against the walls and down the winzes makes me think that there was a flash flood at some point. So possibly the burro got caught up in the flood and got taken to the end of the tunnel. Blinded by the mud, turned around in the dark, and tired from the struggle. It just lay down and die there.
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ Also appreciating the new aspect ratio and captioning style. Much nicer in 1080p without the letterbox now. Thanks man.
Exploring Abandoned Mines and Unusual Places I just came across your videos this week. I blew through your awesome content rather hungrily until I hit the... "last video one"... so now I've reduced my speed so I can enjoy them longer :-D . My dad was a coal miner in England UK 1970's and I've subsequently had a lovely wee chat with him about his experiences off the back of one of your videos. Thanx so much man. I hope you you are well and found something you enjoy as much as you did the Mines. It was lovely seeing your passion come through and I learned so much about mines lol, very fascinating. Thanx for such a interesting delve into this forgotten wee world. X.
Those are Victaulic fittings (formerly known as Victory). They're designed so that you can quickly assemble a run of pipe without the need to weld it together, while providing enough flexibility to give you a few degrees of movement to conform to varying terrain. They probably used it for ventilation.
Hey, Erica! Thank you for your comment and kind words! Yes, I’m always glad when viewers like yourself feel as if they are vicariously there with me in the mines. Glad to know that you are following along. Thanks again for your comment!
the lights in here are using minex ( Conductors are concentrically stranded, compressed 1350-H19 aluminum. Insulated with either polyethylene or crosslinked polyethylene (XLP). Neutral messengers are concentrically stranded 6201, AAC, or ACSR.) this type wire is also used in street lighting i bet if you had a generator and hooked them up to 120 volts you would have lights to see in there could be cool :)
The lights were soaking wet and dripping with condensation. Would they still work if power was applied? I'm thinking that an electrical shock would ruin the day.
I hear you! Yes, inside Death Valley National Park, there is a mine with "Bad Air" posted at the portal. The tunnel goes in for several hundred feet and makes a few turns. Bats were living in there. There was no bad air. Many others had been in the same mine before I was ever there with the same result -- no bad air. Yes, I agree that it can often be used as a false warning to deter people.
Yeah, quite true! I wish we had all the mines to explore that you have here in New Zealand. There is quite a bit ive explored here though, and hope to take some videos on my next trips :)
Do you keep a sensor on you just in case there is any "bad air" or maybe even radiation (iv heard some abandoned mines get radioactive over time though I may be wrong lol) Edit: Keep up the great videos!
Just like when the waiter brings out your food and tells you "be careful, the plate is hot", I invariably touch it to see just how hot it is and quite often burn myself!
At 7:42 I got a glimpse of a Westinghouse-style light bulb of which shape was used in the 1960's and 70's, maybe later... Cool videos, thank you for posting your adventures!!
Do you guys carry gas analyzers? Without adequate ventilation, low O2, methane, hydrogen sulfide are some real dangers. About the time you hear the alarm, it may be too late. Be careful. I spent 25 years in the mining industry and always preferred daylight.
Bill Gund - I agree with the low oxygen part, but having even pockets of Hydrogen Sulfide, (H2s) or Sulfur Dioxide (So2) or Methane in a mine that been inactive as long as this one is seems to have been is very unlikely... I've been mining for over 25 years and I've always preferred the darkness. 😉
Thanks, Sergei! Going into this particular mine was a calculated risk. I do carry an oxygen meter with me at all times now which constantly monitors the oxygen levels. If it ever goes off, I would make a hasty retreat.
I have a light-socket much like the one at the portal, the wires are so old they're crumbling. I also have an interesting Bakelite bulb socket (with protective bulb-cage) that attaches to an electrical line by piercing the insulation on a pair of wires when the end-cap is screwed on tight, pressing the wires onto metal spikes. Still works nicely as a work-lamp!
There is a reason it says bad air. Bad air is layman's terms. From a confined space perspective, there are gases (deadly or inert) that are be heavier than room air and push fresh out of the mine. The gases themselves won't necessarily kill you, but the lack of fresh, oxygenated room air will. I'd be a lot more cautious of wearing some sort of air monitoring system in the future. Just a simple oxygen monitor will do, and the lowest I'd let that puppy go down to is 18%. 20.95% is room air for reference. Just my personal/professional opinion.
I came across one of these mine exploration videos a few days ago and watched it and found it interesting, so I've watched several more since and all I can think about as they're walking through is that stupid The Hills Have Eyes movie and it freaks me out. You're a braver man than I am. I don't think I would be able to keep going once I lose sight of the outside light.
Thanks for the comment, Derek! Yes, exploring abandoned mines isn’t for everybody - especially if one is claustrophobic or doesn’t like being in the dark. Glad you can follow along, though, from the safety and comfort of your home. Thanks for checking out some of my videos. It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing this for 15 years!
arkansaswookie Thanks, man! I've seen all your comments you've left recently, and I appreciate it. Thank you. Glad you are enjoying the videos. More videos coming very soon, so stay tuned!
I like the adventurous spirit that you guy's have. I used to explore old mines here in Oregon. 99% of them are in bad condition, and after a close call in one, that did it for me. Hearing rocks falling off of the roof of the main shaft freaked me out. I though we were dead. All because a guy bumped or tripped into a vertical support timber, causing the horizontal support timber across the top to fall onto the shaft floor. A large rock nailed my helmet as I was running out. Those were the chances we took. Plus being a bit claustrophobic didn't help me. Anyway, keep up the adventure's and spelunking. I'll enjoy it vicariously through you guy's! Cheers, Godspeed.
Thank you very much for this very interesting and informative video presentation which is very much appreciated by the people. It was good that the mine dried out as that would have preserved the air quality somewhat. It is kind of you to go to the trouble of producing these most interesting videos.
Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, John! I appreciate it. This mine was definitely interesting, and the animal carcass near the end of the tunnel was very strange. How did it get all the way in there in total darkness?
Pretty neat to find a mine you knew nothing about!, and it was worked somewhat lately from those fixtures (50-60's?) maybe later. Hope you get a chance to check the rest of the lowre levels out one day
It would be cool to get down to the lower levels. However, that may be where the "bad air" is. As always, thanks for watching and commenting. I really appreciate your support.
Lol absolutely no signs of hesitation. *Here's a warning on the portal, BAD AIR KEEP OUT- let's go check it out, SAFELY.* I just had a complete BRUH moment. XD
Good find like I always say there are a lot of left and right turns never know what there is until you CHECK it out and you found this for us all to see ⛏️as an extra find thank you.p.s. and a large skeleton ☠️⛏️
***** No problem! The old miners' graffiti is always cool to find. It certainly lets us know the dates of the mine's operation to a certain degree. Thanks again for watching and commenting!
I enjoy your videos very much! Thank you and stay safe. Regarding the skeleton, I am quite certain that it is an equid, i.e. a member of the horse family: horse, donkey, burro, mule etc.. The nasal bone is broken off which makes it confusing, but the dentition of both the jaw and maxilla seem to be hypsodontic... that of an equid (as far as I can tell from the pictures). Source: I'm a horse dentist.
Hey, thanks for watching and commenting! Somebody else suggested in the comments that it was perhaps a burro or something like that, too. I think you are correct. Thanks for providing that detailed information.
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ Sounds like this was a mule-worked mine, then. Presumably the animal was shot to avoid needing to remove it from the mine site when operations ceased. Interestingly enough, the last mule mine in the US was a coal mine in Iowa that closed around 1973.
This is a good format for the videos. This was a very cool mine. Hard to tell what kind of animal it was but is sucks that a wandering animal got lost in there and died trying to find it's way out. Sad.
To the poster of this fine video into some of the mines I explored as a much younger man whose profession was hardrock mining: I hope you have some kind of air tester for mines like this one and especially if you cannot discern air movement. If nothing else, take a lighter or matches in with you and flick on the flame; if it is not a good-sized flame; but instead a weak yellow flame; or even worse a blue flame; evacuate the area immediately.+
I have a fascination with old abandoned mines and holes and whatnot, and now I stumbled across a channel dedicated to it! Hope you don't mind the slight increase in your list of subscribers ;]
Michael Jarrett Welcome aboard, Mike! Thanks for subscribing and taking an interest in my videos. You will find a lot here to keep you busy. And more videos are coming very soon! Thanks again!
Thanks, Michael, for subscribing. Welcome aboard! Yes, if you are into exploring abandoned mines then you will like this channel. I took the month of May off from exploring but will be posting new content this weekend from a recent trip. Stay tuned!
Perhaps one day you could do a video explaining everything? What a winze is for, what were shafts used for, what sort of tools would have been used, ect. Really interested to learn about it! :)
That could be true. Some others have suggested that the sheep carcass was put in there by the mine's claim owner so that the smell would scare-off other people from going into the mine. Mines like this, though, with a long entry tunnel with no other opening to the outside do run the risk of having "bad air" in them due to no circulation in the deeper recesses of the mine. That's why most explorers carry an oxygen meter when exploring. Thanks for your comment!
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ I'm in the UK, so different rules apply. What gets the sensitive sites closed over here, is people visiting, then plastering the locations all over the internet. - Then the owners see it...
Hopefully it was still open and accessible! Did you go in? It’s a pretty long tunnel. I can’t remember what the road was like going up to the mine but I did get my Corolla up there, believe it or not. Thanks for your comment!
I was linked here from that iDubbz video where he crawls around in a sewer and eats a pickle. Bro you've got some great content I've watched a lot now haha
Where is this one, (GPS coordinates)? This looks like a good one to check out. With the lights intact I'd be tempted to bring a generator and see if it could be lit up!
I have an RV and would love to get as close as possible to an abandoned mine, possibly encounter some scary stuff and then go back to the RV and wait for the Hills Have Eyes type creatures to show up! Now THAT would be rad!
***** Oh, I always go with someone else when I go on a trip in a abandoned mine. I know the dangers from expirience. . . Not nice. I know my lesson about going alone. So thats why I go with atleast someone else
@@AbandonedMines11 I drilled and oil well close to them and went exploring. 4 different Gilsonite veins, open stopes if you will, to the surface. The longest one is 30 miles long. I have some photos and Arial shots I took with a drone. Theses veins are 20 to 50ft wide and up to 400 ft deep. If you would like I could send you some pictures.
gooseeoose frabba lol the post is gone friend. I do remember it tho, someone looked up the names and found the grave stones to both of the guys. They were about 8-9 years apart in age and they both served in the ARMY in WWII. I have no idea why they removed the posts...
Do you think you would find a big circuit box with an oversize lever that if you pulled would make a loud "thunk" and all the lights would turn on one by one, like that scene from Journey to the Centre of the Earth? 😀 Nice video, I just discovered your channel, so I am binging at the moment. Thanks for explaining how the miners graffiti was made, because I wasn't sure.
Thanks, Alex! Welcome aboard! If you like abandoned mines, you will find a lot here to keep you busy. Thanks for watching and for leaving a comment. I like hearing from viewers who are as enthusiastic as you are. Thanks, man!
MA55ACRE These dry, desert mines tend to be pretty lifeless. There are rodents that do live in them, but that's about it. The really big mines (like the War Eagle Mine near Tecopa, CA) that go in for a few miles and have several levels really seem to be devoid of life once you get a mile or so in and down. Reminds me of what being on the moon must be like -- very dry, dusty, and lifeless. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on your end. I appreciate it very much!
+Stepen Hall Thanks, Steve! Always glad to hear from a viewer who is enjoying the videos. Thank you! I’m sure there are some mines there in Kentucky. Probably coal mines. I haven’t made it to Kentucky yet, though. Maybe one of these days…
Does anyone else find it very odd that the skeletal remains of what looks to me like a goat are 1500 feet down a mine tunnel? The odds of it finding its way down there by itself are astronomical. To me, I can’t help but think that something or someone would have had to have placed it there.
Lots of theories about that dead animal skeleton: 1) It was placed there by the mine owner to decay so that the stench would keep people out of the mine. This seems a bit unlikely because the animal was so far in the tunnel and, after a time, the stench would fade. 2) A mountain lion killed it and dragged it all the way in there. This is a little more likely, but probably not realistic. I don't think a mountain lion would drag a big carcass like that so far into a mine tunnel. 3) The animal wandered into the tunnel and got lost in the dark. This seems to be the most probable explanation. I've seen mine tunnels with burro hoof-prints in them, so animals like that do go into these mine tunnels. Probably got dis-oriented and was unable to find its way back out. I can think of a couple more possibilities but don't want to go there. LOL!
I wish my Dad would put a sign like that on the bathroom door after he uses it!
LOL!!
lmfao
nope. the skull looks more like that of a cows....... maybe a baby cow :)
+Adam S LOL!
Adam S 😂😂😂😂😂
"BAD AIR KEEP OUT" Let's go inside 😂😂😂✔️
No Risk no Fun 😃
+Kitteh Saurus Bad Out Keep Air?
Keep bad air out?
+Dragon Blink means the mine has no ability for natural ventilation so It has pockets of methan or carbon dioxide that you'll suffocate from before you realize it's too late. always bring your "Sperian Phd6" if your gonna go into shit like that
No noooooooooooooooooooo
"Bad air, keep out" "Let's explore it... ... ... Safely" Where is the cage with the canary in it?
fallout 4 :?
No. Miners would take a yellow Canary into the mines with them as they are more susceptible to methane suffocation than humans. If the Canary dropped dead it's time to make haste out of the mines.
ohh ok
It would be the electronic variety of yellow canary. I don't know what the modern ones are like but when I was a child I went into a closed coal mine in the UK on a school trip (It was open as a museum) and we all had to carry these massive clunky sensors that hung off our waists. They were really heavy (for a child anyway)
We were told they were functional and for our safety though I can't help but think they were more for the experience than their function.
It is doubtful modern ones are bigger than a multimeter. The one I wore was about the size of 2-3 house bricks stacked.
Falney he should have brought an air tester....or an scba unit...one wiff of the wrong thing and your brain dead or just plain dead...example h2s, sulfur dioxide, natural gas (aka sour gas)....hell if the oxygen level in the air around him is low enough he could pass out and suffocate in less than 5 minutes...
LOL "What the hell you looking up here for?" - now that gag is immortalized online forever. Nice work.
Old miner's joke. I saw one in a mine in Germany once. atop a stope's head, something like 9 meters from the tunnel's ground. :)
If you don't already have one , I would greatly suggest a gas/air quality sensor just so you don't end up in a bad pocket of bad air far inside. At the very least maybe a small o2 canister which can be found at some pharmacies for $20 or less. Just enough for an short emergency or they have the scuba versions of emergency air supply. Even a simple gas detector kit can be made pretty cheaply these days. Even try eBay for kits if you have basic soldering skills or pre built kit meters. Whatever you do just be safe and keep up the awesome explorations.
:)
Or just buy a canary from a pet shop... *evil chuckle*
ApexMike Yeah lots of out of work canaries, after the whole workplace safety debacle with puddy tats, even with high visibility jackets on, most yellow canaries only thought they saw a puddy tat.
Canaries are really expensive...
I know... And they don't make good tennis ball replacements too.
Come on. Who plays tennis down a mine. It's Volleyball down there or nothing.
It's hard to know without knowing what state you were in, but that was an animal that was killed on purpose. The bone scattering is a pretty definitive sign of predation, especially to the extent it was. Rats, mice, and other small animals generally prefer to gnaw the food where it is, and cache smaller pieces.
It's not a donkey, horse, or mule. The orbital sockets are too large, placed too low, and there are no incisors on the upper jaw. It's also not a mountain lion :P That's an ungulate skull. Cat skulls have pretty distinctive shearing and slicing fangs, and have far fewer teeth.
Just from my education as a zoologist, I'm going to say this was a mountain sheep or goat skull. More than likely female. If you could tell me which state you were in, and what area you were around, I could probably narrow it down to a specific species.
My guess? A mountain lion probably killed this, yanked it down here because it's a convenient hiding spot away from other predators, ate some of it, left, and forgot where it was.
Most educational comment I've seen all day, thanks!
Herrata Bole i have a question though. why would the carcass be so far in the mine? i mean that's a bit excessive don't you think?
Not for an animal caching. Cougars and bears in particular will drag a carcass for up to a half mile looking for the perfect, undisturbed spot. You see, predators only successfully hunt about 1 in every 10 times, which means every scrap of that meat is precious.
Unfortunately, just like an overzealous squirrel, sometimes the predator completely forgets WHERE he or she left the carcass. I suspect the cougar was chuffed with himself when he dragged it down there, ate his fill, wandered out, then didn't realize he dragged it down so far the scent wouldn't carry. Rats, insects and other underground denizens took care of the rest.
I wish he would have examined the corpse a little more closely. A damaged atlas/axis/C1 vertebra would really go far in determining what exactly killed this animal. So could gnaw marks on the bones, examinations of the scraps beneath the body, etc etc.
it looked more like a wolf skull to me but hey I'm a novice.
Looks to me like a former burro's carcass. I heard once that many of those wild burros are descendants of the mine ones. So, i guess, it's a fitting end.
I think my favorite parts of this particular mine was the miner's graffiti. It's great to see still on good shape after 50+ yrs and not destroyed by vandals or modern graffiti. Thanks for sharing these videos & experiences with us!
+Cuba Rodriguez Yes, the miners' graffiti is always great to find.
Gives you a real sense of time from the dates the old miners left on the walls. You somehow feel the weight of all the years that have passed since the miners made them. Another very interesting and atmospheric video, Frank.
Chris Thornley it really is something. those guys probably nevdr thought 100 years later someone would be exploring them
Chris Thornley zip it cupcake
Don't Dead
Open Inside
vesteel what
vesteel Only Walking Dead Fans Would Know lol
Ninja Shounen vertical
Huh, that’s weird, let’s go inside...
He cheat death
Wow, super clean mine. Amazing they carved all that out without any supports at all and still so clean in there. Thanks Frank.
Clouds Rain It was a tidy mine. Makes one wonder what might be down on those lower levels that I did not descend to. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks for pointing out Ernest Affranchino! With some research we were able to find records for him and his parents, his paternal grandparents, and his wife and son! All day we've been gathering the pieces of the puzzle to get birth dates and locations and death dates and burial sites for all of his family. We were able to find a living relative of his as well and contact her with all the info we found. Maybe you can give us the locations of the two mines you found his name in so that his descendants can see them. Here is his gravestone! www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Affranchino&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=28272986&df=all&
Alexis Carlsen Wow. That's Amazing. I often wondered/hoped a relative would see the graffiti and recognise the Name/Mine as one their grandfather or whatever worked in. How cool that you found them man X :-D
He was 41 years of age when he wrote that. Ironically, he was born the same year as Adolf Hitler except this man was born in the fall.
thinks for the info that really cool about Ernest my grandfather and his brothers were miners too
"Here is this big Door that says "Bad air keep out"....Alright lets go check it out"
Bad air might've been a joke too. But, yes, generally you keep out of these things if you don't have a sensor, which he does mention carrying.
There's also the fact that he's speaking, if his voice changes, he's in deep shit, so he would notice that.
Been in an underground bell once, doing survey, and i got above the ground at 2 3 meters, my voice was considerably different than on ground level, and i did notice it, and the headache.
That intact electrical lighting is quite intriguing! It's so tempting to hook up a power source to see whether it might still be without shorts and actually light up! And that skeleton really added a creepy touch to the end, I have to say. Hard to imagine how it got so far into the mine to then presumably starve to death...
shenanigan87 if he hooked up the electrical and was to see if the lights would work there would be a problem with that. there is water on the lights and that would cause the lights to explode or cause a short.
Griswalds got theirs to work and they had a bizillion of them
BTW, water itself is non-conductive, with minerals it is! Retired Electrician...
And the fact that it is suspended by support's it is not grounded, I'd fire the fucker up, all it would do is trip the breaker if it had the correct AIC fault rating factor for such a distance otherwise it would just melt the breaker, your just like the guys I use to work with, ...fuckin lib...spot you a mile away...Main stream media, and the earth is flat...I'm done, time for another cold one!!
There's a claim under Lester Bisoni's name that goes up until 1992. Highly recommend searching his name in Google, there's a ton of interesting read on these two brothers.
hahaha.."bad air...keep out "....response..."let's check it out..!"....lol cool man :)
Aleksandar jovanović I'm glad somebody picked up on the irony in that scene.
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ I have gone in a lot of mines in cali and if they say do not enter it just makes me want to explore them even more.
caleb roach I know what you mean. If the sign on the door said, "SAFE MINE. ENJOY!", would it be as interesting or as exciting to enter? No, it wouldn't.
Just found this channel - these videos are so cool! I can't believe you're doing some of these treks alone, though!
"bad air keep out. I'm not gonna let some fucking sign tell me what to do"
It is neat to see that old miners graffiti. What they must’ve went through in those tunnels! Frank has a nice voice and I like the way he explains things.
Awesome work! I used to do this about 40 years ago. Really happy to see that there are still some pristine locations out there.
cigarzan Thanks for commenting! I bet you have some great stories to tell from 40 years ago. Most of those mines you were in are probably long gone and have either been bulldozed shut, blasted shut, or sealed off with gates. Feel free to regale us with some stories here -- always like to hear how things were "back in the day." Or post your stories on my UA-cam channel's DISCUSSION page so they are more likely to be seen and read by more people. Thanks again for commenting and watching! I really appreciate your support!
These captions are much better. I like it!
Those animal remains were quite creepy, but interesting none the less. Great video Frank! Stay Safe!
caramelfleece Thanks for commenting! Yes, I think I found a happy medium with the new video style. I still can't figure out what that animal might've been. It has flat teeth like a burro would have, but there is that bony projection on the skull right above the upper teeth. Totally baffled by that.....
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ I'm not sure what part of the skull that they call that, but from what I saw when I looked up burro skulls, I am pretty sure that is what this is. The bones look as though they were dislocated before the animal died though... or possibly someone came into the mine and kicked the skeleton. Either way I cannot help but think that the animal did not just walk into the mine. Especially being so close to the end of the tunnel.
Here is what I think might have happened.
The presence of the dirt pushed up against the walls and down the winzes makes me think that there was a flash flood at some point. So possibly the burro got caught up in the flood and got taken to the end of the tunnel. Blinded by the mud, turned around in the dark, and tired from the struggle. It just lay down and die there.
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ Also appreciating the new aspect ratio and captioning style. Much nicer in 1080p without the letterbox now. Thanks man.
TAD2020 Thanks for letting me know how things are looking on your end. I appreciate the input.
Exploring Abandoned Mines and Unusual Places I just came across your videos this week. I blew through your awesome content rather hungrily until I hit the... "last video one"... so now I've reduced my speed so I can enjoy them longer :-D . My dad was a coal miner in England UK 1970's and I've subsequently had a lovely wee chat with him about his experiences off the back of one of your videos. Thanx so much man. I hope you you are well and found something you enjoy as much as you did the Mines. It was lovely seeing your passion come through and I learned so much about mines lol, very fascinating. Thanx for such a interesting delve into this forgotten wee world. X.
Those are Victaulic fittings (formerly known as Victory). They're designed so that you can quickly assemble a run of pipe without the need to weld it together, while providing enough flexibility to give you a few degrees of movement to conform to varying terrain. They probably used it for ventilation.
lol 100 years ago and today still, people still talk the same " what the hell you looking uo here for " puhahaha
I thoroughly enjoy watching you explore these mines. I feel like I'm w you and it's really fun to watch!
Hey, Erica! Thank you for your comment and kind words! Yes, I’m always glad when viewers like yourself feel as if they are vicariously there with me in the mines. Glad to know that you are following along. Thanks again for your comment!
I love how the miners made these mines, because someone has to do it. I love your videos.
+Juicy Bunz Thanks for watching and commenting! I appreciate your support. Thank you.
the lights in here are using minex ( Conductors are concentrically stranded, compressed 1350-H19 aluminum. Insulated with either polyethylene or crosslinked polyethylene (XLP). Neutral messengers are concentrically stranded 6201, AAC, or ACSR.) this type wire is also used in street lighting i bet if you had a generator and hooked them up to 120 volts you would have lights to see in there
could be cool :)
The lights were soaking wet and dripping with condensation. Would they still work if power was applied? I'm thinking that an electrical shock would ruin the day.
whats a little water
yes they"ll work the heat from the light bulb will burn it off
I just love your stuff Frank. Thanks!
+kerry krishna Thanks! I really appreciate hearing that. Glad you are enjoying the videos.
Most of the time they paint these warnings on there to deter people. One mine ive visited said open mine shafts, when in fact there were none! lol
I hear you! Yes, inside Death Valley National Park, there is a mine with "Bad Air" posted at the portal. The tunnel goes in for several hundred feet and makes a few turns. Bats were living in there. There was no bad air. Many others had been in the same mine before I was ever there with the same result -- no bad air. Yes, I agree that it can often be used as a false warning to deter people.
Yeah, quite true! I wish we had all the mines to explore that you have here in New Zealand. There is quite a bit ive explored here though, and hope to take some videos on my next trips :)
Do you keep a sensor on you just in case there is any "bad air" or maybe even radiation (iv heard some abandoned mines get radioactive over time though I may be wrong lol) Edit: Keep up the great videos!
You should have looked behind that backfill at the end. You might've found a Deloren time machine! 😉
Bad air, keep out, "may as well just walk in"
Serio _0 Let's keep exploring the silver corner mine!
Yeah, ill meet you there.
Just like when the waiter brings out your food and tells you "be careful, the plate is hot", I invariably touch it to see just how hot it is and quite often burn myself!
At 7:42 I got a glimpse of a Westinghouse-style light bulb of which shape was used in the 1960's and 70's, maybe later...
Cool videos, thank you for posting your adventures!!
+NipkowDisk Thanks for that little bit of information! And thanks, too, for watching the video and leaving a comment. I appreciate your support.
I need that "Bad air keep out" sign for my bathroom.
Do you guys carry gas analyzers? Without adequate ventilation, low O2, methane, hydrogen sulfide are some real dangers. About the time you hear the alarm, it may be too late. Be careful. I spent 25 years in the mining industry and always preferred daylight.
+Bill Gund I carry an oxygen meter. Others I explore with have multi gas detectors.
Bill Gund - I agree with the low oxygen part, but having even pockets of Hydrogen Sulfide, (H2s) or Sulfur Dioxide (So2) or Methane in a mine that been inactive as long as this one is seems to have been is very unlikely... I've been mining for over 25 years and I've always preferred the darkness. 😉
+HardRokMiner LOL!! Our mine is vertical shafts. Did 2 years as shaft maint foreman. Thankfully no injuries and was able to retire this year.
@@AbandonedMines11 Hey Frank, What kind of meter do you use and cost? Thanks in Advance!
Thanks for risking your safety to bring us this imagery. Way cool,
Thanks, Sergei! Going into this particular mine was a calculated risk. I do carry an oxygen meter with me at all times now which constantly monitors the oxygen levels. If it ever goes off, I would make a hasty retreat.
I have a light-socket much like the one at the portal, the wires are so old they're crumbling.
I also have an interesting Bakelite bulb socket (with protective bulb-cage) that attaches to an electrical line by piercing the insulation on a pair of wires when the end-cap is screwed on tight, pressing the wires onto metal spikes. Still works nicely as a work-lamp!
There is a reason it says bad air. Bad air is layman's terms. From a confined space perspective, there are gases (deadly or inert) that are be heavier than room air and push fresh out of the mine. The gases themselves won't necessarily kill you, but the lack of fresh, oxygenated room air will. I'd be a lot more cautious of wearing some sort of air monitoring system in the future. Just a simple oxygen monitor will do, and the lowest I'd let that puppy go down to is 18%. 20.95% is room air for reference. Just my personal/professional opinion.
No one:
Literally not one soul:
1950s Miner: "dis mine is da shit"
The historic miner's art is always a treasure find.
John Ratko You got that right, John! That drawing of the miner was definitely pretty cool to find.
Thanks Frank another job well done! Really can't wait to see your next explore, I am hooked for life now!
Thank you, Lynn!
Very brave exploring these creepy abandoned tunnels ! I wouldn't even go 20 feet
I came across one of these mine exploration videos a few days ago and watched it and found it interesting, so I've watched several more since and all I can think about as they're walking through is that stupid The Hills Have Eyes movie and it freaks me out. You're a braver man than I am. I don't think I would be able to keep going once I lose sight of the outside light.
Thanks for the comment, Derek! Yes, exploring abandoned mines isn’t for everybody - especially if one is claustrophobic or doesn’t like being in the dark. Glad you can follow along, though, from the safety and comfort of your home. Thanks for checking out some of my videos. It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing this for 15 years!
pretty interesting, never been in this silver corner mine, thanks frank
Glad you found it interesting. It was a surprising find. For as unassuming as the portal was, it sure was an extensive little tunnel system.
Awesome channel. Stay safe.
arkansaswookie Thanks, man! I've seen all your comments you've left recently, and I appreciate it. Thank you. Glad you are enjoying the videos. More videos coming very soon, so stay tuned!
I like the adventurous spirit that you guy's have. I used to explore old mines here in Oregon. 99% of them are in bad condition, and after a close call in one, that did it for me.
Hearing rocks falling off of the roof of the main shaft freaked me out. I though we were dead.
All because a guy bumped or tripped into a vertical support timber, causing the horizontal support timber across the top to fall onto the shaft floor. A large rock nailed my helmet as I was running out. Those were the chances we took. Plus being a bit claustrophobic didn't help me. Anyway, keep up the adventure's and spelunking. I'll enjoy it vicariously through you guy's! Cheers, Godspeed.
Thank you very much for this very interesting and informative video presentation which is very much appreciated by the people. It was good that the mine dried out as that would have preserved the air quality somewhat. It is kind of you to go to the trouble of producing these most interesting videos.
Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, John! I appreciate it. This mine was definitely interesting, and the animal carcass near the end of the tunnel was very strange. How did it get all the way in there in total darkness?
I loved seeing this one with the graffiti from miners. It also made me really nervous, it looks tiny! Thanks for such a plethora of great videos!
Nice find! Looks like that "bad air" was just scare tactics to keep people out. Really cool graffiti in there, keep it up!
Thanks, Graham, for watching and commenting!
Id never explore an abandoned mine on my own. Id be afraid a squatter or something would jump out at me.
I have found remnants of camps inside some of these mines. Not sure who would want to live so far inside the mine in all that darkness.
a squatter is someone that illegally lives in an abandoned building/ unused land
or if he ran into some bad air, probably more dangerous than a squatter
Pretty neat to find a mine you knew nothing about!, and it was worked somewhat lately from those fixtures (50-60's?) maybe later. Hope you get a chance to check the rest of the lowre levels out one day
It would be cool to get down to the lower levels. However, that may be where the "bad air" is. As always, thanks for watching and commenting. I really appreciate your support.
unbelievable....glad I stumbled on this, I never get an opertunity to go down a mine shaft and it's always been on my want list✔
Lol absolutely no signs of hesitation.
*Here's a warning on the portal, BAD AIR KEEP OUT- let's go check it out, SAFELY.*
I just had a complete BRUH moment. XD
Vanboneio \ | The gamer with oldschool wheels | / he said safely.....
But one does not simply "Explore" a underground structure with signs that contain danger...
This old stuff intrigues me, I wish there was more old stuff like this around where I live.
Love your videos and level demeanor. Stay safe!
+Red Rico Love hearing that! Thanks, man.
Good find like I always say there are a lot of left and right turns never know what there is until you CHECK it out and you found this for us all to see ⛏️as an extra find thank you.p.s. and a large skeleton ☠️⛏️
Thanks for posting another great video, love seeing the old miners graffiti.
***** No problem! The old miners' graffiti is always cool to find. It certainly lets us know the dates of the mine's operation to a certain degree. Thanks again for watching and commenting!
Those are Victaulic fittings. They basically clamp onto pipes with a grove carved in the end. Probably would have been used to pump water out.
I enjoy your videos very much! Thank you and stay safe. Regarding the skeleton, I am quite certain that it is an equid, i.e. a member of the horse family: horse, donkey, burro, mule etc.. The nasal bone is broken off which makes it confusing, but the dentition of both the jaw and maxilla seem to be hypsodontic... that of an equid (as far as I can tell from the pictures). Source: I'm a horse dentist.
Hey, thanks for watching and commenting! Somebody else suggested in the comments that it was perhaps a burro or something like that, too. I think you are correct. Thanks for providing that detailed information.
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ Sounds like this was a mule-worked mine, then. Presumably the animal was shot to avoid needing to remove it from the mine site when operations ceased.
Interestingly enough, the last mule mine in the US was a coal mine in Iowa that closed around 1973.
This is a good format for the videos. This was a very cool mine. Hard to tell what kind of animal it was but is sucks that a wandering animal got lost in there and died trying to find it's way out. Sad.
My great grandfather was a miner named Ernest but I never knew his last name...freaky
Coz he never got married to my great grandma
Could’ve been Ernest Affranchino. (1889 - 1959)
Well done again. I don't think I'd Ever go into there, especially with the warning on the door on the entrance!
Bad air. Keep out!
*Kicks off the sign away*
I love these type of channels. You never know what you will find. Cool bananas...
wow. the graffiti was genuine. BECAUSE it was written in cursive. Something thats really rare these days. its crazy that's all there being preserved
+Adrian Nava The cursive graffiti does have a classic air about it, doesn't it?
Exploring Abandoned Mines yes. Especially since they don't even teach that anymore. Really is a shame. Even "graffiti" had class back then
To the poster of this fine video into some of the mines I explored as a much younger man whose profession was hardrock mining: I hope you have some kind of air tester for mines like this one and especially if you cannot discern air movement. If nothing else, take a lighter or matches in with you and flick on the flame; if it is not a good-sized flame; but instead a weak yellow flame; or even worse a blue flame; evacuate the area immediately.+
Thank you for having the balls that I have but aren’t willing to risk.
I have a fascination with old abandoned mines and holes and whatnot, and now I stumbled across a channel dedicated to it! Hope you don't mind the slight increase in your list of subscribers ;]
Michael Jarrett Welcome aboard, Mike! Thanks for subscribing and taking an interest in my videos. You will find a lot here to keep you busy. And more videos are coming very soon! Thanks again!
Thanks, Michael, for subscribing. Welcome aboard! Yes, if you are into exploring abandoned mines then you will like this channel. I took the month of May off from exploring but will be posting new content this weekend from a recent trip. Stay tuned!
Perhaps one day you could do a video explaining everything? What a winze is for, what were shafts used for, what sort of tools would have been used, ect. Really interested to learn about it! :)
i bet some dude walked in when the sheep was rotting and assumed the air smelling like actual death was bad enough
That could be true. Some others have suggested that the sheep carcass was put in there by the mine's claim owner so that the smell would scare-off other people from going into the mine. Mines like this, though, with a long entry tunnel with no other opening to the outside do run the risk of having "bad air" in them due to no circulation in the deeper recesses of the mine. That's why most explorers carry an oxygen meter when exploring. Thanks for your comment!
@@AbandonedMines11 yeah I've heard it gets worse around water too, I'd never go in one but these are so addictive, stay safe in there
"Here's a warning on the portal: 'BAD AIR KEEP OUT'.
so uh, let's go check it out!"
This entire channel summarized in one quote
I agree! LOL
I would take my generator back there, and light it up.
3:54 omg on the right you can see something real spooky 😱
Someone wrote "boo" on the wall
Seeing people go in abandoned mines that look dangerous makes me uneasy just watching them.
Nice video, thanks.
It reminds me, I must get back underground soon, - not explored for over a year now...
kevlandy Thanks! Yes, get back underground as soon as you can -- the BLM and other agencies are sealing up and razing these mines as fast as they can!
Exploring Abandoned Mines in CA, NV, and AZ I'm in the UK, so different rules apply.
What gets the sensitive sites closed over here, is people visiting, then plastering the locations all over the internet. - Then the owners see it...
kevlandy That's why it's best to use fake names and locations -- like this video has!
Bad air..let's go ahead and get some of that
Exploring all by yourself is kinda creepy stuff man. You have the balls for sure!
I found this mine!! We were hunting chucker!!! Still says bad air.
Hopefully it was still open and accessible! Did you go in? It’s a pretty long tunnel. I can’t remember what the road was like going up to the mine but I did get my Corolla up there, believe it or not. Thanks for your comment!
Yep "Bad air keep out"
Sounds like fun!
The reverb in some of those shots was awesome.
1:55 this freaking postscared me I thought that was a person
plot twist : posts are people
did you ever get lost in one of the mines?
pd: sorry for my bad english, not my native language.
What's funny is that you type better than most people that natively speak English.
Bali Killer lol
I'm going to have to agree. That's some good English there.
I was linked here from that iDubbz video where he crawls around in a sewer and eats a pickle. Bro you've got some great content I've watched a lot now haha
Thanks, bruh! Glad you found me via someone else's channel. And thanks also for taking a look around here. I appreciate your support and your comment.
Another great video. That was quite a long tunnel.
Where is this one, (GPS coordinates)? This looks like a good one to check out.
With the lights intact I'd be tempted to bring a generator and see if it could be lit up!
That is one interesting mine. Do you plan to explore it again someday?
you have the biggest balls , i get anxious just watching your chanel! aggghhh how do you go these places alone and not leave a crap in your trousers!
I have always wanted to explore a mine. you should come to Michigan and explore one of our 100 copper or silver mines.
I have an RV and would love to get as close as possible to an abandoned mine, possibly encounter some scary stuff and then go back to the RV and wait for the Hills Have Eyes type creatures to show up! Now THAT would be rad!
Susan Portanova Susan, I'm liking where you're going with all of this! Those are some great ideas! Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment.
You should bring a battery pack and inverter with you to see if you can energize the light bulbs and light up the mine
Frank, you talking about randomly finding this one is literally a "hole in the wall" kind of place
I get scared just watching these
something wrong with that guy who disliked this video.
Bushnav CHmid15 Yep I can never get bored of watching this channles videos :)
***** Oh, I always go with someone else when I go on a trip in a abandoned mine. I know the dangers from expirience. . . Not nice. I know my lesson about going alone. So thats why I go with atleast someone else
Frank have you ever explored the old Gilsonite mines in Bonanza Utah. They are awesome I would love to see you get documentation on them
Never heard of those. Will have to check them out. Thanks for the info!
@@AbandonedMines11 I drilled and oil well close to them and went exploring. 4 different Gilsonite veins, open stopes if you will, to the surface. The longest one is 30 miles long. I have some photos and Arial shots I took with a drone. Theses veins are 20 to 50ft wide and up to 400 ft deep. If you would like I could send you some pictures.
If you Google maps Bonanza Utah and use the sat view you can see the veins. I've been binge watching your videos. Awesome work man.
Cool videos! You should invest in a gas meter if you don't already have one, never know what's in an old mine. Stay safe!
" bad air keep out" let's go have a look
I don't think people from the 1950's said things like "This is the shit." did they? That could be modern writing..not saying you're wrong.
+gooseeoose frabba Look at the post above yours.
+ramairgto72 ....ok? It says, "I was expecting an old hobo to attack you" . Are you trying to make a point about something...?
gooseeoose frabba
lol the post is gone friend. I do remember it tho, someone looked up the names and found the grave stones to both of the guys.
They were about 8-9 years apart in age and they both served in the ARMY in WWII.
I have no idea why they removed the posts...
+ramairgto72 Oh I see. That's cool
gooseeoose frabba no. you can tell it's from that era because it's all in cursive
Do you think you would find a big circuit box with an oversize lever that if you pulled would make a loud "thunk" and all the lights would turn on one by one, like that scene from Journey to the Centre of the Earth? 😀 Nice video, I just discovered your channel, so I am binging at the moment. Thanks for explaining how the miners graffiti was made, because I wasn't sure.
Thanks, Alex! Welcome aboard! If you like abandoned mines, you will find a lot here to keep you busy. Thanks for watching and for leaving a comment. I like hearing from viewers who are as enthusiastic as you are. Thanks, man!
Pretty brave going in there alone.. ..im surprised theres no creepy crawlys..
MA55ACRE These dry, desert mines tend to be pretty lifeless. There are rodents that do live in them, but that's about it. The really big mines (like the War Eagle Mine near Tecopa, CA) that go in for a few miles and have several levels really seem to be devoid of life once you get a mile or so in and down. Reminds me of what being on the moon must be like -- very dry, dusty, and lifeless. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on your end. I appreciate it very much!
That sign really saying “come in , welcome!”
nice video I watch a lot ov your videos there great from Steve hall in ashland Kentucky
+Stepen Hall Thanks, Steve! Always glad to hear from a viewer who is enjoying the videos. Thank you! I’m sure there are some mines there in Kentucky. Probably coal mines. I haven’t made it to Kentucky yet, though. Maybe one of these days…
Bad air keep out! "So let's go check it out" haha!
Does anyone else find it very odd that the skeletal remains of what looks to me like a goat are 1500 feet down a mine tunnel? The odds of it finding its way down there by itself are astronomical. To me, I can’t help but think that something or someone would have had to have placed it there.
Lots of theories about that dead animal skeleton:
1) It was placed there by the mine owner to decay so that the stench would keep people out of the mine. This seems a bit unlikely because the animal was so far in the tunnel and, after a time, the stench would fade.
2) A mountain lion killed it and dragged it all the way in there. This is a little more likely, but probably not realistic. I don't think a mountain lion would drag a big carcass like that so far into a mine tunnel.
3) The animal wandered into the tunnel and got lost in the dark. This seems to be the most probable explanation. I've seen mine tunnels with burro hoof-prints in them, so animals like that do go into these mine tunnels. Probably got dis-oriented and was unable to find its way back out.
I can think of a couple more possibilities but don't want to go there. LOL!
Person man
Awesome Video!
Nice video, a jewel...