| This type of activity is inherently dangerous and should not be done by anyone. If it was safe, why would there be a "Stay Out, Stay Alive" program? |
Reasons NOT to Explore Mines
BAD AIR: "Bad air" contains poisonous gases or insufficient oxygen. Poisonous gases can accumulate in low
areas or along the floor. A person may enter such areas breathing the good air above the gases but the motion
caused by walking will mix the gases with the good air, producing a possibly lethal mixture for him to breathe on
the return trip. Because little effort is required to go down a ladder, the effects of "bad air" may not be noticed, but
when climbing out of a shaft, a person requires more oxygen and breathes more deeply. The result is dizziness,
followed by unconsciousness. If the gas doesn't kill, the fall will.
CAVE-INS: Cave-ins are an obvious danger. Areas that are likely to cave often are hard to detect. Minor
disturbances, such as vibrations caused by walking or speaking, may cause a cave-in. If a person is caught, he
can be crushed to death. A less cheerful possibility is to be trapped behind a cave-in without anyone knowing you
are there. Death may come through starvation, thirst, or gradual suffocation.
EXPLOSIVES: Many abandoned mines contain old explosives left by previous workers. This is extremely
dangerous. Explosives should never be handled by anyone not thoroughly familiar with them. Even experienced
miners hesitate to handle old explosives. Old dynamite sticks and caps can explode if stepped on or just touched.
LADDERS: Ladders in most abandoned mines are unsafe. Ladder rungs are missing or broken. Some will fail
under the weight of a child because of dry rot. Vertical ladders are particularly dangerous.
RATTLESNAKES: Old mine tunnels and shafts are among their favorite haunts-to cool off in summer, or to search
for rodents and other small animals. Any hole or ledge, especially near the mouth of the tunnel or shaft, can
conceal a snake.
SHAFTS: The collar or top of a mine shaft is especially dangerous. The fall down a deep shaft is just as lethal as
the fall from a tall building-with the added disadvantage of bouncing from wall to wall in a shaft and the likelihood
of having failing rocks and timbers for company. Even if a person survived such a fall, it may be impossible to
climb back out. The rock at the surface is often decomposed. Timbers may be rotten or missing. It is dangerous to
walk anywhere near a shaft opening-the whole area is often ready and waiting to slide into the shaft, along with
the curious. A shaft sunk inside a tunnel is called a winze. In many old mines, winzes have been boarded over. If
these boards have decayed, a perfect trap is waiting.
TIMBER: The timber in abandoned mines can be weak from decay. Other timber, although apparently in good
condition, may become loose and fall at the slightest touch. A well-timbered mine opening can look very solid
when in fact the timber can barely support its own weight. There is the constant danger of inadvertently touching
a timber and causing the tunnel to collapse.
WATER: Many tunnels have standing pools of water, which could conceal holes in the floor. Pools of water also
are common at the bottom of shafts. It is usually impossible to estimate the depth of the water, and a false step
could lead to drowning.
From Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
BAD AIR: "Bad air" contains poisonous gases or insufficient oxygen. Poisonous gases can accumulate in low
areas or along the floor. A person may enter such areas breathing the good air above the gases but the motion
caused by walking will mix the gases with the good air, producing a possibly lethal mixture for him to breathe on
the return trip. Because little effort is required to go down a ladder, the effects of "bad air" may not be noticed, but
when climbing out of a shaft, a person requires more oxygen and breathes more deeply. The result is dizziness,
followed by unconsciousness. If the gas doesn't kill, the fall will.
CAVE-INS: Cave-ins are an obvious danger. Areas that are likely to cave often are hard to detect. Minor
disturbances, such as vibrations caused by walking or speaking, may cause a cave-in. If a person is caught, he
can be crushed to death. A less cheerful possibility is to be trapped behind a cave-in without anyone knowing you
are there. Death may come through starvation, thirst, or gradual suffocation.
EXPLOSIVES: Many abandoned mines contain old explosives left by previous workers. This is extremely
dangerous. Explosives should never be handled by anyone not thoroughly familiar with them. Even experienced
miners hesitate to handle old explosives. Old dynamite sticks and caps can explode if stepped on or just touched.
LADDERS: Ladders in most abandoned mines are unsafe. Ladder rungs are missing or broken. Some will fail
under the weight of a child because of dry rot. Vertical ladders are particularly dangerous.
RATTLESNAKES: Old mine tunnels and shafts are among their favorite haunts-to cool off in summer, or to search
for rodents and other small animals. Any hole or ledge, especially near the mouth of the tunnel or shaft, can
conceal a snake.
SHAFTS: The collar or top of a mine shaft is especially dangerous. The fall down a deep shaft is just as lethal as
the fall from a tall building-with the added disadvantage of bouncing from wall to wall in a shaft and the likelihood
of having failing rocks and timbers for company. Even if a person survived such a fall, it may be impossible to
climb back out. The rock at the surface is often decomposed. Timbers may be rotten or missing. It is dangerous to
walk anywhere near a shaft opening-the whole area is often ready and waiting to slide into the shaft, along with
the curious. A shaft sunk inside a tunnel is called a winze. In many old mines, winzes have been boarded over. If
these boards have decayed, a perfect trap is waiting.
TIMBER: The timber in abandoned mines can be weak from decay. Other timber, although apparently in good
condition, may become loose and fall at the slightest touch. A well-timbered mine opening can look very solid
when in fact the timber can barely support its own weight. There is the constant danger of inadvertently touching
a timber and causing the tunnel to collapse.
WATER: Many tunnels have standing pools of water, which could conceal holes in the floor. Pools of water also
are common at the bottom of shafts. It is usually impossible to estimate the depth of the water, and a false step
could lead to drowning.
From Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
| Stay Out/Stay Alive video long (24:31) |