|
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 falling rocks and timbers for company. Even if a person
survived such a fall, it may be impossible to climb back out.
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.
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.
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, they 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
NO
INEXPERIENCED PERSON SHOULD ATTEMPT TO RESCUE THE VICTIM OF A MINE ACCIDENT!
Call
911
Emergency Services are in the best position to organize a
rescue operation. Attempting to rescue a person from a mine accident is
usually difficult and dangerous for both the victim and the rescuer. Even professional
rescue teams face death or injury, though trained to avoid all unnecessary risks. It
makes no sense to kill one person to rescue another. Anyone, adults as well as
children, should consider the extreme dangers even to highly trained rescue teams, when
tempted to enter mines for any reason.
DON'T VANDALIZE!
Fences, barricades, and warning signs are there for your
safety. Disturbing or vandalizing them is dangerous. Mine owners have
constructed these safeguards at their expense for your protection. Please cooperate
with their efforts.
Those who remove tools, equipment, building materials,
and other objects from mines and buildings around mines do not go home with souvenirs, but
with stolen property. Many mines that look abandoned are private property -- they
are only idle, and waiting to be reworked. |
