Wow. I know its a bit late, but what a sobering article to read this morning.
My condolances go out to the families and friends of those who died at the site.
Its quite sobering to me as to the inherant dangers of old mines and how much we as hobbyist explorers take them for granted. I have a bad habit of walking straight into a mine without stopping to check for possible cave-in idications or whether or not there is adequate respiration.
I didn't realize that there is a problem with acid water and Hydrogen Sulphide (aka sour gas) buildup in galena mines, aleit it jolted my memory about something I read years back with Telus and Hydro having problems with this in underground access tunnels (especially if they were being supported by timber beams). It is also a standard warning you see posted in northern BC and Alberta around oil wells.
I wonder if its due to the size and magnitude of the mine vs smaller 1 to 10 person outfits that we commonly explore (less than 1000 ft deep shafts). I imagine there were a lot more chemicals used in the Sullivan Mine vs a smaller deal, but with standing water and rotting timbers inside of any mine I guess it could pose a threat.
Does anyone on here own or possess an air quality meter of any sort, and if not, does any one know their cost? I know for a fact that deactivated coal mines are a big no-no, and therefore I avoid them. But what about galena (which is what the Sullivan Mine was, and most of the Kootenays) and hard rock gold mines? LR
My condolances go out to the families and friends of those who died at the site.
Its quite sobering to me as to the inherant dangers of old mines and how much we as hobbyist explorers take them for granted. I have a bad habit of walking straight into a mine without stopping to check for possible cave-in idications or whether or not there is adequate respiration.
I didn't realize that there is a problem with acid water and Hydrogen Sulphide (aka sour gas) buildup in galena mines, aleit it jolted my memory about something I read years back with Telus and Hydro having problems with this in underground access tunnels (especially if they were being supported by timber beams). It is also a standard warning you see posted in northern BC and Alberta around oil wells.
I wonder if its due to the size and magnitude of the mine vs smaller 1 to 10 person outfits that we commonly explore (less than 1000 ft deep shafts). I imagine there were a lot more chemicals used in the Sullivan Mine vs a smaller deal, but with standing water and rotting timbers inside of any mine I guess it could pose a threat.
Does anyone on here own or possess an air quality meter of any sort, and if not, does any one know their cost? I know for a fact that deactivated coal mines are a big no-no, and therefore I avoid them. But what about galena (which is what the Sullivan Mine was, and most of the Kootenays) and hard rock gold mines? LR