A number of mine cuts were excavated on the mountainside west of the Herbert Mine. While some were little more than prospect pits, there was one large open cut, and a big (now mostly collapsed) shaft. These un-named works were not reopened by the Bureau of Mines during their WWII prospect work.
1 - Early March 2024
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Earthstar (Geastrum sp.)
I noticed this as I was heading through the woods...
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Eastern Cut
In addition to the western cuts that I was heading for, there is another
large cut ENE of the Herbert Mine, near the mouth of Fishprong Br.
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Little evidence remains of the old log dam that used to be here.
Heavy rains in 2017 swept half of it away, and sadly most of the rest is gone now.
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On my way to the mine cuts, I climbed past these big old trees
growing on a rock ledge. This pic doesn't illustrate it, but the
bushwhack up to the ridge was a mess of rhododendron, briars
and deadfall. Luckily I found a cleaner route coming out...
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I - The "Big Cut":
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Approaching the "big cut" from below
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Inside the "big cut"
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Huge boulder at the head of the "big cut"
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Adjacent cut that runs parallel to the "big cut"
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View down into the "big cut" from above
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II - Small Cut:
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Small mine cut
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Small mine cut
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III - Collapsed / caved Shaft:
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Caved-in shaft
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From another angle...
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Another view of the shaft
It's bigger than the photos illustrate it.
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Waste rock pile from the shaft
Based on the quantity of dirt / rocks removed from the shaft, it must
have been a lot deeper before filling in over the past 120 years.
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2 - Early April 2024: Patterson Cuts
I had noticed on LIDAR that there was a long mining trench-cut as well as a few smaller cuts not far from the old Patterson homestead that I had documented in March. I went in to photograph them and explore that area further.
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There were still a number of Trout Lilies blooming near the creek.
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The first pit that I encountered was in front of a large rock outcrop.
It's hard to see it in the horrible lighting.
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View of the pit from beside the rock outcrop
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The rock outcrop from the back (upper) side
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Cut B was smaller, and even harder to make out in a photo.
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Cut C is a little more visible
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Upper end of the much larger Patterson Cut.
I named it after the nearby Columbus and Julia Patterson homestead.
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From mid-way down the Cut
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From further down...
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I thought the hollowed-out area underneath this
big hemlock on a rock outcrop was interesting.
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