Incredible Fluorescing Minerals Found In This 1908 Quicksilver Mine | Full Explore

Good morning, Mine Exploring fans. >> Good morning. >> Tom and Julie here once again. We're out in the Jeep banging around up here looking for some mines. We're on a kind of a blind mission today. We're going to have to just hike around and drive around till we find something. >> Sounds good. >> Park the Jeep and we're off on foot. We even have a couple Joshua trees right here. We could probably drive a little further up this road, but we need a little exercise. We'll let you know what we find. Well, we made the right call to park the Jeep where we did. This gets pretty rough for a stock YJ with 200,000 mi on it almost. What a road. I think we could definitely hike faster than you could rock and roll this one. Well, we're getting closer. Look at all the junk in the below the waste pile there. All kinds of stuff. >> What did you find there? >> I wonder where I lost my boot. A steel toe. Steel toe rubber boot. >> Looks like you could use a new pair. >> Well, that's probably what they wore. Well, we're up at the top of the road which ends at the mine. There's a pretty good size waste pile here. I don't know what this platform was for. This probably was a shop building of some sort where that boot was. Uh maybe an outhouse there. That looks about the size of one. Waste pile continues this way. Pretty good ore bin. And I like I said earlier, I think there was a tram of some sort around here. Uh This looks like an engine with a partial frame on it. Boy, is that buried. Here's this engine and frame from the bottom. It's tipped over pretty good. And I don't think I could roll it back over unless I had some help. Well, there's our portal. It's a very handsome door. Still on the hinges. It's got some timbering up above it. It's right in the rock. So, it's very solid. At least the portal area is. Let's go in and see what we have. Looks like there's a hole in this door for a lock. Because when I reach in there, I felt the lock. So, let's get this door open and we'll go on in the mine. See, I think you would have been able to reach in there with a key and unlock that. And then this bar would have slid. Okay, the mine looks a little bit messy. Some shelving right when you go in. I don't see any artifacts laying right at the portal. Here's the hole that that bar slid into. There it is. This was a mercury and gold mine. Pretty solid so far. I see they've taken the track up, repurposed it elsewhere, I'm guessing. Well, here's a little workbench or fuse station, one or the other, maybe both. There's a box. >> Atlas Chemical. >> I wonder if that was blasting caps. >> Yeah, maybe. I don't know. >> This is a uh Luzianne coffee and What's that say? >> Chicory. >> Coffee and chicory? >> Yep. >> That's a weird combo. There's a uh Copenhagen. Hey? >> Yep. >> Copenhagen. A little lightbulb in there. Coffee and chicory, that's interesting. And they have some directions here, too. Jules taking a little side trip. >> Bunch of cardboard boxes down there. >> We thought that might have been an ore pass, but I guess it wasn't or isn't. Really climbed down there for nothing. >> Well, you never know. >> No, you don't. All right, let's continue down the drift. Looks like some kind of a vein here. So, interesting about this mine is that the a lot of the waste rock was opal. Here's part of a barrel. Those are explosive instructions. I recognize those. I've seen them a hundred times. How to make a primer and how to uh how to set your charge and all that. Prevention of accidents in the use of explosives from Hercules. Let's keep going down this way. Looks like there's something going on over here. We'll go check that out later. We'll stay in the main drift for now. Quite a lot of lumber around in there. >> I know it. >> There's a Coors can with the pop top. You don't see too many mercury plus gold mines. At least we don't. So, I don't know if this was cinnabar ore or something else for the mercury. I've never heard of opal being a majority of the waste rock, either. That's different. That doesn't go anywhere, does it? >> Doesn't look like it. >> No. It's gob in backfill. This low, isn't it? >> Yeah. >> Already clunked my head a few times. >> Yeah. Oh, god. >> This is a rat-chewed glove. >> Another shaft. >> Yeah. >> Is that Copenhagen or Primus? >> Oh, Copenhagen. >> It's a Christian, too. Aluminum. >> Oh. >> Wow, look at that. >> That's not That's not the end. >> It's an aluminum can without the pop top, without any easy open. >> Huh. >> That's really weird. I've never seen that before. All aluminum, too, isn't it? >> Yeah. Aluminum, the whole thing. >> Sure we talked about So, this Timber sets is number three on it. And >> An oil can. >> Oh, yeah, oil can on the other glove. Motor Ease oil. >> Huh. >> All right, where's that from? >> California Union Oil Company of California. >> Huh, must be one of their brands that lesser known brands. So, here's a shoot. There's a switch here, track switch. >> Okay. >> And goes to a shoot right here. It looks like it's all plugged up. This is number one shoot. So, Well, that's plugged up, isn't it? So, since this is open, I brought my fluorescent light. Let's see what if anything fluoresces here. Oh, wow. Look at that one right there. Wow, that is cool. That's green and purple. That one's bright orange. Here's another green one here. This one is really cool. >> Look at this one again here down here. >> Oh, yeah. >> Look at this one. >> Okay, we picked out a few of the fluorescing ones that jumped out at us and we lined them up here. So, let's see how that looks. Let me turn my light off. So, this one goes orange and some green. That one's a dark green. This is kind of the neatest one. It's green and orange and purple and pink. That one's dark. Orange. Hm. Let's move on to the next. >> Mhm. >> I don't know if that would do much good, though. >> Mhm. This is going to fall off. >> Yeah, that one's really orange, isn't it? >> I'd say. >> Wow. All right. Well, that was number one shoot. Moving on. Boy, a lot of lumber in here. Another track switch. Oh, and another shoot, except for the shoot is gone this time. Oh, there would have been a shoot nailed onto there. Let's get our fluorescer out again and see what we see. Turn your light, please. This is down on the floor here right in front of me. All kinds of colors. I don't know what they are, but Oh, look at this green one. Wow, look at those. Oh, that is cool, isn't it? >> Yeah. >> See that? >> Mhm. >> Wow. Another green one. Another green and orange one. That is really cool. Okay, that's was the number two shoot. And this shoot was further. Oh, yeah. Wow, look at that. Looks like it's almost got some talc in it, doesn't it? >> Yeah. >> So, this is the next shoot. Or something. Oh, this is number one. Right there. >> The other one said number one, too. >> Oh, boy, that's all jammed up, too, isn't it? Okay, we're going to head back towards the front of the mine and we'll look at that shaft area or whatever it was to the left as we came in. All right, here we are back to the intersection. Let's take the right. Would have been left coming in. Look at shelf here. And I believe I see a shaft. Hmm. What's this little affair up here? Huh. I wonder if there's something up here that's worth seeing. I don't think so, actually. But there might be something down here worth seeing. There's a ladder. This thing is just sitting here. What is that there? There's track sticking out of this. Three tracks, two different sizes. Where's that coming from? What's that thing on that poster? Huh. Well, this goes down. It looks like there might be a level just down below us. Down like uh two sets of ladders. This is a metal ladder. Very thin rungs. And it's only supported on one side. It goes all the way up. down, actually. We go down another level? >> Okay. >> Turns into a wood ladder. That's good. I don't really like this one. >> Looks slippery. The metal one does. >> I'm down two ladder sections, and this is what you see. I'm not exactly sure what's going on over there. I'll probably take a walk over there when I get off the ladder because it's a little bit of a step up here. I'd have to jump off the ladder. So, ladders go down some more. There are landings. Goes down probably another 40 ft. I don't know if there's a level working level between here and the bottom of this shaft, but let's go find out. Okay. I crawled past this cave and this is behind me. There's some old timbering here. There's some very old timbering here, too. This mine is from the early 1900s, and this must be the old part of it. And this is all ground fall that I'm standing on. It almost looks like um fluorite to me. Although, you guys know I'm not a geologist. A lot of this stuff is about to cave, too. It's really unstable. This is all ground fall in front of me. And I'm actually on top of the timbering for this drift that would have gone through here. But, here's a chute old chute coming in on the left there. Wow, that's some old stuff. So, I better get out of here before something hits me on the head. I came through this little thing here. See, I'm on top of the I'm on top of the back of the mine. The timbering for the back. So. Let me get out of here. It's too bad I missed the cave cuz that would have been kind of fun to see. Yeah, so I was just up on top of that stuff. I crawled through that thing. And behind me are the ladders. And here was a dump that went into the skip car. Which would have gone up this haulage shaft. And Julie stayed up there, so that's the top of the shaft. There's her light. The ladder is on this side. So, back up I go. >> There's Tom way down there. He's making his way back up. >> Yep, coming back up. >> Okay. >> I'm going to halfway. >> All right. Okay, Tom's going to cross over here and see if there's a level. >> Apparently, there was some lighting in here. That's a little more recent than the early 1900s, isn't it? So, here are a couple cans. There's a Shasta lemon-lime. >> [snorts] >> Part steel, part aluminum. Here's a Canada Dry. Root beer. Rooti r o o t i It's new. That's a steel and aluminum also. I've never heard of Canada Dry Rooti. There are several of these things. It's like a 2 and 1/2 by 4 or 5 little platform like maybe a scaffold. They've got holes in them for like a pin and I don't know what they're for. All right, let's go this way a little bit and see what we find. There's a bucket. Ouch. There's another can. That's a Shasta Cherry Cola. It doesn't look very good that way, does it? It might go after. Okay, Julie you can come down one level. on the crappy steel ladder I wouldn't hang on so much to the right side as the left cuz that's the one that's connected. >> Stuck here? >> Yeah. Twist just a little bit. There you go. Okay, don't go any lower now. You got to jump up here. There you go. >> Dusty. It comes to a wind shaft. >> Oh. Comes to a wind shaft. Okay. >> Well, I just came through there from Julie. This one's got a little pressure on it. It's cracked. Comes to a wind shaft over there. Looks like there was a windlass at one time. I don't even know what all this stuff is. It's almost like talc. And it goes this way a little ways. There's a cable down here. Really dusty. You stir this stuff up, it's nothing but dust. This is going to end right here. Boy, is that dusty, isn't it? I don't know if that shaft is open or not. Man, this is all come down on top of this thing here. I'd like to get a look down there. That doesn't look so good there, does it? So, here's this wind shaft. There was a a hoist of some sort here, probably a hand cranker. And I don't only see it going down a little ways. It may have gone further at one time, but not anymore. And I'm getting out of here because this area is not stable. I probably shouldn't even be here. >> He's coming back. >> Sorry about the dust. >> Oh, yeah. That's okay. >> Okay, Julie's going back on the ladder. Not the greatest, is it? >> No, it's not. The wood is much nicer. >> Yeah, wood's better than those. You doing it, though. >> Okay, Tom's going to come back. >> I saw another one of these steel ladders all twisted up down there. >> You did? >> In one of those caves caving. All right, we're heading back out of the mine. We'll look around outside to see if there's any cool stuff that we're missing. Crazy mine. Here's this place to get them with the chicory coffee. Never heard of it. Not sure if this is the vein or not, but there's some pretty wild stuff. I don't know what this is. It's almost like talc down below there in the It's going to be hot outside. It's nice and cool in here. Well, I tried my darnedest to flip that engine over so it's not all laying in the dirt, but I got it moving, but then my my pry bar broke. I did have it budging a little bit. So, we're going to take the hard way down uh and go down below this waste pile. See if there's any cool junk down that way. Looks like an old water pump is what that Look at that. Crazy, huh? And it's sitting down here for 100 years and it still pumps. >> Well made. Easy money, huh? >> Well, we're poking around on the waste pile. Looks like an engine there. Looks like another engine there. And I don't know what else is down through there. Little four-cylinder engine. I'm not sure what kind it is. It does have a badge in the back here. I can get around to it. It's a brand new engine still in the box there. Fuel tank. Very hard to walk in around here. Here's this other engine down below me. All kinds of other junk down here. Looks like it might be an ore car down there. It's got that beautiful Allis Chalmers badge on there. Looks like it's brand new. A little four-banger. A big tank up there. I don't know what that was for. Barrels and other stuff. Here's some kind of a homemade trough of some sort. It's really windy, so you might get some wind noise. There's something else over there. Let's go look at this other engine and then we'll go down from here. Here's this other engine. It's a straight-six. Uh looks like it says GM down in the corner down there, doesn't it? Uh a couple other numbers on there. That's about all I can tell you. Head's gone. Here's what's left of an ore car. We're about halfway down the junk pile. We found ourselves a nice band brake. It This is Yeah, there's the adjuster. It's wood-lined. It must have been off a little winch somewhere. I don't know what this bucket says. Rick company? I can't read it. >> What did you find there? >> Well, it looks like the uh dash and part of the front end of an old vehicle. Look how little it is, though. >> small. >> Look at the gauges that are still here. >> Cool. >> This must be a light switch. >> That's awesome. >> Crazy, huh? >> Yeah, that's crazy. >> Not sure what they made this into. Somebody was a pretty good welder. It might be a water heater because there's those look like water pipes going through this bucket. Who knows, though? Who knows what miners make? Looks like there's a big bucket those galvanized things look like some kind of a bucket. Looks like a homemade shaft bucket. Then there's one of these cool uh barrels. Steel, but they're shaped like a wood barrel. They're bellied out in the middle. It's about a 3-ft diameter tank, maybe even a little bigger. Uh probably for water, I would guess. Still in pretty good shape. It would have a big big outlet over here or a big pipe. We're still going down this wash. It's getting pretty choked now. Could be a problem. Too late to turn back. It's a big tire. It says uh highway service truck and bus. 9 20 made in USA 10-ply rating. I don't know how old that is. Does that say Miller or M I? Little tank with old-style cone-shaped rivets. And then here, it looks like it burst. I don't know if it froze or if something blew up inside of there, but it burst probably from freezing. Okay, we're still making our way down the wash. It's tight and we're running out of stuff to find. But so far it's been pretty good. We'll keep working down here. We came all the way down that rough hillside and we're back down to the road. And there's the Jeep. So, that was a good decision to go down the wash. We found a lot of cool stuff down here, didn't we? >> It was. It was good. It was good. Thanks for watching the video. We hope you enjoyed it and we'll see you on our next adventure. >> Shh.