It has been a very long time since explorers trod the Firestone
Level, in September 2009 the entrance was cleared out and inside revealed. For
the first part, all the level is pretty much self-supporting and hand picked.
There are wooden rails with iron ones on the corners. At the first corner an
old wooden tub was found, which was jammed in by some fallen rocks, with these
removed it was then taken to just outside the portal and once moving the wheels
even freed up and turned. Past the tub, the level continues to the left, but
there is a blind drive on the right. The blind drive is a mistake on the miners
part, they must have cut a weak stringer from the main vein. Then realised
their mistake and carried on a bit more until the main vein was reached - hence
the abandonment. Around 30m past the junction another one appears, a dog leg to
the left takes you to a large shaft - T. Gleason's.
Past the first shaft
the level rapidly deteriorates, the roof being very unstable looking with large
cracks and large fallen sand stone slabs on the floor to confirm the state.
There are two more shafts heading downwards on the level and the second one was
reached, but never descended due to its poor state. The third one was also
never reached due to the level being in a too dangerous state.
|