After the bad roof and wall falls a few months ago the shoring up
of the current part of the shaft was rethinked and a new form was taken. Steel
and expanding foam. The roof and side where in such a bad friable state that
they just kept on pouring in. Pete did some research and found a company rthat
supplied a special expanding foam, that had a long cure time meaning it could
be injected deeply into the loose material making sure you got good penetration
before it all started to cure. The bonus was that this technique was also used
in commercial coal mines as a standard method of stabilisation. This coupled
with steel pillars supporting the hanging and foot walls really upped the
states in the stability game.
Whilst I was down there this time, Pete
had broken into what looked like the top of large boulder choke. This was the
most promising view of such a choke to date. Others had been seen and dug
through, but with no results. No levels and open stopes to be seen. Could this
be the choke that leads to a breakthough and the end of the shaft run
in?
The shaft bottom now is really deep and it seems for ever to climb
down to the working area. Kibbles take a considerable time to reach the shaft
top - a sure indicator of the progress downwards. |