Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2 This is the second gallery of images I took around the museum, When the sun is shining and the weather is warm, there is just no better place to be.
Bob Orchard has supplied much of the information on the images.
Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.1 – Adjacent to the winder & compressor houses. Two water tanks, but technically very interesting.
The tank with “egg ends” is of riveted construction was originally an air receiver at the mine. But it was condemned for use as a pressure vessel.
So typical of Geevor it was moved and converted to a water storage tank. This type of construction goes back to Trevithick’s day.
Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.2 – A closeup of the valve leading to the tanks.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.3 – Outside the Compressor House. This complicated array of pipes took the generated compressed to the air receiver in the background. The building on the left houses the electrical switch gear for the mine.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.4 – The salt air has heavily corroded the pipes. But they make a very good subject for photography.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.5 – Another closer image of the air receiver. From here is was channeled underground to power the Rock Drills also Rocker Shovels and all the equipment needed for a deep metal mine.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.6 – Photogenically by far the most interesting subject on the Geevor Mine Site (for me that is).Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.7 – One of the valves on the air pipes.
Next to the Compressor house is the Electrical Sub Station. The mine was fed electricity from the large sub station at Trewellard which was built during the 1970’s. An underground cable carried the power to the transformers outside.
Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.8 – One of the transformers outside the electrical Sub Station.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.9 – The same transformer from a different angle.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.10 – Electrical gauges in the Sub Station. Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.11 – The line of switch gear in the Sub Station, from here power was distributed to the whole of the mine. With out this power to keep the pumps going the mine would have flooded.
The next few images on the page are all taken in the interior of the Geevor Mine Compressor House. This was where the compressed air to drive the underground rockdrills and machinery was produced. Without this mining operations would have ground to a halt.
The building was constructed during the early 1950’s the three compressors were installed soon afterwards. The machines here are “Sentinal” double acting, two stage air compressors built by Alley & Maclellan Glasgow. The motors of the compressors are 3 phase, open frame “slip ring” motors, with wound rotors & starters.
When all three when all were running, the mine office windows would violently vibrate.
Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.12 – Inside the Compressor House, these gauges make interesting subjects.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.13 – Another set of air gauges on another of the compressors.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.14 – One of the three “Sentinal” double acting, two stage air compressors built by Alley & Maclellan Glasgow.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.15 – Inside the drill shop, this is a Holmans Drill sharpener. There was a similar one at Robinson’s Shaft South Crofty in the Blacksmith’s Shop.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.16 – Varying sizes of Drill Steels in their racks. Stoping Drills lined up against the rear wall, sadly I did not have access to this room during the early 1990’s.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.17 – A detailed image of the Stoping Drills.Compressed air legs would allow the miner the constant pressure against the rock to drill the holes. Once drilled the holes were charged with explosive in preparation for blasting.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.18 – Powered by compressed air these were the miners tools to earn their pay.Geevor Mine Gallery 2016: 2.19 – The main electric winder at Geevor Mine. This shows the drums for the wire rope also the breaking arms.
Victory shaft winder, is a suspended post brake / double drum winder. Built by the British Thomas Houston company. It was installed during 1954 by Bill Casley with assistance of others the chief engineer at the time being Bennett Wall.
At the front is one of two Lilly controllers. The driver will say that he drives the winder, but in reality the Lilly controls monitors what the winder driver is doing. If events move outside the parameters set by the Lilly, it will firstly alarm, then shut down the winder in a safe mode.
Cornish Mine Images 2016: 2.20 – A large valve near the base of the headframe.Cornish Mine Images 2016: 2.21 – A discharge valve at the base of the headframe. The large valve was “teed” of the rising main from the 10 level pumps to the round tank. It was used for testing the flow rate in gallons per minute delivered by the 10 level pumps to the round tank. Cornish Mine Images 2016: 2.22 – Another image of the arrangement at the base of the headframe.
Not part of Geevor Mine this area at the bottom of the site belonged to the Levant Mine processing floors. Also the views from the cliffs are stunning.
Cornish Mine Images 2016: 2.23 – The remains of the modern Levant Tin recovery floors erected during 1922. The mill here was equipped with 24 Frue Vanners which replaced the Buddles around the Calciners.Cornish Mine Images 2016: 2.24 – The concrete pillars here make very interesting subjects to photograph.Cornish Mine Images 2016: 2.25 – The mill had several types of stamps installed, Frazer and Chalmers, Nissan and also Californian.Cornish Mine Images 2016: 2.26 – When the mine was working, the Slimes from the Mill and Dressing floors were fed into here to settle out. The water was then drained off, the remaining mud was moved to tanks were it would dry. Once dried it was fed back into the milling process to recover any remaining Tin content.Cornish Mine Images 2016: 2.27 – The collection of ruined buildings perched on the edge of the cliff. The Geevor Mine adit is in the zawn below. There are the remains of Cornish Stamps in one of the buildings, these would have been powered by a waterwheel.Cornish Mine Images 2016: 2.28 – Looking back at the Levant Mine processing site from the cliff path, also the line of Calciners can be clearly seen. The line of chimneys on the horizon, from left to right: Levant Mine Compressor House, Levant Mine Stamps Engine, finally the Levant Mine Calciner Stack. The coastline here is amazing it is really worth a walk, find a quiet spot, sit down and enjoy nature.
I still have many images of Geevor that I have not printed yet. It is just a case of finding the time to get them done. I hope these pages have been interesting and enjoyable.
