{"id":4882,"date":"2020-06-11T16:28:18","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T20:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=4882"},"modified":"2020-06-11T16:30:43","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T20:30:43","slug":"episode-62-beginning-the-job-adjusting-to-an-old-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=4882","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 62 BEGINNING THE JOB…ADJUSTING TO AN OLD WORLD"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Note:  It has  been a  long time since I did this job\u202661 years\u2026so  I hope those of<\/div>\n
you who are professional geophysicists will forgive my memory and my ignorance.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

EPISODE  62:  BEGINNING THE JOB<\/p>\n


<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
As early 1500 Danish sailors noticed blue, green and  pink  stains on the cliffs along the south coast of  Ireland.  Samples  from <\/div>\n
the Knockmahon and Tankardstown mines show  the bright green and blue oxidized  minerals.  The boom years for mining<\/div>\n
were 1826 to 1877.   Around 1840 these mines  were of  world wide significance.  Since 1877 the area has been in decline\u2026sadly so  for<\/div>\n
many local residents\u2026 fortunately Bunmahon and Knockmahon  have<\/div>\n
become a tourist attraction recently now renamed  the Copper Coast.   If you want a project see if you can find  holes in the cliffs<\/div>\n
through which two young men could crawl and thereby enter the century old Knockmahon mine.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
June 2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Tuesday June 14, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I spent a terrible night.  My whole body  twitched\u2026nerves.   Got up and wrote a <\/div>\n
letter to Marjorie.  I think the 13 days spent in Dublin waiting to get going on rhe<\/div>\n
job was the reason for the twitching.  In the morning all was fine.  My room<\/div>\n
in Mrs.Kennedy\u2019s house is quite  large\u2026big enough for three religious Ikons which<\/div>\n
did not help me sleep.   Above my bed there is large picture of Jesus with his<\/div>\n
chest opened  to his heart.   The picture must be comforting to some people<\/div>\n
but I found it made me uncomfortable.  Imagine yourself lying in bed and looking<\/div>\n
upward.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The meals  prepared  and served  by the Kennedy<\/div>\n
family are very good. Mrs. Kennedy runs the show with grace<\/div>\n
and a bit aloof.  She also turned  out to be the moral  conscience of<\/div>\n
Bunmahon and she was not afraid to say so.  I  think she is also nervous.  <\/div>\n
Mr. Kennedya does<\/div>\n
not talk much.  He spends his time farming while Mrs. Kennedy<\/div>\n
operates the only store in the village selling essentials from clothing<\/div>\n
to non perishable canned goods and hardware.  The store is dark<\/div>\n
on the inside.  Not much business because most villagers seem to<\/div>\n
be unemployed.  Both their children are charming.  Especially Gerald<\/div>\n
who suffers  from Downs Syndrome which  makes  him very interested<\/div>\n
in our project.  There is  a fifth member of the household who is  exclusively<\/div>\n
Gerlad\u2019s caregiver and  partner\u2026their black Labrador dog.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST:  KNOCKMAHON MINE CIRCA 1900 (speculating the mine could  be reopened)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Knockmahon Mine Test:  This photograph was taken around 1900.   Imagine you<\/div>\n
were down in the mine 30 years earlier, around  1970.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
1) What is  the difference between the men in white coats and the other men? <\/div>\n
  Why would those four men wear white jackets?<\/div>\n
2) No one seems happy but which group is distinctly unhappy?<\/div>\n
3) Why are they carrying candles that are lit?<\/div>\n
4) Can you find the basic mining tools?<\/div>\n
5) What is the purpose of that metal reinforced bucket?<\/div>\n
6) Where in the mine  would  you guess they are standing?  Stope, Passageway,<\/div>\n
Shaft?<\/div>\n
7) What do  the high rubber boots worn by the white coated men tell you about <\/div>\n
conditions underground\u2026and perhaps how deep in the mine the men are standing?<\/div>\n
8) What footwear are the others wearing?  Does this say anything?<\/div>\n
9) Notice the ladder.  How many ladders  would be needed to get here at<\/div>\n
the 100 foot level of the Knockmahon mine?  Miners descended  in the dark.<\/div>\n
10) What does the rope indicate about the Knockmahon Mine?<\/div>\n
11) How did miners find their way from place to place in the mine when there<\/div>\n
was no light other than candles (for oxygen test) and Kerosene lanterns (which<\/div>\n
were dangerous).<\/div>\n
12) No mine carts visible. Odd?<\/div>\n
13) Who  would take this  kind  of work?<\/div>\n
14) Feeling the way up, down and through  a pitch black<\/div>\n
mine is dangerous.  Also it could be fatal if a ladder rung<\/div>\n
broke. (which happened)  Who looked after injured miners?<\/div>\n
15) Did children  work deep in the Knockmahon mine.  Take a guess.<\/div>\n
16) What work  could  women and girls do in the Knockmahon<\/div>\n
mine operation.   Take a guess.<\/div>\n
17) Why were many of these men originally from Cornwall?<\/div>\n
Hint: What was special about the geology of  Cornwall.  Search<\/div>\n
and  find  out.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
One Fact:<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Did you know that the miners had to bid for their jobs?  i.e. If a miner wanted<\/div>\n
access to high grade ore, he had to bid  for the location. How did  this system<\/div>\n
of bidding function?<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Ladders were left in position when the mine was abandoned in 1877.  <\/div>\n

\"Mainupload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/5\/5e\/Main_Street_Bunmahon_-_geograph.org.uk_-_708592.jpg\/500px-Main_Street_Bunmahon_-_geograph.org.uk_-_708592.jpg<\/a> 2x” data-file-width=”640″ data-file-height=”480″ style=”border: 0px; vertical-align: middle;” class=””>

\u201cAlan, what can you tell me about Bunmanon?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWell, the village is at the mouth of the Mahon River\u2026’ Bun Mahon’\u2026located on the<\/div>\n
western edge of Waterford County,  Southern Ireland.  Overlooks the sea.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cPeculiar rock formations were noticed by Danish sailors long long ago.  Greens, blues, pinks\u2026strange<\/div>\n
colours caused by oxidation of metal ores, principally  copper.  Some lead. Some cobalt\u2026perhaps some silver.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTunnelling began from the cliff face\u2026 tunnels called adits are still there but hard to find.”<\/div>\n
\u201cNot much left of the old  town. But once in the 1850\u2019s and  1660\u2019s there were 2,000 people live here.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHardly 100 in 1960.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe Knockmanon mine thrived for a few decades then the seams of copper ore just<\/div>\n
petered  out.  And most of the miners boarded immigrant ships for jobs as  miners<\/div>\n
in the United States.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBunmahon is almost a ghost town.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot quite.  Kirwin\u2019s pub is thriving and will do even better now  that you are here, Alan.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cStrange thing about Bunmanon is the strong presence of a Temperance Movement\u2026the old<\/div>\n
Temperane Hall  is now the roman Catholic Church.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBut there were once 21 pubs.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThere would have been a  lot more if the Temperance people had not been present.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy are we here in 1960?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWorld is  worried about copper reserves  because of  Idi Amin in Africa.  So Dennison Mines<\/div>\n
thinks maybe a good supply of copper ore  was missed  by 19th century mining methods.”<\/div>\n
\u201cA lot of people are counting on us\u2026.dream of reopening the mine.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMassive unemployment in Ireland.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWages of those working is as low as one  pound a day\u2026about $2.50 Canadian.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMaybe  we can help for a couple of months.:<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd if we are successful Bunmahon may come alive again.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat are the chances?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMining is a crap  shoot\u2026win some, lose many.”<\/div>\n
\n


<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
THE CANADIAN TEAM:  STAM, HOGAN AND SKEOCH<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Dr. John Stam, John Hogan and  I had  our first glimpse of the old Knockmahon mine,<\/div>\n
The ruins are impressive  \u2026 not far from a hundred to two hundred foot cliff face that goes down  <\/div>\n
to the sea.  Stark.  Beautiful.  Intimidating.  Mysterious. All those and more<\/div>\n
  John Stam  took over as leader of the project.   He has a phD in geophysics\u2026knows<\/div>\n
how the earth works\u2026the magnetic<\/div>\n
field that is an envelope around our world. It shields us from solar radiation<\/div>\n
Without that shield life could not exist.  At Least life as we know it.  The magnetic field is<\/div>\n
not uniform.  There are blips where minerals are concentrated.  These  minerals<\/div>\n
\u2026copper in particular\u2026elevate our lives.  Electricity\u2026power to elevate us lowly<\/div>\n
humans from a brutal  dog eat dog existence to a life where books, romance, food,<\/div>\n
music\u2026the finer things  in life are taken for granted.  Dr. Stam will spend his life in search <\/div>\n
of copper.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
What creates this magnetic field?  The molten core of the earth is a dynamo.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
John Hogan is a geologist employed by Denison Mines to sleuth out those pockets <\/div>\n
of minerals concentrated  here and there in the earths crust.  Hogan deals<\/div>\n
in minerals he  can  touch.  Mmierals he can crack  with a hammer.  In truth, John Hogan<\/div>\n
does  not have that  specific job here in Bunmahon.  He really is  sent to<\/div>\n
oversee what we are doing.  He is a watchman.  I was instructed to pretend I was<\/div>\n
a permanent employee who had worked for the company for years.  Part of that<\/div>\n
was true.  But I was really just a summertime person.  Best to just button my lif.<\/div>\n
John Hogan is A nice guy.  Both Johns, Stam and Hogan, <\/div>\n
spend a lot of  their time in the big drawing room we have rented.   They will take the numbers<\/div>\n
from my field book and  plot them on graph paper  looking for anomalies.   Looking for<\/div>\n
evidence that there  is something unusual  beneath our feet.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
My job is important.  I am not just a \u2018hewer of wood and  hauler of water\u2019.  At least I like<\/div>\n
to think that is  the case.  Professionals in the mining business might differ. My job is to<\/div>\n
use  sophisticated geophysical instrument called the  Ronka and the Turam that pump <\/div>\n
electricity into the ground via a<\/div>\n
mile long grounded cable… an artificial electrical field \u2026 a loop cmpleted via the rock.  Electricity forced<\/div>\n
into the overburden  and rock  beneath my feet.  An anomaly is a blip.  ff the background<\/div>\n
readings are 20 let\u2019s say\u2026just an imaginary number.   And  all around the readings on my<\/div>\n
console are 20 then nothing is found.  If however the console readings suddenly  jump to 30 or<\/div>\n
40 or 50 over a particular location then we have an anomaly.  We have something odd\u2026maybe<\/div>\n
we have a pocket of chalcopyrite.  Maybe we have a  mine. Maybe we have nothing which<\/div>\n
is true most of the time  Geophysical  prospectors are dreamers as much as gold  banners<\/div>\n
were in the Yukon.  Must ask Dr. Paterson how many mines he has found.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
But the area east of Bunmahon has already been a mine in the 18th and 19th centuries.  Miners from <\/div>\n
Cornwall lived here.. .They blasted and dug their way down into the bowels of the earth extricating<\/div>\n
lumps of copper ore.  They blasted there way under the sea for hundreds of feet.<\/div>\n
When the ocean  leaked into the depths of the mine, pumps were kept going to<\/div>\n
keep the stopes  open.  Once down  deep they hammered chunks  of ore free from the rock <\/div>\n
and  had these chunks hauled up to the light of  day where they were processed into copper<\/div>\n
post, pans, wire\u2026mostly wire.   Copper wire carries that mystery of mysteries called electricity.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
If  the Knockmahon mine  was mined out then  why are we here.  we are here in hope that the<\/div>\n
Knockmahon mine overlooked seams  of chalcopyrite.   Nineteenth century mining was less <\/div>\n
sophistcated.  We could do better.  Arrogance.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Bunmahon was once a boom town with 21 pubs and a population of hundreds, perhaps thousands.<\/div>\n
All  dependent upon the riches processed from seams  of  copper.  In 1960 only two pubs survived<\/div>\n
Kriwin\u2019s was  the Catholic pub and across the road was the much  smaller Anglican pub.  It surprised<\/div>\n
me to discover that drinking beer and sipping whisky was considered a religious addiction.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The social life in Kirwin\u2019s was focused on a dart board.  But most patrons came to drink<\/div>\n
beer\u2026pints of  Guinness principally.  Our social life initially centred  around games<\/div>\n
of pinochle played in our suite of  rooms.  Hogan and Stam  seemed content <\/div>\n
playing cards.  I went along with them for a while but soon found that isolating<\/div>\n
ourselves  from the community was rather stand offish.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
A man approached us first evening.  \u201cwould  there be any work I can do for you fellows?\u201d<\/div>\n
And so began our hiring program.   Eventually we hired most of the villagers and many living<\/div>\n
in cottages on nearly forgotten gravel trails where once there were streets in better times.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Wednesday June 15, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cRose early for a fine Irish  breakfast.  The Kennedy house is cold.  Unpacked the <\/div>\n
Ronka instrument and test operated it along the roadway.  The machine did not<\/div>\n
work!  What was I to do? Had that sinking feeling.  We have flown thousands of<\/div>\n
miles\u2026sent crates equipment\u2026made promises\u2026and then find  the machine<\/div>\n
does not work.  My fault?  So I Spent afternoon checking connections and  found break  in <\/div>\n
a cable connector.  Fixed it.  Amazed  at myself.  Went to lumberyard and ordered<\/div>\n
1,000 stakes  for linocutting crew.   Stake every 50 feet for readings.  We  planned<\/div>\n
a  grid  for Turam readings once equipment arrives.  Meanwhile we will use the<\/div>\n
Ronka.   Ocean waves are huge today.  Mrs  Kennedy laid  out a grand supper for us.<\/div>\n
Played pinochle all evening with Stam and Hogan.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Thursday  June  16, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cHeavy fog this  morning\u2026damn cold without proper clothing. Poppies grow wild  <\/div>\n
everywhere.  John Hogan and John Stam wanted  to go to some kind  of special <\/div>\n
Catholic  Mass today but the car would not start.  I took the Ronka and worked<\/div>\n
the whole  day  doing 62stations, 3 lines, dual frequency.   Surprised  by the <\/div>\n
number of  old  mine shafts here and there across the fields.  Dangerous\u2026open.<\/div>\n
One big shaft is being used as a garbage dump recently filled  with huge pile of<\/div>\n
glass milk bottles.  Strange they were not saved\u2026risky to rescue  any. Lots<\/div>\n
of  donkeys and horses\u2026thatched grooves. Bunmahon has two couches one<\/div>\n
of  which is closed and  cemented up.  Protestant.  For some strange reason  <\/div>\n
Mrs. Kennedy told me about a local author (female) who wrote \u2018dirty\u2019 books<\/div>\n
about Ireland but the books are banned in Ireland.  The Priest says \u2018burn<\/div>\n
them!\u201d  But she never said the book title.  People approach us everywhere<\/div>\n
for jobs.  I saw a badger today.  The brier patches  are nasty\u2026thorny\u2026pierce<\/div>\n
flesh.  After plotting results we played  pinochle all evening.  Seems we could<\/div>\n
be doing something more interesting.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Friday June 17, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cOh what a beautiful morning\u2026Oh, what a beautiful day!  Well, things did not<\/div>\n
quite work out that way.  T he morning, yes\u2026beautiful. The afternoon\u2026not so great.<\/div>\n
While  busy staking the intervals I fell headlong into a six  foot deep briar (gorse)<\/div>\n
patch filled gully.  Ripped  skin on arms  and tore my pants.  Lay there for<\/div>\n
15 minutes swearing\u2026every word I knew and then some.  Face down surrounded<\/div>\n
by thorns making each  move torture.  Survived.  A learning situation.  Managed<\/div>\n
to get 2,400 feet of survey data from the Ronka.  Later I phoned Timlin in Dublin.<\/div>\n
The Turam crates  have arrived but is currently getting customs clearance. Who<\/div>\n
knows how long that will take.  Got letters from home but none from Marjorie.<\/div>\n
Drove to lumberyard at Kill to order long pickets\u2026short ones no use.  Then drove<\/div>\n
on to Waterford to make insurance was in place. Bought socks at 50 cents a pair.<\/div>\n
Then dropped in to Doolan\u2019s Bar.  Doolan himself was there.  Doolan\u2019s was <\/div>\n
 100 years old\u2026current Doolan must be son.  Noted many beggars on the streets<\/div>\n
of Waterford.  Drove back to Bunmahon to meet the local police  officer just to<\/div>\n
let him know what we would  be doing.   Herds of  cattle on the road\u2026sheep as<\/div>\n
well\u2026then donkeys and  wagons.   Made it back to Kennedy\u2019s  in time for supper<\/div>\n
and pinochle.  We are being approached by men needing work constantly.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
END PART TWO:  BUNMAHON JOB IN IRELAND<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note:  It has  been a  long time since I did this job\u202661 years\u2026so  I hope those of you who are professional geophysicists will forgive my memory and my ignorance. EPISODE  62:  BEGINNING THE JOB As early 1500 Danish sailors noticed blue, green and  pink  stains on the cliffs along the south coast of  Ireland.  Samples […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4882\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}