Open Mine Shaft Dangers!!!

[CaptGrumpy]

I saw this and thought of how many of us ride cluelessly around some of the biggest dangers!

PHOENIX - The unmarked mine shaft was so well-hidden, rescuers searching for two missing sisters walked right by it in the darkness.

But in the light of day on Sunday, they were finally able to see the tracks of an all-terrain vehicle leading into the northwestern Arizona mine shaft, a 125-foot vertical drop concealed by brush and devoid of signs or barriers.

When the girls' father yelled into the gaping hole, only one daughter answered.

Rescuers who rappelled to the bottom of the mine found 13-year-old Rikki Howard dead. Ten-year-old Casie Hicks had "major injuries" and was listed in critical condition at a Las Vegas hospital Sunday evening.

"A 10-year-old girl has spent the night at the bottom of a mine shaft, which is the most horrifying thing I can think of," Capt. Greg Smith of the Mohave County Sheriff's Office told reporters.

The girls' relatives were at the hospital and declined to comment.

The girls and their dad had been out riding for fun Saturday night in Chloride, about 200 miles northwest of Phoenix.

"They were having a holiday weekend jaunt riding ATVs in the mountains there," Smith said.

Their father was riding ahead of them on his dirt bike when he noticed they were no longer behind him.

"(The girls) were driving along and they went into the mine. It was a total accident," Mohave County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Sandy Edwards said.

Rescuers searched throughout the night, but Edwards said the rough terrain and darkness were too much.

"During the night, our team walked by the site because the hole itself was hidden by this line of brush," she said.

Seth Johnson, a neighbor of the girls and their family's landlord, said the two were half-sisters. "It's an awful shock," he said. "Their parents are very distraught."

Cathy Kelso, a bus driver, said she has been driving the two girls to school for a year and a half. "They're little sweetheart girls," she said. "I just keep hoping it's not true, but it's horrible."

The mine shaft the girls fell into is like thousands of others throughout the state that are unmarked and open, officials say. They describe the shafts as accidents waiting to happen.

"There's a significant amount of abandoned mines out there that are hazardous to the public's health," said Laurie Swartzbaugh, deputy director of the Arizona State Mine Inspector's office.

Swartzbaugh said the Chloride mine had not been used for some time, and that the office was investigating. The office has secured 108 abandoned mines since Jan. 1.

It was not immediately clear who owned the mine. Many abandoned mines date back to the early 1900s and it is sometimes impossible to determine who owns them.

[acronn]

Really sad that this happened, glad they at least saved one of the girls. 125 feet is a long way down. My heart goes out to the family. I'm sure that the weekend was suppose to be a lot of fun. A real tragedy.

Yeah, and if they figure out who owns this mine or any other mine where somebody gets hurt,

then there can be big legal trouble and money trouble for the mine owners because they have to button them up so nobody can just fall into them, even many years later. A club I belong to has a claim with an old mine on it and it is a deep vertical shaft. We were told that yes we had some liability since we have the claim even though we didn't dig the mine, it was there when we got the claim. Forest service put a big chain link fence around it later. Yet another sticky problem for miners AND LANDOWNERS.

And stay on trails when you are riding, and if you can't see where you are going, go real slow or even better get out and look. I've gotten out of my 4wd to find the trail ended and it was a 30 foot drop over by Lake Elsinore. Glad I stopped to look on that one. It happens all the time at the Pismo dunes.

[whats4supper]

IF YOU HAVE SOME EXTRA ROOM in the truck, take along a few t-rail posts, a slide hammer, and some barbless wire. fence one off if you find one. I do it once in a while myself. one or two at a time. You never know who's Life you may save, but at least it's one less that will fall into a shaft without any obstacles.

By the looks of the of one the girls went into, I'd put this just South of the Windy Point Campground. at the fork to the old road to chloride, there is a fork, and going to the left would take you somewhere up by some shafts that look like the ones the girls went into. The middle fork goes to Chloride, and the right fork ends up down near the Rainbow Mine. A lot of the mines and prospects in this area are really deep. A lot of people ride and live in these sorts of areas, and don't know the real potential for danger

[dutch john]

CaptGrumpy... this is very informational... Good thread.

Open mine shafts can be found in many old mining camps.

Years ago the local people were aware of the dangers and

stayed clear of the collar which could funnel in the loose

overburden above the bedrock.

Unfortunately "time" has now made many of the underground

workings unsafe. Shafts either vertical or inclined, portals, tunnels,

air-vents, coyote holes and just plain old caveins. However, I'm

straying from the subject: "Open mine shaft dangers".

I grew up around Ely, Kimberly, and Ruth; most of the locals

are aware of the potentual dangers. This is true of the residents of

many mining communites.

However, as an example, in the Mojave desert area for about

100 square miles around Randsburg on many weekends there

are litterly 1000's of offroaders speeding around. There are off-

roaders who are unaware of the existence of shafts (and even

steep slopes). Many are inexperienced and not being careful and

not following an established trail.

Numerous shallow to deeper vertical shafts can be found on the

slopes and even in the main gulches are to be found worldwide.

Sadly, even a shallow shaft can take a life.

[tool]

IF YOU HAVE SOME EXTRA ROOM in the truck, take along a few t-rail posts, a slide hammer, and some barbless wire. fence one off if you find one. I do it once in a while myself. one or two at a time. You never know who's Life you may save, but at least it's one less that will fall into a shaft without any obstacles.

By the looks of the of one the girls went into, I'd put this just South of the Windy Point Campground. at the fork to the old road to chloride, there is a fork, and going to the left would take you somewhere up by some shafts that look like the ones the girls went into. The middle fork goes to Chloride, and the right fork ends up down near the Rainbow Mine. A lot of the mines and prospects in this area are really deep. A lot of people ride and live in these sorts of areas, and don't know the real potential for danger

i try to cary some caution tape with us and if i think it could be a danger to the unaware ill tape it and mark on gps and either come back later and make better fence or notify blm if serious enough. i know that marking some of these areas means taping off dozens of holes, sometimes in a small area, even if they are10 ft or less they could seriously hurt or kill someone.i think if its in a area i frequenlty hunt or especially if its on my claim or someone i know then it is the only responsible thing to do. happy huntin and stay safe all,TooL