Mining

Title: Chart of an Underground Mine
Type: Diagram
Date: 1897
Source: Minnesota Historical Society

Description: This diagram shows a cross section of an underground mine using a process known as milling.

Activities:

1. What does the diagram tell you about how the mined ore was transported around the mines?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The diagram shows an ore cart at the base of the mine. Ore carts were like small train cars that moved on rails like a train.
2. Describe a "raise" and what it appears to be used for in the diagram.
   
   
   
   
   Answer: A raise was a tunnel that ran between the upper level and the lower level. Ore would be mined at the top of the raise, then dumped down to the ore cars at the bottom.
3. What is the purpose of all of the logs at the top of the mine diagram?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The logs formed a protective roof that kept the ground overhead from caving in on the working miners. Logs were also used to support the lower tunnels.
4. How does the picture on the left relate to the split picture on the right?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The drawing on the left is an end view of an underground mine tunnel; the two parts to the right form a side view of the same tunnel.