This post is a composite of a few different visits. I'm still not done with the Ash Peak, but additional visits will likely require technical rope work.
We start out at the Shamrock Shaft. This 975-foot shaft was the primary means for bringing ore to the surface. Its headframe was built in the early 1980s, at which time the shaft was rehabilitated down to at least the 600 level.
An excessively large double-drum hoist was installed. Each drum on a hoist is used for a separate shaft compartment, but the Shamrock only has a single hoisting compartment so the additional drum was redundant.
The Shamrock Shaft is intersected by workings from the No. 2 decline, seen here.
This 15-horsepower Joy Axivane electric ventilation fan is installed over a raise that extends down to the 350 level of the Shamrock workings. The door visible beyond opens into the 100 level of the Shamrock.
Here's the manway extending down from the Shamrock 100 level station. Landings with hinged steel covers are located about every 20 feet. I'd like to descend this shaft, but really want a descender and harness to do it right.
This giant air receiver tank is located near the shaft station, down a short crosscut. It served to even out the demand on the compressor, reducing stops and starts and increasing the compressor's wear life.
Next, we come to the Commerce Shaft. I do not believe this shaft was used for hoisting later than the 1960s; it appears to have served entirely as an escapeway and was rehabilitated for this purpose in the 80s. The Commerce actually connects to the Shamrock via a raise from the Shamrock 600 level.
The Commerce can (eventually) be reached via the No. 4 decline. The No. 4 was driven in the late 70s by Phelps-Dodge miners who relocated to the area as the Bisbee mines closed.
On the way to the Commerce, you pass a number of ore chutes like this. These feed from stopes that were mined above the haulage drift.
Some raises like this are also found. The laddered manway provided miners access into the stopes, while the slide on the left was used to pull heavy pneumatic jackleg and stoper drills up into the stopes. These drills can weight 100lbs or more, good luck climbing a ladder while carrying one!
Eventually, this gnarly rib failure is encountered. It is safely passable, provided you stick to the left side of the drift.
After passing through a heavy steel door, the 200 level station of the Commerce Shaft is reached. The steel contraption on the right is a tool skip, likely used to haul drills, steel, and powder up into the stopes with the aid of an air tugger hoist. There was also a convenient bench, so we stopped for a break before heading topside.
Finally, daylight! I thoroughly enjoy exploring the Ash Peak and often notice new details with each visit. Eventually, we'll get around to some of the lower levels.
