#28 Phoenix the Copper king. More of the most awesome historic mine around.

[@danmiller6051]

I'm not a dog person but I love your dog. It explores in front of you like it's showing you the way to go.

[@retgunnyammo5296]

I enjoy watching your explorations because you actually DO stuff. You don't just point the camera and go, look at that. You take educated and calculated risks. Most "explorers" here on KZbin don't check out the tight spaces or angled tunnels. Keep safe and keep it up. I'll keep watching.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Thanks as long as you take your time and have the right equipment there can be huge rewards by going through some water or squeezing past a tight spot that others are scared to get past.

[@jquest43]

+Exploring Abandoned Mines In BC shango066 gots ya beat!!

[@nefariumxxx]

I wouldn't say beat. I have watched all videos on both of their channels. This guy Frank is brave. Going where most would not. Wet and rotten - no problem! Scrambling up/down crumbly walls? No problem! ha ha. All good stuff. The false floor stuff really freaks me out but I would go too. Adrenaline junkies.

[@nefariumxxx]

Naw, he's got a funny dry sense of humor. I've not seen much assholish behavior. Everyone has their own public persona/character they like to put out there. Different, yes.

[@MinesoftheWest]

Nice video, I really like the tunnel with the platform ceiling and the ore chutes! Really excited to see those ore carts!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

We shot some really great footage of ten car train of old wooden Granby carts. A clip of it is in my intro. We won't get it in this weeks show but it is coming soon!

[@johnizitchiforalongtime]

Scurrying around like a pack rat, max even helps. Walking through water makes my bladder active, needing relief. So many turns and twists, having a jolly ole time, huh. All over the place, i'm lost. Hey, a lake, good fishing. nice memorial. So many surprises.

[@TVRExploring]

Really amazing mine complex there... I can't believe how extensive it is and how many levels it has. That iced up section at the bottom is exceptional. I love how the melting ice revealed that ore passage and I look forward to seeing what's down there next week.

[@greenhornmineexploring141]

Wild huge mine! Another cool one Frank!

[@jamesbutler1862]

I love watching your show. Don't stop putting these up please. Have a nice day.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Thanks for your comments and support!

[@jeepsterdaddy37]

There's a cool mine tour in Bisbee Arizona. There's a bunch of copper mines around that area. We always stay at the copper queen there in Bisbee. Another cool place is Crown King. Fun drive too.

[@davidmicheletti6292]

As always Frank be safe and give Max a big hug.

[@kevinbrennan2004]

Missing Max. Great dog. A true mate.

[@mlgauss60435]

Damn, your videos have me hooked! Why!? I have no idea! I love the outdoors but going into deep, dark places scares the crap out of me! LOL! Guess I watch for the adrenaline rush!? I find myself holding my breath sometimes! Good grief! But I'm going to keep watching as long as you keep posting! Stay safe!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Good entertainment I guess.......glad you are enjoying it!

[@mlgauss60435]

@@exploringabandonedmines LOVE the videos! I've been binge watching! LOL!

[@trulyinfamous]

I think you are the exact type of guy I would enjoy talking to. From what I can tell you are just the right age to have lots of knowledge and experience on this stuff. I would love to join you guys but sadly I'm currently only 14 and live in Ohio.

[@davidpierotti8378]

wow man you do some crazy cool shit i would love to check the mines out it must be so exiting. I bet you must be hooked on doing this

[@chrisprowse8646]

Hey Frank thanks for posting your vids. I have been watching for a long time. take care - Chris

[@chrisprowse8646]

Thank you sir :-)

[@yellowboy1866]

Good old max hes a real trooper.

[@kevinbrennan2004]

Was. RIP.

[@brisbaneae86]

love the videos, inspired me to find some old gold mines down the road. i was thinking it would be cool if max had an LED head lamp himself , maybe even a camera haha, cheers

[@jeffd6540]

Nice trip

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Thanks for visiting

[@alchemyphilosophersstone2634]

Great video!

[@nudge2626]

Wow that glacier inside the mine is absolutely incredible. That is one thing we don't get in Australia!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

It isn't common here either! It is what they call a convergence of circumstance.

[@anklebiterwoodworks2818]

Always fascinating!

[@AnthraciteSteamHaven]

Love watching your videos man, keep doing what you're doing!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

I will unless they throw me in jail......or I go on vacation to Mexico this winter!

[@Paleoman]

So you fly to these places? With your weather I can only hope you are instrument rated which I have a hunch you are given the number of places you have been to. Excellent video, I am looking forward to your upcoming travels, Stay safe & don't forget your hard hat!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

No I drive to most of them. We have hundreds of mines within a few hours of Grand Forks.

[@fredhamster8341]

great,magnifique, bravo,j'adore

[@lh6551]

That square set timbering was an amazing find! Max didn't seem to like it much, I heard lots of whining :-) Thanks for the video!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

He only whines when he is having trouble keeping up. He does't like being left behind. I have been filming a fair bit of square set lately. The tops of the timbers have notches that form a mortise and tendon. Some of them were put together without nails. They fit so well and were wedged against the ribs and that kept them in place.

[@derrickh3223]

one of the best videos so far IMO . good luck with the drama , i know those trenches around phoenix are so annoying for ATV/UTVs especially when you're on the inside trying to get out

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Those trenches really piss me off. She had no right to construct them. The city of Phoenix is still a legal subdivision with about 800 titles. She doesn't own it. Most of the land reverted back to the government for non payment of taxes.

[@asully3006]

This here video is brain slapping cool! I'd rather mess with two rattlesnakes fight'in over a dead rat than mess with Frank! LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!! HHaAaHaAHAAaa Looks like Max is try'in ta' tell ya' sump'in at 23:10 Franko!! LOL!!!! :)- :)-

[@hangfire7588]

I'm amazed at the size of the tunnels in BC copper mines compared to those in SW U.S. The rock must be fairly solid since there doesn't seem to be any way to crib them.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

The main haul tunnel had electric trains running in them......it was a big operation! You see stulls in some stopes but for the most part the tunnels ran through solid country rock so additional support wasn't needed.

[@paulpatterson4983]

I love your videos! What of head lamp do you use? Be safe out there buddy!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Fenix.....awesome lights never have a problem with them and rechargeable USB port.

[@paulpatterson4983]

have you ever gotten lost or had major problems? Thanks for responding by the way! Its really cool to hear from you!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

No never been injured or even had a close call. Getting lost well I don't always know where I am but if you follow were the ore went to the main haulage tunnel you find your way out!

[@planetwisconsin9901]

Copper is open-pit mined now correct? I have my hands on Canadian copper every workday as I wind rotors for generators.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Yes hard rock mining is pretty much a thing of the past. There are some exceptions for high value metals such as gold, silver and diamonds. Historically they didn't have the machinery to remove overburden. You may be using copper that was mined at Phoenix a large percentage of it is recycled.

[@planetwisconsin9901]

Interesting the supplier is from Canada and the rotors use about 700lbs of copper in each of them. Just assumed it came from Canada, thanks for the response.

[@frankschlichting8337]

Not Applicable Copper is mined in many places today but only in open pit mines. The Canadian Copper mines are very large operations. Highland valley near Kamloops in a huge terraced cone 5 miles across at the top.

[@planetwisconsin9901]

Wow seems like an endless supply of copper on this planet hope it doesnt run out. I suppose with recycling it may never, thanx for the info!

[@frankschlichting8337]

Not Applicable I doubt we will ever run out of Copper. The mines at Phoenix had what was considered a low grade deposit. The ore averaged around 1% Copper. When prices dropped and the percentage of Copper in the ore declined they were no longer profitable and the mine shut down. There are huge piles of low grade ore that could be processed someday if either the price of Copper increases or the cost of processing drops to the point of making it a profitable operation once again. It is a matter of supply and demand.

[@nudge2626]

We have the same laws regarding crown land here. Can be a bit of an issue so I know the feels!

[@johnbluebeard4355]

Frank (or anyone), you mentioned in another video that they sometimes hauled out ore in a hide, esp. in winter. Thus, I get the impression that mining was very slow?? How much rock could a miner dig out 100 years ago in a single day? I did some research and it seems steam and compressed air drills were common by the 1880s. If you meant literally that a semi would hold roughly 30 tons, then... A 54' semi averages 3,800 cubic feet per google, so that's 127 cu.ft. per ton, or enough to fill a 5' by 5' by 5' box. Could a miner do a ton in one day? That looks like maybe 2 of the ore cars the size of "Tippy," though it's hard for me to estimate the exact size of that. I'm just trying to get some kind of idea of how much work went into these tunnels, and whether filling an ore car was 1 day's work, etc. I'm obviously way too interested in this stuff.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Interesting question.Is a bit like asking how far can you drive in a day? I will do my best to answer it though. How much a miner can produce in a day really depends on the formation and what is being mined. Many times the ore is soft and can be mined just using a pick and steel bars. When miners build a tunnel they often do so to get under an ore body they then haul the ore out using the tunnel. Building a tunnel is a slow process. They would normally do about 10 feet a day running two shifts. A shift begins by mucking out the blasted material from the previous shift then they drill a new round of holes, load the holes and then blast at the end of the shift. The next shift comes and the cycle is repeated.

[@johnbluebeard4355]

Thanks for that answer. I know, lots of variables in my question, including density & hardness of material, skill of the miner, size of the ore cart and even the size of the ore chunks (less air in a cart of pebbles, I guess, than a cart of soccer-ball-sized rocks), and so forth. I just wanted a "sense" of the work.

[@hangfire7588]

Why aren't there any doors on the ore shoots?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

There is on some but not on all. These mines are over 100 years old. When some of them got plugged with boulders they may have taken them off and used the doors on other ore chutes.

[@gwc1410]

The average frost depth for this location is about 4 feet, so why is all this ice in this mine? Is this mine in a mountain and thus more exposed to to outside temperature?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

A few reasons for this. First it is a very large mine and the frozen section is a relatively small part. The mine is at a fairly high elevation 4500 ft and the frozen sections are close to the surface so there is no geothermal heating. Second there was little airflow so when this mass of ice froze there and the solid rock is good insulator there just wasn't enough energy to thaw it. Kind of like unplugging your freezer with the lid closed the ice remains for a long time.

[@Terrorist939]

How is there so much ice in a mine? Shouldn't earth's temperature melt it?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Great question here is what happened....... A large section of the mine flooded. Since the mine is at around 4,700 feet it gets cold in winter. Winters were also colder years ago. Several chutes collapsed sealing the cold in. The ground shifted and the plug in the bottom no longer holds water. When I found this sealed section and dug it out the air flow improved and it started to melt.

[@ahabtheplant]

Have you ever thought about getting a Go Pro with a lamp and letting him make an exploration? You could narrate for him.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

It wouldn't work. I tried to mount a go pro on my helmet when I go down the ore chutes on ropes......it isn't great way too shaky!

[@pandak6653]

my great great grandfather was james douglas!

[@georgemcfly1205]

After watching a dozen vids the past few nights I am pretty sure Frank was born with hair on his chest

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Glad you enjoy the channel. Just wait til you see this weeks show.........we go straight down vertical shafts!

[@asully3006]

No shit! No shit! :)

[@maximumpower102]

stick it to the man!

[@whatayawant]

Does Kevin have a KZbin channel?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

No

[@Will21st]

omg, demon eyes at 6:10!!!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Looks just like a dog!

[@Will21st]

nope, you were stalked by a mine Demon! ;-)

[@dustin7017]

I worry for max every time you turn your head you need to engineer a under chest light i would feel alittle better

[@terracethornhill]

I wonder if it's possible to look around the mines in Stewart BC? I've heard there are some impressively large workings there. Here's an old documentary from the 70s about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH2tk6iIZa99sJo

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Really impressive documentary about the area. Kevin is really excited about chartering a chopper to visit the Porter Idaho.........he has been planning it for quite a white so it might happen!

[@deddie4645]

dude you are just scary bad Gonzo Fearless you should do a talk by the Fireside you could probably do an hour about your scariest moments thank