#228

3 of us wade across a raging river and hike through dense bush to an abandoned steam powered shovel. Last used during the Gold Rush in Dawson City. Forgotten over 100 years ago, discovered deep in the bush by a pilot. We find it in perfect shape with the tools still on board! There is one other one in the world that is a little newer in the world that has been restored • National Pike Show Ste...
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[@MOTOMINING]

Since you took the whistle, the soul of the machine, I'm holding you to hauling that beast out and re-uniting them! Anything less wouldn't be right. Cheers.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

We would like to see it pulled out of the bush and put on display. In the meantime the whistle is being kept for safe keeping.

[@imchris5000]

@@exploringabandonedmines you just gotta find someone with a big dozer a flatbed trailer and a big winch and its outta there a dozer could go right across all the water ez

[@nutsbolts7974]

Your a criminal . What a loser.

[@DiaryofaGrimReaper]

@Chris Wallace Steal from who? If anyone had any serious interest in it, they would have done something with it. And Frank IS THE MAN who can make this happen. Selfish? Preserving history. What happens to these artifacts? They go into a museum. Don't make this into something it's not. It is not grave robbing. And who is more guilty of stealing than GOVERNMENTS? Finders keepers, as they say. And so if Frank finds something that he wants, or could use, whatever it is, and it belongs to no one.. He should be more than free to take it. What happens if you find a old box of gold, a treasure, just buried... You going to leave it? Turn it over to your Satanic authority? You know damn well they want it. What is the difference? This is FRANKS TREASURE.

[@julianmarsh2758]

@Chris Wallace Its hardly stealing is it, he has a museum to preserve things, its obvious he wants it towed out of there as its in working condition.

[@trisrush9155]

That face shovel is in beautiful condition, even the boiler tubes looked in great shape, definitely a candidate for revival, I hope it can be saved and reunited with its artefacts. Steam shovel is a face shovel, electric one is a dragline. The (two) large electric motors at the rear of the thing are a rotary converter, converting ac power to dc for use in the dragline’s dc motors (very inefficient to send dc over distance). The unidentified crane/jib with the motor on is a face shovel set up, the motor and gearbox is the crowding gear, to push the bucket arm in and out. Good job Frank.

[@TheDamageinc81]

That needs to go to a museum

[@jacka5676]

Looks hardly used

[@late4dinner268]

Along with the things he stoled from the sight

[@PibrochPonder]

@@late4dinner268 this guy shows so little respect for the stuff he strips

[@Dog.soldier1950]

Please send your check for $2m(C) to the link above

[@daveffs1935]

He owns a museum which no doubt its in

[@FightinAggieFarmer]

If only you could have gotten that back to the museum. That is an amazing piece of history.

[@rucarnuts13]

It’s hard to believe it’s been abandoned for well over one hundred years! It looks like it was parked just a decade or two ago! Hopefully someone saves it and puts it in a museum somewhere, or better yet restores it to operation. Great film, as always!

[@zr700]

The tress aren't that big around it. Probably wasn't there that long

[@bradweinstein7017]

Its only 100 years old not parked 100 years but its gotta have been there pretty long if they were still using it for work when they abandoned it

[@w.w.2restorations.vehicles698]

I hope that I'm not the only one who noticed the "re-assembly numbers next to the Manufacturers Data Plate. Ain't no way that thing was driven in there, it was pulled apart and carted in on mule drawn wagons more than likely and then put back together there or near there.

[@matthewtracy8744]

Let's recover that piece of history!! I'd be more than willing to volunteer for an adventure like that!

[@MrZenwise]

I like how the first thing people do is loot the shit outta it and still say, "It's all here still, wow." What about just leaving it be? Doubt this guy is doing anything but adding to his collection, example being the pot for his wife. Can we not just look and enjoy instead of purging sites from experience for the next group of people?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Nobody knows where it is. Might as well bring the artifacts out so people can see them. If you found a sunken ship would you leave everything as is?

[@MrZenwise]

@@exploringabandonedmines That is the exact idea actually, leave everything where it is. I do understand your side though, still appreciate the video and work done, what a find!

[@pezgoon1]

LOL while I agree with your sentiment if you actually read the description, they put it all into the museum they run in Canada which is free and open to the public and thus people can actually see it. While many times I would be on your side, these things are going to the one place they should be going, a museum.

[@bsimpson6204]

​@@exploringabandonedmines I’m not as sentimental as I used to be, bring them out, waste of time leaving them there to eventually rot away (no matter how long that may take)

[@ROSS4422]

I like how people like you come to KZbin, to put strangers down for absolutely no reason. Does that make you feel better? They did nothing wrong.

[@victoryfirst2878]

Frank you should never leave Sharan behind. She is the perfect bear treat. Keep that in mind fella too. Nice shovel machine. VF

[@cut--]

better than being salmon bait ! :0

[@victoryfirst2878]

@@cut-- Yes but by just a little bit. VF

[@cut--]

@@victoryfirst2878 :) there is a age where you learn to trust your gut ! I assume they are carrying bear spray - 44 mags . etc :}

[@victoryfirst2878]

@Ted jaramillo Great comment Ted. Just love all the attention fella. VF

[@trainman1209]

Hate to admit it, but I thought so too.

[@foamer443]

The maker of the shovel was actually a big out fit. Off a stock certificate " They have been used for burrowing for gold upon the Arctic circle, " and also "In the work of mining in the gold fields of the far North the Thew Automatic Shovel is a favorite machine. " And as another poster related used on the building of the Panama Canal. Off another site "In 1924, the Thew line of products was completely redesigned and the new machines were identified by the trademark "Lorain" after the town where they were built. In 1964, sales declined and Thew became the Thew-Lorain Division of Koehring Co. Today, the remnants of Koehring and Lorain can be found under Terex Corp., which acquired the division in 1987." So based on that, this machine was built sometime after 1924. Also interesting to note, was the paint work stencil to the left of the first name plate, that has either "OK or OR BRENER No 65". Just wonder if that has to do with the owner. Interesting bit of kit and as much as it might be nice to recover it for display, it sounds like there a fair number in the area in one state of disrepair or another. Regarding making public the GPS positioning, I can say without reservation, don't do it. It just allows for people to go and be destructive and not respect the history of the item or the place

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Don't worry we won't make the location public. It has the sn# 69 it was built before 1913 when they built # 953

[@ravenbarsrepairs5594]

@@exploringabandonedmines Makes sense. They were made in Lorain, OH, so it seems there's an "H" missing off the nameplate. They renamed to Lorain after the ton they were build in, and it common to have the manufacturing city/state on the dataplate.

[@heidilear7222]

I was gona say before 1920 when they started welding

[@bctrails7206]

WOW! that steam shovel is the frigin coolest piece of 1800s mining history ever! looks like you could fill that boiler up with water throw in some coal or wood light a match lay some track and just drive it out under it's own power! bet if that were any closer inland it would have been scrapped or dismantled for parts many many years ago like most of the old abandoned and forgotten mining machines and artifacts "junk"no longer economic to their long gone owners left behind to rot and decay..True gem of find and vid guys! thanks for sharing!

[@ammobake]

I know where there is an old dredge here in Alaska that is untouched. It is in a very remote location though. It was an old dredge that was refurbished and relocated up the Yukon for a private operation in the 1960's. Very few people know it's true location though. A true gem. I think the dry air is a big part in how the wood gets preserved. In winter there is almost zero humidity for the majority of the season. The meltwater does the most damaged. but in this case the roof is still able to shed the snow and water to a large degree.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

We have found 6 dredges in the Dawson area

[@ammobake]

@@exploringabandonedmines very cool. This one is like 130-ish miles northwest of Dawson but on the Alaska side.

[@williamwintemberg]

This is really something! I wonder how many of these have survived to this day? Has to be only a few if that. So interesting! It would be really great to see it hauled out and put on display indoors at a steam museum. You have really sparked interest with this video Frank!

[@vrdupont1]

On the last crane looked at, the big piece that had the electric motor on it, that you didn't know what it was. It is the boom section for a shovel attachment. The dipper stick with the bucket on the end would have been in the opening between the two sides. Thus the machine could be a dragline, shovel, or a lift crane.

[@karlelliott9254]

12:17 That gives a different perspective to the term “chain drive” and it’s all wheel drive. I truly learned something new today. I’ll have a grin wider than that river when you get it moved. A Prize beyond imagination.

[@glennbrown1961]

I reckon when the boom cracked they gave up on it. Looks like it has done no work. You can still see the numbers painted on the frame components for assembly. Part 1 to part 1 etc. Very cool find.G'day and Cheers from Tasmania.

[@davidball6134]

the scrap and pallet man would love it he'd toss it on his ute and sell it for scrap and then retire !he he .

[@the4thj]

That is what I was thinking too, the workers back then were, "it's not mine".

[@jimmyalamo839]

get a hold of some of the steam groups in the country, that thing needs to be restored!

[@Falkenroth1]

I Have photos of my Great Grandfather operating a steam shovel just like this one. Awesome seeing it up close. He built roads in Arizona in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Actually died on the job in a explosion.

[@iainweller452]

I love seeing this old equipment and in amazing condition, pretty gutsy of Sharon to stay behind respect ✊

[@jqmark]

I was wondering about the threads top of the bucket and found this. "Captain Richard Thew is credited with building America's first fully revolving shovel" also one of the first gasoline powered shovel. Thew was one of the biggest shovel manufacturers in 1914. They are now part of Terex Corp.

[@johnc.wunscheljr2873]

Thanks for showing us the shovel. My father was a shovel operator in WW2 and for years after . He would loved to see this John c Wunschel .>=W->

[@carlachambers3771]

Some folks used to work these shovels with compressed air. Cool find.

[@douglasreinken7213]

Frank you have to get that out!! That’s in great shape for the age of it. Cool 😎

[@exploringabandonedmines]

The government wants it to "rust in place"

[@stevetabor4447]

Wow what a awesome find that steam engine at the River crossing is not only rare but is in amazing shape for being over hundred years old Nevada has some cool mines an some machinery but the Yukon area an machinery just blows the cool factor off the charts, the 1800s steam shovel be a great piece for your museum just love the old machinery,,,thanks frank as always be safe 👍👍👍

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Thank you very much!

[@late4dinner268]

You felt so comfortable taking stuff from something so precious to find that had been there for so many years unmolested by others for more than a 100 years I can only hope that you return the things you took.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

They belong in a museum.

[@SaturdayNightSlamMaster1980]

@@exploringabandonedmines I agree, in the woods it will decay alone. In a museum we can appreciate the brass craftsmanship of the turn of the century.

[@ADSC2006]

Re-certifying that boiler could prove costly. Having someone retrieve it and restore it would make for a good show!

[@MOTOMINING]

Boilers are often a lost cause, but an engine can be restored almost indefinitely. Often new babbits and rings are all that is needed.

[@markevans6751]

The boiler can be bypassed and the engine run on compressed air.

[@MOTOMINING]

@@markevans6751 I don't know that kind of defeats the purpose of it being a steam engine :P

[@travailer594]

Ya perhaps his new gold rush show would chip in Frank I say Let's get it out of there and running!! What a great show idea!!

[@petethalheimer8843]

I've heard of a shovel out in the bush outside of Dawson that worked the Panama canal and was shipped to the Klondike to work on the Yukon Trench. The first shovel may be that one. I have visited the second electric shovel. If you can get into Bear Creek there is another shovel there.

[@zr700]

I would say this one was disassembled and reassembled at some point after looking at the numbers painted on the frame.

[@ziggysexplorationsiegelaar6471]

@@zr700 That's the only way they move shovels any distance.

[@remmiemax3624]

SUPER SCORE! WOW!!! Thanks for bring us along! 🍻!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Our pleasure!

[@robdedrick2052]

Wow ! Frank . That brought back so many Memories of Crossings I made back in the 70s n 80s . We have to share a Beer n Stories some Day . Stay Safe Brother and Big Thanks to all you Share .

[@srcmini6188]

I would personally donate to the save this shovel fund. Start a fundraiser to save this old beast!!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

We have a few hurdles to jump first we need to get permission from the government and then we need to figure out where it should go.

[@srcmini6188]

@@exploringabandonedmines good luck. I hope you find her a nice home 👍

[@edwardmckenzie3402]

Too bad you couldn't get it moved to your museum! That is really one of a kind.

[@d.vincent6190]

WOW! That thing belongs in an museums. Thanks all great find.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

You bet

[@timothycook4782]

If this thing was actually built in 1897 that would be pretty amazing. Honestly I wasn't sure there were any surviving steam shovels from the 19th century.

[@ericaltmann5711]

Seen a few of you Americans restore steam shovels, on the you tubes.

[@moreplsjr3274]

Thank you for taking your time and sharing your travels and educating along on the way!!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Thanks for watching!

[@SueGirling68]

Hi Frank & Sharon, that was one amazing piece of history you found in that old steam shovel, wow. That river looked really swift flowing, good job in getting across it and securing the rope as that wouldn't have been an east task for anybody. Thanks for sharing, much love. xx💖

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@SueGirling68]

@@exploringabandonedmines I certainly did, what a trip. x

[@SaturdayNightSlamMaster1980]

I’ve worked on a scrapyard my entire life and I’ve only once come across those smooth link plate tracks. Pretty old solid steel, no tread no lugs. Crazy old school.

[@adamvanostrand2664]

That steam shovel is awesome oh, it was so intact and in such great shape I bet the old Beast would probably fire up with a little bit of TLC

[@dombutler7685]

Amazing to see this steam shovel, it definitely needs to be saved. It is a shame that Sharon didn't get accross the river, she needs platform soles on her waders!!

[@benbonesalive]

I’m sure people have said you should leave items there for others to see like they do in old west towns

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Far more will see in my museum. Nobody will anything where it is.

[@mikesetbacken7891]

Definitely should be in a museum

[@bryanbressem5026]

Anything not bolted down was stolen in this video, nice work

[@exploringabandonedmines]

We didn't steal anything.

[@nickmad887]

Thank you.

[@rodgercottrill3342]

It show the quality in steel an craftsmanship what a find it will be there another hundred years

[@bigbird9794]

Absolutely amazing, just goes to show what real craftsmanship is. Unbelievably well preserved.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Well that and it is frozen most of the year!

[@ronniecardy]

Wonder even the last one still looks good. That shows you things were made to last Back in the day

[@mikehunt8375]

Metal today certainly is even close to metal 120 years ago. Metal today dissolves into rust in less then 20 years. I dug a 1931 Ford Model AA Radiator Shell out of the ground metal detecting still complete with the Ford emblem and crank case covers. Chrome still shiny!

[@chadmiller7460]

Georgeous video, thank you so much for sharing! I love this stuff.

[@chadbailey189]

this shovel is a real treasure!! I hope its saved some day!!

[@drubber007]

Unbelievable find Frank. To think it has sat there all this time and probably only a few people have ever seen it.

[@royreynolds108]

At 13:00 the thing you surmising to be a parking brake is a rail clamp( one on each frame corner) along with the 2 swing out brackets on each side to keep the wheels on the track while it is digging.

[@Tom-zo2rc]

Kinda wish you wouldn't take souvenirs. It's the small things that are hard to replace if its ever going to be preserved in the future.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Nobody will ever see it, why leave them to rot into the ground?

[@billturner4748]

Love this show above ground! I’m glad he has some compadres now.

[@dougscott8161]

Hi, Frank and Sharon, thanks for a FANTASTIC video. I was thinking just fire that baby up and drive it out under it's own power till I saw the steam whistle, then I wondered if there were enough parts and spares to remount the steam whistle. (Actually I know it would require a total recertification of the entire boiler system) and I was glad that you showed the boiler for generator for the electric drag line, it's too bad you didn't find the generator/inverter itself. I sure wish you could find a way to recover and save that steam shovel. God Bless and stay safe.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

The Thew is quite a find, this is the only Thew railroad shovel left in the world. This machine serial# 69 was brought to the Yukon with #70 in 1904 to mine a placer deposit by the Detroit Yukon Mining Company. It loaded pay on to ore carts on a railway and then they were winched up an incline to the top of a wash plant. The venture was too expensive to operate and only ran for one year. The next year the shovels worked on two large dredges #3 and #4 near Dawson City. They excavated the ponds the dredges floated in then were used as construction cranes building the dredges. Early Thew shovels are easy to identify, because they have the patented “horizontal crowd” mechanism to extend and retract the dipper. That’s what that triangular structure is for just below the boom; the stick’s pivot point moves horizontally along a rail at the top of this “triangle” to crowd the bucket into the bank. This was invented by Thew to facilitate unloading ore in the bottom of a ship's hold, since the bucket can move along the floor horizontally to clean up the last of the material, unlike a standard shovel, which can only dig in an arc movement. The boom could swing about 200 degrees, so they were called “part-swing” shovels. From the 1920s on, Thew sold their machines under the brand name “Lorain”, named for it’s hometown in Ohio. Lorain became one of the biggest makers of “construction-size” machines, but failed to get on board the hydraulic revolution (as did most US makers) and faded from the scene starting in the 1970s. The company was sold for pennies on the dollar during the recession in the early 80s to Terex corp, like many others. The second machine is a Marion 450. These were built from the late 20s through to 1944. As someone commented on YT, the motors in the back convert AC high line power to DC, because all the motors powering the different functions are DC motors. So in the back, there’s an AC motor turning a DC generator and that powers the hoist, boom hoist, drag and swing works. Travel power comes from the hoist motor. As you said in the vid, those things next to the external spur gears driving the crawlers slide the pinion in and out of the final drive gear, for steering the machine. There were a couple of steel bars that would be lowered from the front of the house onto this steering mechanism and act on those levers to slide the gears in-out to steer, simply by slightly swinging the house left-right. Weird, but it worked. This machine, too, is a rare species Strange choice of an electric machine to work in such an isolated spot, but it probably was previously used in conjunction with a gold dredge, where they have electric power set up anyway and was then sent on the ditching job simply because it was available locally and was a fair size machine for the job.

[@kotten9534]

Great that you add all this information in the comment section! There aren't many excavators from the 1800s left, part because they were invented quite late so few were produced and part because they were quickly outcompeted by newer machines that were easier to operate and transport. In Sweden where I'm from there is probably only one true steam shovel remaining. After the 30s excavators became a lot more common though. I have three myself from 1941, 1954ish and 1962.

[@dozerdave]

Yes the knee action crowd i collect lorain shovels that is a very rare piece indeed

[@TheDamageinc81]

Excellent stuff!!!

[@quicknick9758]

I live in the Yukon and it pisses me off you took everything out of it. Now when I explore it I won't be able to experience what you did or anyone else. Good job to being a selfish tourist and stealing the antiques. I hope you never come back here.

[@dozerdave]

@@quicknick9758 stop being a sally your all wrong unless one of you steps up and saves this shovel

[@barbararobinson7980]

Wow I am in awe of what you had to do to get to that steam operated shovel - bloody hell 💪💪. It was certainly built to last, it was in such great condition - amazing. Sharon daring as ever climbing up to the end of the crane boom 😲. Lots of cool machinery. The photographs really add to the show. Thank you Sharon, Frank and Ben. ❤️👍❤️

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Sharon takes the pictures...they are awesome!

[@rossdtool]

If someone publicly shows themselves retrieving an artefact to save it from oblivion then they are historians. Frank is saving these artefacts for posterity and for the interest of future generations.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

It would be awesome if the government would let somebody save this!

[@josephprettyman2178]

The steam shovel,would make a great will it run episode.

[@friedrichkertoja]

Such a nice machine indeed. Thank's for the video😊

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Our pleasure!

[@Curiosity-NZ]

Excellent drone footage. Crossing the river is similar to the rivers here in the New Zealand High Country. Sharon did the right choice of not attempting to cross due to her height and probably to her inexperience of crossing rivers. As for the Steam crane, that would be an excellent addition to your museum. Might take a bit to get out but at the end of the day it would be well worth it as you would be preserving an excellent piece of engineering history.

[@moparchallenger749]

Hi Robert Hello from British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦

[@stratocaster1greg]

I want to hear some air hooked up to that whistle. Great video folks. Thanks.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

I have a similar one I bought on Ebay hooked up to shop air. It is loud and high pitched!

[@mick00000000002]

No touch leave it be. It's history. Take care mate )

[@andrewbankhead1979]

Canada is so freaking beautiful !!

[@jusa3031]

With the condition it's in, it's almost tempting to see if the old girl would puff back to life especially seeing as the boiler looks intact. I mean you got wood, water not too far away by the sounds of it and it might take some time to fill the boiler but it should work. Also before seeing if the machinery moves, I suggest a lot of oil and a crap ton of wd-40 or pb blaster of kroil or whatever you can get your hands on. That beauty should be in a museum and not rusting away in the woodlands.

[@waltwood4113]

I'm surprised Tony beets hasn't tried to snag that up...it would go great with his floating dredges...someone should Contact him

[@83Anker]

Hahaha 🤣

[@banjoman483]

The two boiler in this video don’t look too bad! Usually they rot out at the tube sheets but both look good, the hand holes on the shovel were open which told me they had winterized it, so if the top tube sheet of the shovel boiler is as good as the bottom that boiler is still probably good and could be steamed. (I am a boiler maker and steam engineer) that shovel is one of the most complete abandoned machines I’ve seen! The split in the main boom, I would V out the crack, weld it and then rivet some plate over it and weld around the edge. That would be a complete repair. It looks like it could be drug out. Frank are there any plans?

[@anaz6706]

Super cool peice of machinery. And in pretty nice shape too. Kinda of a shame its abandoned out there.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Yes indeed

[@noneyabusiness4564]

The Thew Automatic Shovel Company, Lorain Ohio. I went to Lorain County Community College in the early 70's. By then that company was sold off and soon to be gone.

[@rdamp2374]

Great Finds Frank Sharon Ben. Frank you need the steam shovel at your museum. Ben should clean up the steam whistle and try it with compressed air.

[@Rowdymotmot]

This is a super piece of equipment. Oh it would be lovely to preserve it. I love old machinery.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

You and me both!

[@bearfoot100]

Notice at 11:34, you can see a painted number, by each part and on the frame.It was shipped in pieces and assembled on site. Very cool I saw this same thing, at a upper Tram House in Nevada. All the buildings parts were hauled in by wagon, then assembled up on the mountain.

[@WeaponsMachinist]

Awesome adventure you had. Thanks for taking us along.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@joeldelamirande5792]

Nice shovel to restore

[@mikenutt48]

Your awesome Frank

[@Iconoclasher]

I saw a video a few years ago about a steam shovel in similar condition. They extracted it under "its own power" using a large commercial air compressor. If this thing isn't totally frozen it might move.

[@LaraCroftCP]

Can please somebody in this country found a club and rescue this stunning Beauty? She is AMAZING!!!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

The powers that be have decided it should rust in place!

[@GHOST117HALOBOYCOD]

As somone who restores cars that have sat for decades if I went to that I’d be trying to fire it up haha

[@73DiamondReo]

Wow Its in really good shape! would be great if someone could get it out of there for restoration. I have a few cable machines from the 40's and 50's on my channel.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

That would be cool!

[@Joelontugs]

Is it just me or is the steel in amazing shape for its age forget that the wood is still in amazing shape!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

It is the cold dry air that preserves things so well.

[@Joelontugs]

@@exploringabandonedmines that's something I've never got see being in the most southern part of south east Louisiana, you could dip your shoe in this saltwater around here then leave it outside and in a month it will be only rust lmao

[@dodgydruid]

The steam shovel was patented by Otis who also invented the lift, his designs improved greatly the British steam excavator's that were not very good and needed a lot of work to do not a lot of work.

[@jdhinckley1954]

Wonderful find! Thanks so much for sharing the adventure.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@TheHungrySlug]

Very nice finds. Time has been kind to them thus far. Thank you for sharing this experience.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

You bet

[@jwfinley7808]

That is neat and very interesting!!

[@johnlemmey7698]

That last bit you looked at was the face shovel boom. The electric motor and gears drove a rack that had the bucket on the end. That gave you the up and down. Then there was a cable over the top to pull the bucket threw the dirt. And a rope you pull to trip the back door of the bucket to dump.

[@johnmcneal9477]

Interesting mystery. If you look closely at the very beginning drone shots it appears that the shovel may have been traveling or being moved on a cut trail or pioneer type road? The type of trees are just a little different directly in front and to the rear possibly indicating regrowth of a road or trail bed. The fact that it is sitting on very short sections of steel railway tracks makes me think that they had laid track, maybe just short sections, to move the shovel. Or, the shovel was building road bed or rail bed as it moved along? Once the shovel reached the mine site, it would have needed railway track just to work. I would think that would be rather limiting at a big mine site. Unless, it was going to be used to load ore on rail cars or a processing plant? There are many old mine remains and shacks in my part of Alaska and its fun to think that this shovel had been abandoned in that spot in the 1800's. But, I am going to guess that someone had bought an older piece of equipment on the cheap and was building a road into the new site. It either broke down, (serious cracks in the boom) they ran out of money or most likely got shut down due to WW2. It would be interesting to look closely at google maps of the area and see if its possible to figure out where they were headed?

[@exploringabandonedmines]

It was building a ditch to divert water to a turbine.

[@Aries13Mars]

Awesome Job again Frank & Sharon! These are the very best type of historical records that people will look back on for many years and generations to come. I'd love to see you get that old Steam Whistle Shined up and working in your Museum Fran, Just maybe need a compressor & airline going to it? My God!... Sharon! that was quite a height you climbed up to! Things always look twice as high once you are up there! Geez! You must have some Billy goat in you? :o) I've been away for a bit, and I just happened to catch the tail end of your last Live show! ( I'll go back soon, and watch it from the start again ). I hope that things are going good for you two. Mighty Beautiful country up there, and your pics are really quite stunning Sharon! Good Job! Yes,..watching these Videos really lets us all get a feeling of what life must have been like for the folk that existed long before we came along. An amazing thing really, to see all the trouble, and the overcoming of obstacles, that good old hard work accomplished back then. I felt bad that you couldn't get across that river too Sharon, but that was a very wise decision that you made! Much better than going for a swim in that cold river! I just wanted to say that I hope you carry Bear spray at all times!..promise me!.okay? ;o) Well, I see that you guys have done another video too since I was last here! ( The Tony Beets Camp, & The Last Chance Mine! )So I'm going to go check it out now too :o) KEEP UP THE FANTASTIC WORK YOU TWO! Peace & Luv, Aries ;o)

[@scottcol23]

Just imagine when that BIG crane was in its prime. all those gears and wheels whizzing around trying to suck you into it. Took a brave soul to run it.

[@justripitracing8391]

That should be preserved in a museum!!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Hopefully that can happen in the future.

[@tibormikulik8714]

Amazing find! Perfect video! Thank you and greetings from Slovakia!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@oxskirra]

Now thats the best shovel you’ve found to date. Awesome footage

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Thanks 👍

[@dirtmover3670]

It looks as if you just oiled it up, and fired it up,, it would run. The lack of any damaging rust and corrosion is remarkable. It should live again....

[@xxthewarwithinxxo4946]

That is such a cool machine.

[@r.u.nuckinfuts7359]

What an awesome piece of history.....if she could talk...there would be many stories.Rest in piece old girl.Great find guys and thanks for sharing your find.

[@markwilson9760]

Awesome video. Nice machine. Too bad its stuck in remote bush

[@karlelliott9254]

They have two running, working Erie Ball Engine Company steam shovels at Denton Farm Park in Central N. C. and a very large ore stamping machine with hammers from the Coggins Gold Mine, Eldorado, N.C. USA. The park, steam railroad, restored buildings, mills, saw mills, church, machine shop, radio museum and other displays cover about 100 acres. Got bear spray?

[@r3leggeddog]

Great was getting to see that it was chain driven still on the railroad tracks but Best of all was seeing what type of chain being used that was driving it down those tracks.

[@johnnyanders5371]

Awesome video

[@waynelacroix8870]

I have always wondered what these old timers were digging the day before they left the site for good. I would love to sample it and see if they had found something or if the entire project was a wash.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

It was digging a ditch to bring water to a dam.

[@waynelacroix8870]

@@exploringabandonedmines in a different video a guy was exploring an old mine site in Alaska that had these long chutes to bring material down for loading and possessing and there was still material left in a hopper. If you happen on to something like that maybe grab a quick sample if there is no active claim? I would enjoy seeing what the old timers were working on.

[@normanmallory2055]

This is a very cool find , looks like the Holy Grail to me . Maybe one of the greatest finds you have done .. You just keep finding them .. Yukon what a long history of gold mining , i would love to go into that country myself .. Dawson is on my bucket list ... well done ...

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Thanks, will do!

[@SelinicaHarbinger]

That electric one is quite something. Would be neat to see one get restored or to restore one since steam and diesel gets the most love, it's hard to even find much of anything about old electric cranes/draglines.

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Google Threw steam cranes.

[@maezzee]

Probably one of the most unique if not the most unique explore you’ve done....and yes like you I believe these shovels were use to dig ditches to supply hydraulic mine and sluicing....

[@exploringabandonedmines]

Yes it is an amazing find.

[@meanboycoins6250]

Good to see you again! Thanks for the video!

[@exploringabandonedmines]

You bet!