Wild, Wasted Waterworks: Exploring an Old, Abandoned Pump House

The abandoned pump house I explore in this video is located at 5800 feet elevation in some rugged mountains outside Death Valley. It clings precariously to the mountainside and has a dramatic, sweeping view of the barren desert valley thousands of feet below. The pump house was used a long time ago to provide spring water to the camps higher up on the mountain (yes, the pump house pumped the spring water uphill!). The nearby, constantly flowing spring above the pump house was the source of the water, and today it keeps the area very green and lush with ferns, cattails, flowering plants, etc. Reaching the pump house itself required some moderate bushwhacking through all the greenery below the spring -- but it was worth it to peek inside this historic, hidden structure and for what I found there!

[@o2wow]

Frank that is a twin piston water pump. They are used to pump liquids, in this case water, at high pressure and low volume. They operate much like an air compressor, but are built heavy to withstand high pressure and incompressibility of water. The small tank plumbed on the top of the head is an captured air tank to cushion the hammering pulses of the pump output. The tank is connected to the check valves on the pump. The dams I used to operate used similar pumps, both electric and gasoline driven, to pump water several hundred feet uphill. Whomever maintained that pump knew how to replace packing on the piston shaft seals and was quite familiar with water pump grease. Thanks for another interesting video.

[@polferiferus1938]

+wbbh - Here is some interesting info : lcweb2.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/az/az0200/az0293/data/az0293data.pdf It's 51 pages, and only tangentially related to this. I mostly put it here because I think that the HABS/HAER site at the Library of Congress would be a great place to begin research for the items seen in this video, or throughout this channel!

[@o2wow]

The sand filters described in the link might explain the cistern arrangement at the pumping station.

[@polferiferus1938]

+wbbh - You're right. I thought figure 10 (pg21) resembled a larger scale version of the generator in the vid. Hey! Thank you for taking a look!

[@fritzmckenzie3664]

I think the cranking mechanism would be a soft start for the motor

[@nagoa214]

probably a star-delta starter if the supply is 3 phase.

[@TVRExploring]

Great place to work for whoever built that setup and maintained it... I'd take that view over a desk any day.

[@AbandonedMines11]

I agree! I do believe a caretaker did reside there at the pump house. Not sure if there are any remnants of his dwelling, though. I saw some interesting stuff outside the pumphouse that looked like a stone foundation or something, but it seemed too small to be a cabin foundation. Once again, this is one of those historic places that, sadly, has been forgotten about.

[@TVRExploring]

There are far too many of those forgotten places, I'm sorry to say.

[@esaiarellano4328]

The scenery is so beautiful

[@AbandonedMines11]

Yes, it was! That shot where I pan to the left and look out over the cliff is very stunning. The video doesn't do it justice. It's an amazing view. Thanks for your comment!

[@esaiarellano4328]

+Exploring Abandoned Mines haha no problem and yes very jaw dropping view!

[@leonelstcorsa598]

The view of the desert below was worth a watch and a thumbs-up! Can you make a video interview of yourself and how you got into the exploring business. I think it be fun to watch.

[@TrailRecon]

Very cool hike and the pump house was a nice find!

[@ADITADDICTS]

Muchas gracias senior Frank! Buen trabajo en la video! La casa de la bombeo era muy interesante!

[@MikeLitorisStank]

So glad I found this channel

[@AbandonedMines11]

I'm glad you found it, too, Kameron! Welcome aboard, as we used to say in the US Navy. Feel free to comment or ask a question on any video. Thanks for spending some time here looking around.

[@delmontindustriesltd7501]

Wow! That view of the valley was awesome!! Sure can't see anything neat like that here in Michigan. The trees are too thick.

[@TheAquilesvengoyo]

This kind of exploration gives me peace. In the history and mistery of that places I found beauty. Keep up the good work and be safe Frank!

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thank you so much for commenting! This was a peaceful hike with serene views of the desert valley far below. Thanks again for your interest.

[@speedyspeeds]

What a lovely little oasis!

[@astralvirgin09]

Hi Frank, another very cool video! Glad you're back and I'm looking forward to more of your mine adventures! Take care and stay safe!!

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks for dropping a comment! Always good to hear from you.

[@benwallace9559]

I find your voice very soothing and your videos just make me feel relaxed good job

[@JRHlavaty1]

On closer look I think I was wrong, I think the person who said they were lupine was right... Dog poodle bush looks very similar but has pointed leaves... It only shows up after wild fires and is pretty nasty, some say worse then poison oak. Once again thanks for sharing all these great places. I spend as much time as I can in the Mojave and am fascinated by the mining Era! I explore a lot out near Barstow and find a lot of old mines but don't ever go in because I have a 3 and 5 year old with me when I'm out, once they are old enough I want to start venturing in some of them. Thanks for the inspiration! Well done sir!

[@ReclusiveMountainMan]

What a cool above-ground exploration. An oasis in the desert.

[@stanlindert6332]

The Lupin is so pretty however very deadly. It's a well ( no pun intended) thought out design. It seems that all good buildings have a solid foundation.Thanks for taking us there.

[@AbandonedMines11]

+Stan Lindert Thanks, Stan! I did not know that those purple flowers were called Lupin. I looked them up and discovered that people who have a peanut allergy often react negatively to the seeds of that plant. Interesting… I also discovered that the Indians used the seeds for food after they processed them.

[@CornishMineExplorer]

Nice find that, amazing that the building survived the fire, can see the burnt timbers.

[@CuracaoLife]

Great to see a old pump house like that.. Thanks for sharing! :)

[@pigoff123]

I love all the flowers

[@AbandonedMines11]

There definitely were a lot of flowers during this hike!

[@dougsimerly6829]

Thanks for the tour Frank!

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks, Doug! Always good to hear from you! You've been a longtime supporter of my videos -- thank you for that!

[@royreynolds108]

4:20 has to do with water level, float for on and off 5:47 pipe on left is the suction line 7:20 & 9:00 the pump is a two cylinder reduction drive w/ 4 suction & 4 discharge valves, the discharge is the vertical pipe with the air chamber above to soften the discharge pressure shock 8:00 the handled crank is a controller for a motor and it is shown in the OFF position 8:19 on Rt. there is a box with ON-OFF buttons above it is a receptacle and a light switch above that 8:25 AB label says the contacts are silver alloy and not to clean them 9:17 pressure gauge and meter 9:54 meter box w/ wires, rack on the roof indicates wires stopped there at one time. So the controller is original and the motor that is there now is a replacement.

[@alien4fish]

Wow!! Thank you Mr Reynolds, very informative!

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks, Roy, for the detailed information! I knew I could count on you viewers to fill in the blanks. Thanks again for the comment.

[@theblacksheep1000]

Yet another awesome adventure, as always keep them coming! And keep safe!

[@Ayveh]

Nice video. The scenery must have been more beautiful than what the video shows. Gotta love nature!

[@grandprismatic]

On a re watching binge Frank.... thanks for the videos as per usual. Ben

[@539Productions]

Very unique, never came across a hand crank like that! That place had quite a few bullet holes!

[@HeavyLava110]

Really enjoyed seeing inside the pump house, I liked the old sign that was laid up in there. Be safe out there!

[@elbolvi5595]

soy ecuatoriano ecuador TU CONTENIDO ES MUY BUENO

[@chromabotia]

Hey Frank, thanks I sure enjoy your channel. I come from water country and I believe those "cat tails" are lupines - a flowering plant. Looking forward to more exploration! Be safe buddy!

[@tanyadavis1960]

Really enjoyed this, Frank. Nice change of pace.

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks, Tanya! Yeah, it was a change of pace. No "tunnel time" in this video. Not even an abandoned mine! Don't worry, though -- lots of tunnel time coming up in future videos.

[@Prepologyblog]

The equipment that you were looking at with the handle on top is actually a switch that can along with a resistor bank control the speed of the motor that it is hooked up to, it is used for wound rotor motors. This was an early method of speed control and is actually still in use in here in the us on many types of equipment.

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thank you, Scott, for the information!

[@repeatman]

I am addicted to these videos! keep em up!

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks for your support, man! I love hearing that! It's motivated and enthusiastic viewers like you who make all these long, arduous treks to these god-forsaken mines worthwhile. I have a new video coming out tonight at midnight of some abandoned mines we explored out in the desert a while back. Feed that addiction, brotha! haha

[@repeatman]

+Exploring Abandoned Mines welcome.

[@jimsoutdooradventures2748]

Nice find. The lever near the circuit breaker is intriguing. Thanks for the adventure.

[@peruprofundodance]

I'd love to see that view of the valley in person! Wow!

[@TommyboyGTP]

Pretty awesome, liking the hiking videos!

[@AbandonedMines11]

No "tunnel time" at this locale. Don't worry, though -- lots of tunnel time coming up in future videos!

[@Tom-cy5em]

Very pretty scenery, I think that round gauge on the floor was a gallon counter . It's to bad we couldn't fire up that pump house and use the water since we are in a drought. Ill post your video on my FB page, Thanks for the great video Frank. regards Tom

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks, Tom! That spring certainly had a lot of water coming out of it. I guess it's always that way. It's no wonder they wanted to tap into it like they did. Thanks for taking the time to watch the video and comment. And thanks, too, for linking it onto your FB page.

[@JRHlavaty1]

I'm sure I'm not the first one to say this, that beautiful purple flower is dog poodle bush... Only shows up after a fire. Has the same effect as poison oak... Not fun. I am a huge fan of your videos! Thank you for putting in the work to share your adventures!

[@AbandonedMines11]

Someone else left a comment saying the purple flowers are lupine. Is that the same thing? I had to bushwhack through a lot of it, but I didn't get any kind of rash similar to a poison oak rash. Of course, I was wearing long sleeves and long pants. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to comment and watch the video.

[@AliciaMartinezTutoriales]

Great video

[@Captionmarvelous]

As someone commented below, it is a high power piston pump. The motor looks like a three phase at about 30 horse power . The thing on the wall with the crank is a speed selector to vary the speed of the motor to control the pressure in the line. The speed is varied by changing inductance in this case since it is running on three phase power. It it were a direct current an similar device with a handle on it would have resistors in series with the field coil of the motor to change speed or torque, thus the pressure.

[@wolfrence]

Amazing video! Keep it up and stay safe.

[@ScubaOz]

Really cool for sure! I am pretty sure the thing you think is a hand crank is a BUS control on/off switch, or whatever they called it back then. This place was really neat, thanks a lot for showing us and thanks for the time to hike back to it. Really interesting

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks, man!

[@JohnNelson-ft2vd]

ScubaOz do believe its a rheostat

[@ggnutsc]

The crank device is a drum switch... In earlier motor speed control systems the motor had a wound rotor in which they brought the leads out and ran them to a resistor bank. They used the drum switch to switch more or less resistance in to the rotor circuit and vary the motor speed. In the power plant that I work, our 1950s era bridge crane uses this technology, and occasionally the drum switches give us trouble... Keep in mind that times have changed and there are more efficient ways of doing this now, and most modern three phase motors don't have a wound rotor. Since it is a piston pump which is positive displacement. Varying the speed is really the only way to control the output of the pump, other than re-circulating some of the water back to the two reservoirs outside. (which I presume is where the pump takes its suction from) Recirculating is not as efficient so having some form of speed control makes sense.

[@vern2801]

That hand crank thing is a hand switch, you switch it probably to the right to start the motor on a lower phase and as it came up to speed you switch to the higher phase that was before automatic switching, the round white gauge on the pipes looked like a water meter that keeps count of the amount of water that was pumped. I used to start old irrigation pumps with the same switching systems..

[@prophet6722]

I am so willing to see you back to that horton mine again and see what would happen this time.

[@MrOpenGL]

The crank device is a starting rheostat to gently start the pump motor without A: bursting the pipes and B: overloading the supply.

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks, man, for the information!

[@MrOpenGL]

Exploring Abandoned Mines You're welcome! I love your videos!

[@rahwayelectric]

I was going to say, that's a primitive soft-starter. The AB switchgear looks interwar period, and goes with the soft-starter. It looks like it was replaced by newer switchgear on the other side, from the '70s. Looks like there's an analog timer, the yellow circle in the center of the newer switchgear, in the mix. One of those boxes is probably a more modern soft-starter. The conduit out to the cistern could either have been to run a small pump to prime the larger pump, to connect a level switch, or both. The motor looks like most of the U-frame motors I've worked on. They replaced the original-frame motors, and were the standard size from 1953 until 1968, when the current T-frames superseded them. They probably had an issue with the motor or switchgear that caused the other to fail, and replaced the lot in the late 60s, keeping the original pump. The upper cement enclosure is a spring box. It's a sort of catchment that protects the eye of the well, filters the worst of the sediment, and funnels it into the outflow. They've probably got that running into the cisterns, which may be in a pair with that overflow between the tanks to get even more sediment to settle out. Hard to tell the sequence of everything from the video, and I'm sure it's also hard to tell with all the vegetation.

[@MrUbiquitousTech]

Good info there, thanks for sharing!

[@theblacksheep1000]

To me it looked more like a magneto for the old mine phones, but yeah you are right! Each set of contacts for different voltages/amps is that correct? that was awesome find

[@abrahamgoshi]

Great and interesting video! Good luck!

[@misfitstherion]

I've never been interested in this kind of videos but that was actually pretty good. Keep up the good work dude.

[@worldfilmclips1]

These old mining locations are probably the last few place's that old machinery such as this can still be found. I wouldn't be surprised if that pump and electrical gear had a service, it would run today👌

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thank you for your comment on this video! This was an interesting site and one that I had wanted to get to for quite some time. As I might have mentioned in the video, there was an enormous wild fire that burned through this area a year or two previous to my visit. When I heard that, I thought for sure that the pump house in this video would’ve gotten destroyed. But, as you saw, it didn’t! Probably because it was made out of metal. Most of the trees, though, burned away. Yes, I agree that some of this equipment is probably still in working order with a little bit of TLC.

[@jameshenry2457]

Electric motor running a water pump. Like Kasitch said looks like a pad for an old genset. Looks like the system was modernized a bit at one time. Looks kinda like a jet pump in the cistern sorta hacked in through the wall of the shed. The switch is a kind of speed controller. When water demand increased, someone would have to go up there and increase the power. Looks like an outside electric meter was on the outside of the shed. Power poles and lines probably burnt down.

[@slingnink13]

Cool video frank, thanks for posting. Also can't beat find wild grapes especially on a warm day that includes some bush-wacking. Lol all the wild grapes I come across on my expeditions are usually eaten by wildlife & they are greedy lol....

[@AbandonedMines11]

I didn't see any grapes on the vines, but I really didn't look that closely. Rumor has it that the grapevines were planted long ago by the caretaker that resided down there at the pump house.

[@slingnink13]

+Exploring Abandoned Mines thanks for the reply aswell as the info. Very interesting! 👍

[@dweatherley]

Great stuff.

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, Dan! This pump station was a pretty cool place to check out. It’s too bad it’s no longer in use, though.

[@W7DSY]

Excellent, as usual. A few questions: 1. There was a mine (?) uphill? 2. There had to be a power source for the pump, but appears to be at another site? 3. That 'hand crank' might have been used as a disconnect or some sort of device for power phasing (as in 3-phase power). 4. I saw no signs, so assume "Frank" had never been there before.

[@AbandonedMines11]

Hey, Stan! Nope, no mine here. The water was pumped uphill to some camp sites and other facilities. I'll be getting back to abandoned mines in subsequent uploads. By the way, I forgot my "Stan Was Here" sign for this trek. Would've looked good propped up inside the pump house! LOL

[@alexandrdavila186]

Wow this is just great!

[@fernandoveiga1848]

wow its pretty impressive how all these places where people used to work,people who mabe dedicated his whole life working there and now those places are just left behind and forgotten, it's like ...wow

[@AbandonedMines11]

I agree! That's why I enjoy documenting them. Some of these sites are pretty difficult to get to, so I don't mind making the trek to them so that others can see them in the videos. Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment.

[@MrTropics64]

Frank, Always enjoy your videos. I will trade you the vegetation you encounter with the thick kudzu and privet I encounter on mine hikes. Ha! Ha!. Great video as always sir. keep up the good work and as always, stay safe while exploring.

[@Anos_Voldigoad]

I admirated you lavor You are a men 100% brave congratulations

[@andresecom5670]

Great work guys! keep it up

[@bulldozer9744]

70K SUBSCRIBERS YOUR CHANNEL IS GROWING FAST FRANK! Stay safe!

[@pedromasquijo682]

Nice Video and Exploration

[@KowboyUSA]

With each gallon of water in the output line weighing just a little over 8 and 1/3 pounds, to that pump water what appeared to be a considerable distance up that hill, that had to be one powerful pump.

[@feli9080]

Just came over to your channel after watching Dross Rotzank's video he did on your Horton mine video. Loved your videos. You have really great footage.

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks! I'm glad you found me here after being on Dross' channel. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look around. I appreciate it very much!

[@cuddles6938]

Waterbury lock and specialty company (Walsco ) was founded in 1925 by Edward Peterson. It moved from Waterbury to Milford in 1934. I believe this is located in Connecticut and you can still buy key blanks for them.

[@AbandonedMines11]

+TekReview's Thanks for the additional information! I love it!

[@hgrantham4605]

awesome vid man!!! keep up the good work and stay safe

[@gecko4098]

Great video dude! Im a new suscriber from Argentina!

[@penmumble]

Your videos are always so interesting! Wish I had adventure like you

[@sebastiancolina6213]

please comeback to the horton mine !!!!!

[@OpTicIKiLLUPRO]

"GO BACK" or are you one of the Horton mine spirits?

[@sebastiancolina6213]

maybe..........

[@minineji3632]

xd

[@carlosarmando3972]

woow your amazing...

[@xeneodnejneejedn8347]

Exploration time!

[@diverdan551]

Hey Frank, Awesome video!!!! And that was an awesome view of the valley... I was curious how far from the pump house did electric need to be ran to power it and were there any signs of the old power lines or poles anywhere along your trek out to it? Thanks,Dana~

[@AbandonedMines11]

I was going to mention the power connection in the last external shot that you pointed out, too. Must've had lines running down to the pump house.

[@diverdan551]

Thank you for the replies Frank and PlasticAssasin8....Was also wondering just how far they originally had to run the power out to the pump house? Presuming it was the nearest large settlement with enough power generation?

[@yeons_dreams]

I'm your 80,434th subscriber! XD

[@lazonaasombrosa8688]

good video frank awesome greetings from colombia

[@AbandonedMines11]

+La zona asombrosa Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking a look. Greetings from America!

[@lazonaasombrosa8688]

thanks

[@AndreTurboDiesel]

5:26 maybe you can convince Paul to go down the second tube :)))))

[@reflexmedia6099]

buen video frank

[@Mike-tg7dj]

If that's a spring then there is no use for the pump to draw it out of the ground underground pressure push the water out of the ground hence all the greenery around the spring. Life is drawn to water. I guessing the pump was used to draw water from the cisterns and pump it to the camping areas down or around the area. That place reminds me of Indian Springs on the Bright Angel trail at the Grand Canyon in that all of a sudden the desert opens up to a lush green space its really a nice touch. Oh yeah those pumps had to pump water long distances so they require a lot of juice none of that 110 stuff it wouldn't even crank it.

[@theJo0nA22]

my book , Moon of plutón is a very exitoso

[@pintoarriolasofiaselene2005]

😂

[@evelincastrovillareal6471]

+Sofía Pinto Arriola looolll jajaja

[@itziarribesgarcia9247]

Nice video!Your vids are very interesting!

[@praestant8]

Its hard to tell exactly if the pump house is in fact the pump, or its a generator house for a submersed cistern pump... not seeing any power lines. If that is the pump in the building it is a curious form of piston pump. It would create a good amount of head but not a lot of flow. I would imagine the handled control is for speed of the pump. Obviously still a good spring. Great vid!!

[@enricofumi8072]

infact the hand crank lever reminds the ones used on electric trolleys/trains

[@kasnitch]

that box with the handle looks like a high current speed controller . very like the ones we used to have on the 2 ton dc loci's we would use as transportation underground . I believe that is a stroking piston pump with a dc motor attached to it . simple and rugged . there is also another pad in that building without anything on it . that may have been where a gen set was placed ? those would be worth taking away from the site .

[@darkslayer2359]

yes hello mad maid spanish and english

[@jehugo66]

Re: WALSCO Padlock and Waterbury, CT Waterbury, CT is at the junction of Interstate 84 and State Rt 8 about 45 min southwest of Hartford, CT. Waterbury was at one time the #1 Brass Manufacturing City in the world, reaching its peak during WW II producing shell casings. It was known as "Brass City" and goes back to 1700s for brass manufacturing, as it is just north of Thomaston, CT where Seth Thomas originally made his clocks and I'd bet used parts from Waterbury. Both towns are built along the river. Interestingly, there's an old abandoned Christian theme park and huge cross high up above the city called Holy Land and there are vids on YT showing the place (search Exploring With Josh Channel-not mine). It's a very Catholic small city that is mostly Italian, Polish, and Irish ancestry. It's your typical New England Mill Town with huge brick factory buildings abandoned for decades. I worked there ten years.

[@jehugo66]

I was excited to see that desert padlock was from the Brass City on the other end of the country!

[@bernardoblanchetramirez6032]

My most deeply apologize for all the Spanish speaking people, this normally happens when we see a topic that is very interesting for us, so please take those comments as something good, because they are. Love your videos.

[@AbandonedMines11]

No problem, Bernardo. I appreciate the surge of interest that everybody seems to have in these videos of mine. Thanks for commenting yourself, and I'm glad to hear you are enjoying the videos. Thanks!

[@ringlie]

As said below the crank is most lightly for redusing start up current from the electric motor, but a rheostat?? It looks like a star to triangle starter to me for a 4 poled ac motor. And of course there is a lot missing like the pressure tank. I would think the pump is pneumatic and worked by building up an air pressure in a misssing tank that again gave pressure to a water tank. Not 100% sure but it looks like that kind of a system. The Allen Bradley components are "engine protectors"/fuses and also acted as START / STOP for the pump. You puched the blac button when you had the crank in star position , when the motor had run for 1-2 sec. you quickly turnd the crank to star position. But it could also be a dalander motor :-) If you have a video/photo that shows the markings and postitions of the crank + it might be a sign on the motor that shows the engine type, then it would be easier to be sure.

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks for the detailed info on that equipment inside the pumphouse! I don't have any close-up photographs, though. What you see in the video is it. The spring down there is still flowing to this day. It's amazing that the pumphouse had to pump all that water uphill to where it was used and needed. Must've ran 24/7. I do believe a caretaker lived down there full-time (that's why there are wild grapevines growing down there), so the caretaker kept his eye on the equipment, I'm sure.

[@TheFurriestOne]

The thing with the crank on it looks to be a large multi-position switch of some kind! Perhaps for controlling the equipment, maybe even the flow-direction of the pump?

[@pigoff123]

in my younger days I would have loved to live there

[@AbandonedMines11]

They must've had an onsite caretaker to watch over the pump and its equipment. Yes, that would've been a great job to have. Peaceful. Quiet. And what a view!

[@candysantillo3325]

Really ,really interesting.Please excuse my ignorance but did this pump house have to do with mining operations only or also to get water to people to use for personal use? Might those styrofoam containers cause a blockage?

[@nagoa214]

The equipment with the crank handle on top (at approx 8 mins) is most likely a speed contoller for the electric motor. See the finger contacts to the left, that are shorted out by the brass contacts on the barrel, different fingers being shorted out as the barrel is rotated. The finger contacts are usually connected to a bank of resistors to provide for speed control.

[@1uptospeed]

nice work frank , that pump house must had have a hell of a long extension cord;

[@pvt.ryangamingchannel7405]

Hey again Exploring Abandoned Mines, would you every take the time to explore any of the old abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania?

[@jeffd3865]

you should go too the rocky mountains in Colorado got a 'll kinds of great mines also great video been too long man lol ur the best keep up good work stay safe

[@vern2801]

The eagle mountain mine is at Desert center Calif, it was a open pit iron ore mine, they did also have a small tunnel operation going on I know as I saw some of their under ground rigs when I worked there and there were old mining tunnels here and there..

[@Castillobusy]

I love your videos brother

[@AbandonedMines11]

+Franklin Castillo Thanks, Frank! From one Frank to another, I appreciate your comments and support. Glad to have you along for the expeditions, bruh.

[@Sheckler_35]

i like you channel, good vibes in your explorers bro

[@jaimequeteimporta5361]

hey Frank, great video, i like ur channel :)

[@AbandonedMines11]

+jaime queteimporta Thank you very much! Glad to hear that you are enjoying yourself here. I appreciate your support. Thanks!

[@ALEX-fl3sn]

It's true, I'm here for a video made by Dross (Argentinian youtuber). But that gives me the oportunity to know a great channel like this. Congratulations for your Work. AGUANTE ARGENTINA CARAJO

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks, Alex! I appreciate you stopping by here.

[@joemAwesomeMan]

OOH! That thing with the crank would be used for setting different modes for the pump! The handle is attached to a vertical central column AND on that column was bits of conductive metal strips that would move under the vertical row of switches! Basically, When you turn that handle you can put it on different modes. Example, Turn one could be a start up. Turn two could be the main working and Turn three could be the power down! :) There! Happy to answer any questions.

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks, Joe, for the information. Good to see you back on here again commenting. I appreciate your insights.

[@joemAwesomeMan]

Exploring Abandoned Mines Thanks :) I really enjoy your videos.

[@TheDanipower2300z]

Wow... Explore aandoned mines? you're a valiant guy, take this! (subscribed)

[@masaeffy]

valiant 😂😂👌

[@gregparker8349]

The electrical device on the wall with the big crank handle is an old drum switch controlling the relays for the pump

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks, Greg, for the clarification! I thought this was a neat site to document.

[@hipabl0308]

interesting video good look

[@onrr1726]

My thoughts are the hand crank may have had something to do with starting the generator maybe wined it up just enough to get enough static friction to charge up a small bank of batteries then push the buttons on the wall to start it? There also looks to be 1 or 2 levers attached to the control stand with that crank Another guess would be a throttle used to engage and set the belt speed from the generator to the pump?

[@AbandonedMines11]

+onrr1726 Awesome! I love all the information in your comment. Thanks for posting it!

[@onrr1726]

Exploring Abandoned Mines I'm mostly guessing on all this as it kind of looks similar to how older Light houses during the early 1900's to the mid 50's used to power up there electrical equipment in remote locations. I would assume there are no power lines going up that far to the pump house. They could have had for back up a small gas or diesel engine there to keep things running all day and night. all that could have been cleared out before things were abandoned. If by chance you got the name of the pump builder I might have information on it pending on if its one built by Gould Pumps or Link Belt.

[@JamiJR]

I find myself thinking three things with this - 1: I'd be tempted to go back up with something I could use to break the concrete holding back the spring a bit to let it flow more freely because I love to fish and if the spring had more room to flow maybe someday it would be a place to fish, or at least bring water to somewhere I can fish. 2: I wonder how many high/drunk teens have gone up there and tried to slip into that well to go skinny dipping. 3: What a great setting for the start of a horror movie that well alone would be.

[@liamroggenkamp]

As to how the system worked, it seems that the spring water would be collected, and flow into the cistern. The water would then be pumped by the two-cylinder pump powered by the electric motor, that is controlled by the electrical panels.

[@AbandonedMines11]

+Liam Roggenkamp Thanks, Liam, for the explanation! I appreciate your input. Thank you!

[@maj21093]

Subscriber 128367! Keep up the good work. Your videos are awesome!

[@barryclarke3010]

Frank the cranked handle is to operate a slow starter = to allow current to the motor that operates the pump, slowly, = not to overload, ive used them to start large band saws the current is normally 3 phase 415volts, i did not see any sign of the generator, only the electric motor.

[@AbandonedMines11]

Thanks, Barry, for the comment!

[@megadani3233]

Have you gone to all that abandoned places alone?