|
|
 |
 |
 |
| The life of a silver mine in the 16th century, according to Heinrich Groff |
zoom 1
zoom 2
zoom 3
|
|
zoom 4
zoom 5
zoom 6
|
| |
The red ore of Saint Nicholas [Print 15]
This famous print, unfortunately incomplete, originally comprised the two pages, left and right.
Our view shows three levels of activity, including one excavation. A mine is generally composed of three main elements: the tunnel, the shaft, and the destocking. The tunnel, at the top, is the entrance level, the second level is that of the main excavation, and the third is the destocking, shown at the beginning of an excavation.
In the lower right, a dozen miners get to work. Many are sitting on their leather aprons, working with hammers and pointerolles (zoom 2).
Others break up a large block (zoom 1) using hammering on iron wedges. The lamps are set on the ground or hung by their hooks on the timber work.
Two workers (zoom 3) transport the ore in a bucket towards the mineshaft. It will then be raised by the hoist (zoom 6).
In the upper tunnel, the ore coming from further away is carted to the shaft (zoom 4).
Here a hoist raises (zoom 5) the buckets from the lower levelsl. While one bucket is rasied full, another is lowered empty. |
|
   |
|
|
|
