Up From The Depths

Up From The Depths. . Raising thousands of pounds of rock from the depths of the earth required a massive headframe, strong engines and powerful cables to make it all work. The Mizpah had one of the earliest steel headframes. It weighed about 60,000 pounds and could hoist up to a 7-ton load. The "cage" in the center of the headframe was lowered into the mineshaft carrying miners and supplies. It would then be lifted out of the mine with cars containing loads of rock. This was a powerful machine able to raise or lower the cage at approximately 1,000 per minute., MIZPAH, 1902 , This early shot (insert) of the Mizpah faces west. Prior to the erection of the steel headframe, one was brought up from the open slopes, stacked and loaded for shipment by mule team. The Silver Top's wooden headframe is seen in the distance., POSTCARD, 1905 , An early visitor to the mine clearly heard about the fabulous wealth of the Mizpah! LARGE WHEELS inside the hoist house turn the cable, connected to the flywheel on top of the headframe., CAN YOU trace the path of the cable from the hoist house to the headframe and all the way to the cage?, FLAT WIRE CABLE was invented in 1864 by A.S. Halide and was first used in Virginia City, Nevada. It was stronger than hemp rope, coiled more easily than heavy metal cables and stayed on the turning gears better. It was also capable of hoisting up to 10 tons from a depth of 3000 feet. The Mizpah mine was 1500 feet deep., TUNNELS like this are under nearly every step you take in the Tonopah Historic Mining Park.