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Taking the Ore to the Surface
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This diagram, used by permission from the NBMG, summarizes
some mining techniques used on the Comstock, but also in other
underground mines. (From Purkey and Garside, p. 58.)
Head Frame
Vertical tunnels, shafts, were dug in order to haul the rock
to the surface and often to deliver men and equipment to the work
site. The system for hauling the rocks up the shaft involved the
construction of a "head frame" that consisted of a
large wheel at the top to change direction of the cable pulling
up the bucket, and a winding wheel onto which the cable was
wound. This is a photograph of the New York mine headframe in
Silver City on the Comstock, built in 1913.
The cable to lift the ore carts and buckets was developed by
Andrew S. Hallidie of San Francisco in 1863. He went on to use
his cable development skills for other applications, notably the
San Francisco Cable Cars.
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Taking the Ore to the Surface
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