Researchers make a discovery similar to opening a time capsule from the nineteenth century!

A mine located near Manchester in a village called Alderley Edge was the source of cobalt, an element from which the brilliant blue pigment was mined, impregnating ceramics and glass.

Cobalt mining was recognized as a profitable business for England in the nineteenth century. But imports from other countries became cheaper than English cobalt, so this particular mine, owned by Sir John Thomas Stanley in the early 19th century, was abandoned around 1810.

Members of the Derbyshire Caving Club have been exploring the Alderley Edge mine since the 1970s, renting access from The National Trust, a British conservation charity. A group of caves recently discovered some items left in a previously unexplored part of the mine. The discovery was the discovery of the time capsule.

Ed Coughlan, member of the Derbyshire Caving Club, said: statement From the National Trust: “A mine in pristine condition with such objects and personal inscriptions is rare. This is a compelling window into the past and the last day the miners went out of business.”

The statement said that in addition to shoes and pipes, the cave dwellers found a pot buried in the wall, which may be a sign that the miners are superstitious and thank the mine for good ore. One of the rare finds was a winch that was used to lift and transport heavy materials.

One particularly puzzling find was an inscription in the initials “WS” dated “August 20, 1810”.

The owners of the cave found other words and numbers scrawled on the walls of the mine.

“We found initials and other basic numbers in what we call ‘cots’ or sitting areas, as if someone was learning and practicing writing,” Coghlan said.

To make the historic discovery available to the public, the Derbyshire Caving Club and the National Trust have partnered with Christian Survey and Inspection Solutions, which uses technology to create virtual 3D models of buildings and underground spaces.

At the mine, the team used scanners that fire lasers at the environment. These laser beams are reflected back to the scanner, which calculates the distance traveled by each laser beam. By doing this hundreds of times around the area, we get a virtual 3D image. The team also used remote controlled vehicles for the underwater parts of the mine, as well as other 3D imaging techniques.

In a statement, archaeologist Jamie Lund said: “The objects found in the mine were photographed, cataloged and left where they were found to remain in the underground conditions that preserved them. They leave the mine like a time capsule, protecting a place that was once a hive of activity for future generations to explore and enjoy.

Source: Living Science

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