Kelly Mine, Devon facts for kids
Kelly Mine is an old mine located on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, England. It's near the village of Lustleigh. This mine was used off and on from the 1790s until 1951.
Kelly Mine was one of several mines in the area that dug for a special type of iron ore. This ore is called micaceous haematite, but people often called it "shiny ore." Since 1984, a group of volunteers has been working to fix up and save the mine.
Contents
What is Shiny Ore?
Micaceous haematite, or "shiny ore," is a flaky type of iron(III) oxide. It's not useful for making iron itself. However, it was very good for making paint that stopped metal from rusting.
As more and more steel structures were built during the industrial age, this special paint became very popular. Because of this, some Devon mines that dug for shiny ore kept working well into the 1900s. Even today, similar paint is made from this ore found in other countries.
People also used this material as a kind of "writing sand." It helped to blot or dry ink. Kelly Mine even sold it as "Devonshire Sand." At Lustleigh, the shiny ore was found in three long veins running east to west. These veins could be up to 4 feet (about 1.2 metres) wide.
A Look at the Mine's History
Some clues from the mine's waste piles suggest that people might have been digging for iron here for over 1,000 years!
The first official record of mining at Kelly Mine is from a lease in the 1790s. Some work might have continued until the early 1870s. The mine was listed in 1877 as being run by "The Kelly Iron Company."
The mine reopened in 1879. From then until 1891, it produced 324 tons of shiny ore. This was not a huge amount. The mine then closed again until 1900.
In 1900, the Scottish Silvoid Company took over. They ran the mine until 1917. After that, a company called Ferrubron took charge. Ferrubron also ran a nearby mine called Great Rock Mine. They operated Kelly Mine until 1946, when mining stopped there for good.
For a short time around 1950, another company used the washing plant at Kelly Mine. They used it to treat ore from a nearby mine called Pepperdon Mine. Kelly Mine never had many workers. In the fifty years leading up to 1938, it usually had about six workers. It rarely had more than ten.
Saving and Restoring the Mine
Even though Kelly Mine was not a huge operation, it is important today. It helps us understand the history of industry. When the mine finally closed in 1951, the company owed money to the landowner. So, they left all the machinery at the site. This equipment stayed mostly untouched for over thirty years.
In 1984, the owner agreed to let a group of mining fans use the site. This group is now called the Kelly Mine Preservation Society (KMPS). The society is working hard to restore and save the mine. They want future generations to be able to see it. They have fixed up the mine and made the old machines work again.
Safety at the Mine
Mines can be dangerous places. On June 8, 1910, a mine worker named George William Druett was sadly killed in an accident at Kelly Mine. He was 28 years old. A wire rope broke, causing a cage full of ore to fall.
An investigation was held to find out what happened. The mine foreman said that the ropes were not checked regularly. There were also no clear rules about workers being under cages as they were lifted. The investigation decided it was an "accidental death." However, they suggested that the government should make rules for mines like Kelly, similar to those in coal mines.
The company that owned the mine agreed to make safety better. They added a fence and made sure workers stood clear of the cages. They also decided that rope experts should check the cables in the future.
A few years later, another worker named John Johns died after an illness. His illness was thought to be related to his work at the mine. These events show how important safety rules are in workplaces.
