115' TUNNEL IN THE MILLER MINES AREA-OPPOSITE SIDE OF RIDGE

[Jim Hatt]

Back when I was exploring the area where the Miller Mines are located, and a couple years before I actually found the entrance to the Miller Tunnel. I found an unusually small entrance to a tunnel that penetrated into the side of the ridge approx. 115 Feet. The entrance was walled up and partially hidden by a Prickly Pear Cactus growing above, and drooping down over the front of it.

Some of the curiosities about this tunnel, are that there is no tailing pile anywhere around it. The height is only about 4 feet the full length of it. There are old square nails, with a short loop of wire attached to them in the wall, about every 10-12 feet, and about 2 feet up from the floor. (SEE PHOTO 8 BELOW) Clay Worst was the first person I showed this tunnel to after I found it. He thought the nails might have been used for hanging candles or lanterns on. I have taken several other people to see it since, and they all thought Clay's opinion about what the nails were for, was probably correct.

WHERE CLAY AND I ALWAYS CAMPED WHEN WE WORKED ANYTHING IN THE MILLER AREA OR ANYTHING ALONG THE JF TRAIL.


GETTING READY TO HIT THE TRAIL



CLAY AND HIS BOY "KLAUSE"



ENTRANCE TO THE TUNNEL



JUST INSIDE THE ENTRANCE LOOKING OUT



ABOUT 30 FEET INTO THE TUNNEL LOOKING BACK AT THE ENTRANCE



ABOUT 50 FEET IN THE TUNNEL ANGLES OFF TO THE RIGHT. LOOKING BACK, LIGHT FROM THE TUNNEL ENTRANCE CAN STILL BE SEEN FROM THIS POINT.



ABOUT 70 FEET IN, no light can bee seen from the entrance. On the right side of the photo and approx. 2 feet up from the floor, you can see one of the square nails with a short loop of wire attached.



ABOUT 80 FEET IN. THE BRIGHT SPOT ON THE RIGHT SIDE IS FROM THE CAMERA FLASH.



THE END OF THE TUNNEL. THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE YOU CAN STAND UP. THE CEILING IS ABOUT 6 FEET HIGH FOR ABOUT THE LAST 10 FEET OF THE TUNNEL. THE ORANGE SPOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PHOTO IS FROM MY FLASHLIGHT. I USED IT TO LINE UP THE PHOTO IN THE DARK.


A couple of people that I have taken to the end of this tunnel, thought that it was stoped up at the end, to get material to make a wall, to make it appear that the tunnel ended there, and that there may be more tunnel behind it. Could be... ??? I have never made any attempt to do any digging anywhere in it.

Jim

[MMM]

Jim, the end of the tunnel looks natural to me. If it were a wall, someone really knew how to make it look untouched. The reason I am saying this is the face has no clear breaks in the rock surface or cracks indicating the placement of rocks. The fact the mine has no tailing pile is something a lot of old timers did to conceal their workings. I have seen mines that were really big and from the entrance and total lack of tailing pile, you would have never known it. Maybe "thump" the rock on the far end and see if it sounds hollow, That and look for oddly shaped rocks along the length of the tunnel. The end may be a trick to make you think thats all there is and a second tunnel may branch off this one along its path. I see no obsious vein or anything else that would indicate whoever was digging this was following any strike. Almost looks like a smalll haul tunnel. What is the nature of the rock in the area? Volcanic or granitic? whatever it is thanks for sharing.

Mike

[Jim Hatt]

Mike,

If someone had sealed off the end of the tunnel to hide it, they probably covered the rocks in the wall with mud or cliche to hide the individual rocks?

Every one that has gone in there with me has observed just as I had when I first found it, and you did looking at the photos. There is no obvious sign of a vein or any mineralization anywhere in it.

It doesn't make much sense that someone would tunnel in 115 feet on just a prospect hole.

The idea of a "haul" tunnel is a good possibility!

We did consider the idea that there is a shaft somewhere higher up the ridge above it, and the tunnel was intended to intersect the shaft, but never finished. If that is the case. The shaft is well concealed, because I have paced off the distance above the tunnel, and found nothing visible in the area.

Some day I might go back there with a White's TM-808 and sweep the area in the "CAVE" mode.

Same old story... Too many places that need further investigation, and only one life to do it all in.

Jim

[djui5]

Neat tunnel Jim. Sure is worth more exploring

[Desert Cruiser]

Square nails with the wires -- to hold candles. Old Mexican miners trick.

What's the wet looking spots on the wall in the back of the stoope? Water seepage? Nice.

Don....

[Jim Hatt]

Don,

I have seen Bats in there on several occasions. Not the first time in, but after I opened it up and left it open.

I think the wet spots are just something they leave behind.

Jim

[MMM]

I just took a real good look at the last photo. You know using the ctl and wheel on mouse thing. Anyway, what I find interesting is how the last few feet show clear layering of the rock. Normally you find this in a fault zone or where you have intersected the bedding planes of the rock in the area. Either is good. Before that area the rock looked more like conglomerate or calichie. But here things changed. If I were to look for a shaft above this mine I would plot the relitive angle of the rock and extend it up the mountain and then add up to 300 or so feet beyond that. Another possibility is the tunnel actually went down and was filled in, that would make walking on the filled part sound differently than the rest. I love old mine and have been in and out of them for over 50 years.

Thanks again.

Mike

[Jim Hatt]

Mike,

There definitely several things that are different about the last 10 feet (or so) of the tunnel. The most interesting is the fact that it is the only place in the whole length of it where you can stand straight up. It appears that they stoped up in order to get material for sealing off the rest of the tunnel, or a lateral drift off of it.

It remains a mystery!

Jim

[theiceman226]

hey all im new to the search for the lost mine and have many clues and questions to be solved,,but after looking at the pics it looks like were the tunnel ends i see cracks in and around the end wall and it looks a differet color from the side wall, it looks like its sealed,,if i were you id dig in to it about 5 feet, you might punch trough cause it don't look like the end of it,,looks like a cover up wall to make it look like the end!!!

[djui5]

Welcome to the forum. Just a heads up, you can NEVER tell something like this by looking at pictures. The only way you would know is to look at the wall in person with your own eyes under good light.