The rock extracted deep inside the mountain was transported to the surface by various means. Frequently, this was carried out through gently sloping adits, along which the material was moved, or it was hoisted up through shafts. Simple aids such as leather sacks, wooden buckets and ore troughs were used.
Within the adits, miners often employed a four-wheeled mine cart, the so-called “Hund” (Fig. 1). This cart was pushed along wooden plank ways known as “linkage”. The track extended beyond the adit mouth to the spoil tips. Outside the mountain, the transport route often passed through a brick passage known as “snow collar”, which provided shelter from harsh weather, avalanches and falling rocks.
In order to keep the “Hund” firmly on the planks, it was fitted at the front with a guiding pin which engaged in the gap between the planks and prevented the cart from slipping off the track. In the 18th century, the wooden plank ways were replaced with iron rails, and the wooden wheels with iron wheels fitted with flanges, thus eliminating the need for the guiding pin.
For vertical transport in shafts, miners designed various engineered solutions. As with water drainage, simple windlasses and whims were initially employed. Later, water-powered hoisting engines allowed for greater lifting capacity. Hoisting heights of more than one hundred metres, however, only became possible with the invention of the steam engine and the introduction of wire rope in the early 19th century.
Fig.1 The “Hund” mine cart with guiding pin
Fig.2 Windlass
Fig.3 Whim
Fig.4 Water-powered hoisting engine
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