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Water Ingress
Controlling water underground has always been one of the greatest challenges in mining. To prevent flooding of the mines, miners developed sophisticated drainage systems and pumping devices. Drainage adits – such as the adit of the Feengrotten – still safely lead the mine water out of the mine today.
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Water penetrates every mine – sometimes in considerable quantities. If it is not continuously removed, it accumulates underground and can flood a mine. Therefore, controlling water has always been one of the most important prerequisites for safe and successful mining.
Water enters the mine in various ways. Some of it comes from precipitation that seeps through the rock into the mine. This phenomenon can also be observed here in the Feengrotten: even weeks after heavy rainfall or snowmelt, water drips from the ceiling in some places – almost like an underground rain shower.
Another source of water is groundwater. If a water-bearing rock layer is cut during excavation, a large amount of water can suddenly enter the mine. Such an event is called a water ingress and was one of the greatest dangers in mining.
In the early days, so-called water carriers laboriously carried the mine water out of the mine in buckets, tubs, or pots. From the 14th century onwards, technical aids were increasingly used – initially powered by humans or horses, later also by water power.
The most important drainage facility was the drainage adit. It was located on the deepest accessible level of the mine and discharged the water solely by natural gradient. The drainage adit of the Feengrotten still fulfills this task today: its water flows into the Arnsgereuther Bach just a few meters from here.
Since the beginnings of mining, ladders and stairs made of tree trunks connected the various levels of a mine. In addition to water management, the transport of the extracted rock posed a major technical challenge.
Simple hoisting winches were already in use at the beginning of the 12th century. A wooden hoisting bucket hung from a rope, which was raised and lowered by winding the rope onto a horizontally mounted drum. The winch was operated by a dedicated worker, the winchman. He transported the ore from one level to the next. For further transport to the surface, boys were often used. They carried the ore out of the mine on metal sheets or in hose-like leather sacks.