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Underground Marvels
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00:01In Kentucky, a vast network of natural caves stretching hundreds of miles.
00:07How was this massive labyrinth discovered?
00:11And how did a raw material found buried in the caves help change the course of history?
00:17We continue to explore the cave because we have by no means found all of it.
00:23Thousands of miles away in Croatia, this underground military base was one of Eastern Europe's best-kept Cold War secrets.
00:33How was this impenetrable fortress destroyed? And how are locals keeping its legacy alive?
00:40It's unbelievable that things like these actually survive.
00:44And in the UK, this once prosperous mine was the center of a booming industry.
00:49Yet a century later, it was suddenly abandoned.
00:53What happened to this forgotten frontier? And how is it being rediscovered?
00:58We can actually see this mud has been completely undisturbed for at least 120 years.
01:16Throughout history, life underground has captured our imagination.
01:21It creates a very frightening but also a very beautiful experience.
01:25Now, we're taking you further and deeper.
01:29There's all kinds of wild theories about what could be below.
01:32To unearth the mysteries of these underground marvels.
01:45Beneath the wooded lands of Kentucky lies the longest cave network in the world.
01:51This massive labyrinth, consisting of over 400 miles of passages and cathedral-like caverns,
01:59has uncovered some of the earliest prehistoric artifacts in the region,
02:05including human remains over 6,000 years old.
02:10Native Americans had to be pretty hardcore cavers.
02:13We continue to explore the cave because we have by no means found all of it.
02:19This subterranean maze has many mysteries, including one that may have changed the course of American history.
02:26They would pump it to the ceiling to be made into gunpowder.
02:31And an intrepid explorer and guide whose legacy is famous to this day.
02:36Stephen Bishop was the very first person to see this.
02:41He was the first to ever cross the bottomless pit.
02:58For thousands of years, humans have been exploring Mammoth Cave in Kentucky,
03:04the longest cave system in the world.
03:10It is indeed massive, but it's got a great history.
03:14To me, that's one of the coolest things about Mammoth Cave is the original explorers.
03:20Dr. Pat Cambyses is an expert in cave geology
03:23and is fascinated by those who first discovered the caves.
03:27The unique thing about it is the Native Americans explored easily 12 or 13 miles
03:34just with the technology that they had.
03:36They didn't have boots.
03:37They didn't have lights like we have lights.
03:39And they saw an amazing amount of cave.
03:43The limestone caves, formed over a million years ago,
03:47were a lure for the early adventurers.
03:52Jeff Rose has been a ranger here at Mammoth Cave since 2015.
03:56Prehistoric Native Americans would have utilized Mammoth Cave for shelter,
04:02not only from storms during the summertime,
04:04but also sheltering from just the heat.
04:08In the summertime, this entrance behind me expels cold air
04:12that can be felt clear down on the Green River,
04:15which is about a quarter mile from where we're standing.
04:21When the first humans scouted the area,
04:23they would have stumbled upon a gaping hole in the earth.
04:27As the early explorers ventured deeper into the caves,
04:31they came across mysterious glistening walls.
04:34The cave would have just literally sparkled the walls,
04:37the ceilings, the floor even.
04:39When the light hits them, they just reflect that back at you.
04:45And they found out that this stuff was soft enough
04:49to knock it off the walls.
04:51Here we're looking at hammer marks
04:55where the prehistoric Native Americans
04:57chipped gypsum off of the walls of the cave.
05:00This gypsum calcium sulfate, they would harvest it.
05:05It could have been a ceremonial thing.
05:07It could be used in paint.
05:09It could have even actually been an agricultural product.
05:13We find it in fertilizers, paints,
05:15and food today that we consume.
05:23Using mussel shells gathered from the nearby Green River,
05:27the Native Americans mined many different minerals
05:30from the passages of the cave.
05:33The other minerals, salinite,
05:35only has one use, and that is a laxative.
05:38Epsonite is fertilizer and for soaking aches and sprains.
05:45The mining was extensive.
05:47The prehistoric Native Americans would travel upwards
05:51of about 20 miles of Mammoth Cave.
05:55Quite by accident,
05:56an incredible find was made that shed light
05:59on how the first explorers worked inside these caves.
06:03One of the guides that worked for Mammoth Cave
06:05discovers a body underneath a rock.
06:13Archaeologists for the National Park Service carried out
06:16a forensic examination of the body
06:18to discover how this prehistoric miner died.
06:23It appears he had been digging on a sandstone ledge
06:26when the rock above slipped and he was trapped.
06:32His body was well-preserved when it was found centuries later.
06:35He became affectionately known as Lost John.
06:43In addition to the prehistoric miner,
06:46thousands of artifacts, including pottery, woven cloth,
06:50and a handful of drawings were also unearthed.
06:53So here is one of the prehistoric Native American drawings
06:58that we see in the cave.
06:59They believe that the cave became more ceremonial.
07:05Mammoth Cave lay undisturbed from around 1,500 years ago
07:09until European settlers once again uncovered
07:13the extensive passages in the late 1700s.
07:16It was around this time
07:18the most noteworthy discovery occurred in these caves,
07:22one that may have changed the course of American history.
07:25Europeans would have tested the dirt in the cave
07:29and it contained saltpeter.
07:32Also called calcium nitrate,
07:35the valuable saltpeter can be used to make gunpowder.
07:43Word spread about the quantity
07:46and the quality of saltpeter that was available here.
07:50During the Revolutionary War,
07:52the demand for gunpowder skyrocketed across the country.
07:56The saltpeter operation in Mammoth Cave
07:59became an essential part of the war effort.
08:02They produced 400,000 pounds of nitrates.
08:05That number by itself is just amazing.
08:09Without this nitrate,
08:11it's hard to tell where this country
08:13would have been at at that time.
08:16This right here is one of the leaching vats
08:19that were used for the War of 1812.
08:23It's still in place here when the war ended.
08:26The boxes were used to leach the nitrates out of the soil.
08:30Leaching is a process of extraction
08:32by dissolving the nitrates.
08:36Once they got that nitrates out in liquid form,
08:39they would pump it to the ceiling
08:41and gravity feed it back outside
08:43where they would cook it down to the nitrate crystals,
08:47and then they would ship that off to be made into gunpowder.
08:59Dry conditions and a stable environment in the caves
09:03have preserved the remnants of a 200-year-old operation.
09:07But after the War of 1812,
09:09there was no longer a demand for domestic saltpeter,
09:12and the cave's owners needed to find a new source of revenue
09:16to keep it operational.
09:17Thanks to the pioneering work of one brave man,
09:21new discoveries were about to be made.
09:24No one had ever done this type of exploration before.
09:37In Kentucky during the early 1800s,
09:40the saltpeter mining industry was booming.
09:43But the demand for saltpeter, which helped make gunpowder,
09:46fell dramatically after the War of 1812 ended.
09:50So the owners of Mammoth Cave started looking for a new source of revenue.
09:55The cave quickly developed a reputation as being an underground marvel,
10:00and people traveled from all over to see it.
10:04New industry began, which was tourism.
10:06The first tours started at Mammoth Cave in 1816.
10:09One of the main routes that they began to tour
10:12was up in this passageway called Gothic Avenue.
10:16Jackie Wheat is an expert in this chapter of Mammoth Cave's history.
10:20It kind of resembled the old Gothic architecture,
10:24a lot of old stalactites and dripstone formations.
10:27And in this passageway,
10:28you can see numerous candle smoke signatures on the ceiling.
10:32We call this historic graffiti.
10:34We wouldn't allow it today.
10:36This candle smoke writing dates back to the early 1800s.
10:41Some of these names written on the ceiling are
10:43the old gods that worked here early on,
10:46the Miller family, the Gatewood family.
10:49Another signature you find in this passageway is one of Stephen Bishop.
10:56In 1839, Stephen Bishop, an enslaved teenager,
11:00was introduced to Mammoth Cave by the owner of the site,
11:04who wanted to open it up as a tourist attraction.
11:11Soon, Stephen began exploring the depths of the caves
11:14and became a legend to all who followed in his footsteps.
11:18Throughout his career at Mammoth Cave,
11:21he became very famous for his discoveries.
11:25Stephen began giving tours himself.
11:28He took visitors to the deepest and darkest parts of the cave
11:31that only the bravest explorers would dare to go.
11:35As visitors read more about Mammoth Cave,
11:39they would actually know to ask for Stephen by name
11:41because they wanted the discoverer and the explorer
11:44to personally take them on a tour.
11:47Using ropes and a small lantern for light,
11:49Stephen navigated his way through the unknown caverns,
11:53discovering tunnels, underground rivers,
11:56and the bottomless pit.
12:04He was actually the first person
12:07to ever cross what's called the bottomless pit.
12:10Behind me, you see a steel bridge today
12:13that spans the bottomless pit,
12:15but in Stephen's day,
12:17it would have been just a black void.
12:22No one had ever done this type of exploration before.
12:25To span a ladder or a pole across it,
12:29hoping that it hits something on the other side,
12:31and then trying to scoot out on it,
12:34not knowing how deep he might fall,
12:36what was beyond it.
12:39And while his journey to the other side
12:41of the bottomless pit was extraordinary,
12:44it certainly wasn't his last accomplishment.
12:49We're now at the very bottom of the cave system,
12:52at the water table.
12:53The next big discovery that Stephen Bishop made
12:55was the underground river system.
12:57Word of Bishop's discoveries spread,
13:01and scientists flocked to see for themselves.
13:04And one find in particular caused great excitement.
13:08The eyeless cavefish are very unique.
13:10They're an endangered species,
13:12no skin pigment, no eyes.
13:15They live their entire life in a dark environment.
13:18Unique to mammoth caves,
13:21the incredible eyeless cavefish,
13:23Amblyopsis spoleia,
13:25has adapted to the lightless and low-energy environment
13:28of the caves.
13:29As it evolved,
13:31the species stopped growing eye structures
13:33and unnecessary skin pigments.
13:37Stephen Bishop was the very first person to see this.
13:40He actually went beyond the river system
13:42and found many more miles of passageways.
13:45It's a remarkable achievement
13:47for him to accomplish
13:49with very limited resources.
13:53Today, Stephen's legacy lives on.
13:56His courage and determination
13:58continue to inspire
13:59the next generation of explorers.
14:03It was his map
14:04that was used decades after
14:07he was long gone and had passed away
14:09that many generations
14:11continue to use
14:12and explore off of that.
14:19While over 400 miles
14:21have already been mapped,
14:22experts estimate
14:24there could be another 600 miles
14:26still to find.
14:29Thankfully,
14:30one organization
14:31has made it their mission
14:33to follow in the footsteps
14:34of Stephen Bishop
14:35and to document as much as they can
14:37of the seemingly never-ending passages.
14:41We continue to explore the cave
14:43because we have by no means
14:45found all of it
14:46and we also document
14:48what we explore.
14:53Dr. Pat Cambyses
14:54and her survey teams
14:56now make monthly exploratory missions
14:58into the caves
14:59on the hunt for new tunnels
15:01and more answers.
15:02You start with one point
15:04and you pick a second point
15:05and you set your measuring device
15:08so it measures the distance
15:09between the two points.
15:10and then you have
15:11a compass of some sort
15:13so that you could get
15:14the bearing between the two sites.
15:15There is a person
15:16who is taking notes
15:17and making a representative
15:19sketch of the cave.
15:20The data they collect
15:22can then be turned
15:23into highly detailed maps.
15:25Maps tell us
15:26how long the cave is,
15:27how deep the cave is,
15:29and where it is
15:29in relation to the surface.
15:31We use these maps
15:33as the basis
15:34for continuing our exploration work
15:35and our survey work.
15:45Mammoth Cave is a tunnel system
15:47that truly lives up to its name.
15:50Its enduring allure
15:51is the promise of secrets
15:53hidden in the depths.
15:55From ancient times
15:56to the present day,
15:57people have sought to understand
15:59the mysteries of this labyrinth.
16:02But the lesson they all learn
16:03is when it comes to Mammoth Cave,
16:06there is always more.
16:21Precariously located
16:22between communist
16:23and democratic Cold War enemies,
16:26the country of Yugoslavia
16:27was forced to protect itself.
16:29Their answer
16:31was to build
16:32a top-secret lair
16:33inside a hollowed-out mountain.
16:40It was built
16:41in complete secrecy.
16:43With the latest weapons,
16:45aircraft,
16:46and communication systems,
16:48the base's underground complex
16:50included over two miles
16:51of tunnels.
16:53The idea was
16:54a strong enough base
16:56that could sustain
16:57a 20-kiloton nuclear bomb.
17:02As times changed
17:03and the Yugoslavian country
17:05was torn apart,
17:06what led to the demise
17:08of this impenetrable
17:09military facility?
17:13Some undeveloped films.
17:16It's unbelievable
17:18that things like these
17:19actually survived.
17:21And how are locals
17:23keeping its legacy alive
17:24for the next generation?
17:27The majority of its people
17:29wanted democracy
17:30and independence.
17:42In Eastern Europe,
17:43a military base
17:44dug under a hillside,
17:46kept far away
17:47from prying eyes
17:48for decades.
17:55World War II
17:56hadn't officially ended
17:57before the next round
17:58of geopolitical tensions
18:00were already brewing.
18:01This time,
18:03in a Cold War
18:04between the Communist nations
18:05of the Eastern Bloc
18:07and the Democratic countries
18:08of the West.
18:09Caught in the middle
18:10was Yugoslavia
18:11in Southern Europe,
18:12who chose not to side
18:14with either Cold War superpower.
18:16In 1944,
18:19Yugoslavian revolutionary
18:20Joseph Braz,
18:22nicknamed Tito,
18:23and his formidable
18:24resistance army,
18:25the Partisans,
18:26led a ferocious campaign
18:28to drive occupying
18:29Axis forces
18:30out of the country
18:31in order to establish
18:33their own communist state.
18:35When the Cold War began,
18:37Tito did not fully align
18:39with Soviet Russia
18:40and was the first
18:41communist leader
18:42to openly stand
18:43against Stalin
18:44and the empire he created.
18:46In doing so,
18:48Tito embarked
18:49on one of the most
18:50ambitious military defense
18:51projects in history,
18:53codenamed Objakat,
18:54to protect Yugoslavia
18:56from foreign attack.
18:58Today,
18:59Croatia is full of remnants
19:01of the past military might
19:03of Yugoslavia.
19:08Croatia is a country
19:09full of famous sites
19:11that many tourists
19:12are visiting,
19:13but also there are
19:14some fascinating locations
19:16off the beaten path.
19:21Historian Eva Perakovic
19:23is on a mission
19:24to keep the legacy
19:25of Croatia's dark past
19:27alive for the next generation.
19:30In a small village
19:32of Željevo,
19:32there is an underground
19:34abandoned military base
19:35and military airport.
19:44Željevo Air Base,
19:45part of Tito's top secret
19:47Objakat series
19:48of military installations,
19:50was built deep
19:51into the mountains
19:52near where Croatia
19:53meets Bosnia.
19:56Strategically,
19:57it has been chosen
19:58because of the good position.
19:59It was deep enough
20:01into the Yugoslavian territory,
20:03but also close enough
20:04to the important points
20:06of the former country.
20:12Hidden for five decades,
20:14no one knew
20:15about Tito's military masterpiece
20:17while it was operational.
20:20This was inspired
20:22by hangars
20:23used by Swedish air force.
20:25The construction
20:26of this place
20:27lasted from 1948
20:29till 1968.
20:31It was a top secret project.
20:33Throughout that time,
20:35it was built
20:35in complete secrecy
20:37and over 6 billion
20:38American dollars
20:39was spent on it.
20:40This makes it
20:41the biggest European
20:42military project
20:43and definitely
20:44the most expensive one.
20:50The facility played
20:52a key role
20:53in Yugoslavia's
20:54early warning radar network
20:55with short-range tracking
20:57and targeting radars.
20:59It was also armed
21:00with surface-to-air
21:01missile systems.
21:04The idea
21:04was to build
21:05a strong enough base
21:07that could sustain
21:08a 20-kiloton nuclear bomb
21:11equal to the one
21:12dropped on Nagasaki.
21:14The huge amount
21:15of knowledge,
21:16expertise,
21:17and experience
21:18was put into this place.
21:20This massive
21:22subterranean air base
21:23was able to house
21:24two full fighter squadrons
21:26and one reconnaissance squadron
21:28all within its two miles
21:31of strategically planned tunnels.
21:33The total length
21:34of the inside facility
21:36is about
21:37three and a half kilometers
21:38with the middle part
21:40wide enough
21:41to fit about
21:4280 MiG-21 airplanes,
21:44each with its own
21:45power and fuel station.
21:47It was also designed
21:49to be a fully
21:50self-sufficient
21:51underground city.
21:55Power generators,
21:56fuel tanks,
21:58kitchen and a cafeteria
21:59that could host
21:59up to 1,000 people
22:00at a time,
22:01rockets and bomb storages,
22:03doctor, classroom,
22:05crew quarters,
22:06those were all parts
22:07of this complex
22:08for a normal,
22:10everyday functioning
22:11of the base.
22:13The complex had
22:15its own
22:16underground water source
22:17and fuel was brought
22:19by a network of pipes.
22:22Fuel lines
22:23from oil stores
22:2413 miles away
22:26were cut through
22:27the mountains
22:27into the center
22:29of the base.
22:32The top secret air base,
22:35operational throughout
22:36the Cold War,
22:37was almost entirely
22:38impervious
22:39to outside attack.
22:46The base had four
22:48armored doors
22:49that could be opened
22:50and closed
22:51by a mechanism.
22:53They would actually
22:54slide on a track
22:55which would push them
22:57into this little room
22:59so they can stay open.
23:03Yet as the Cold War
23:05came to an end,
23:06a new crisis emerged
23:08inside Yugoslavia
23:12and the Zjeva air base
23:14served a new purpose.
23:23During the Cold War,
23:24Yugoslavian revolutionary
23:26Tito and his resistance army
23:28established their own
23:29communist state.
23:31Boldly,
23:32they never aligned
23:33with either of the major
23:34superpowers of the time.
23:35But soon after Tito died
23:37in 1980,
23:38the communist threads
23:40that held Yugoslavia's
23:41territories together
23:42disintegrated.
23:44After the fall
23:45of the Berlin Wall
23:47in 1989,
23:49East European countries
23:50went through
23:51democratic changes.
23:53Jorg Horvatin
23:54is a curator
23:55of the Karlovac City Museum,
23:57not far from Zjeva.
23:59Yugoslavia was
24:00one of those countries.
24:02The majority of its people
24:03wanted democracy
24:05and independence.
24:06But there was a faction
24:08within the country
24:09that opposed reform
24:10and a tense period
24:11of civil unrest began.
24:14Those democratic changes
24:16were opposed
24:17by the Socialistic Republic
24:19of Serbia.
24:21Tito's surviving
24:22Yugoslav national army
24:24was Serb-controlled.
24:26So Serbia
24:28used military force,
24:30the so-called
24:31Yugoslav people's army,
24:33to prevent those
24:34democratic changes
24:35in other countries.
24:37So that is basically
24:39how the Croatian War
24:41of Independence started.
24:43Or we call it in Croatia
24:44the Homeland War.
24:46The Croatian army
24:48was outnumbered
24:49and outgunned
24:50compared to the Serbs.
24:53Croatia had inferior weaponry
24:56and lack of equipment.
24:58On the other side
25:00there was
25:01a much stronger
25:02Serb-controlled
25:03Yugoslavia people's army
25:05that was built
25:06through decades
25:07during the Cold War.
25:09So in the beginning
25:10of the war
25:11it was a very
25:12unfair fight.
25:14So Croatian defenders
25:15needed to improvise.
25:18For example,
25:20in the lack of weapons
25:21they put some metal
25:24on vehicles
25:26like trucks
25:27or tractors
25:28so they could have
25:30something to fight back.
25:33The Serbs
25:35maintained control
25:36of Tito's impenetrable base
25:37although it was located
25:39in Croatian territory.
25:41From the underground
25:42Željava air base
25:43in 1991
25:44there was an air attack
25:46on the Croatian village.
25:49So the Croatian soldiers
25:51fired with machine guns
25:52at attacking MiG-21
25:55and they damaged it
25:56and destroyed it.
26:00Tragically
26:00most of the casualties
26:02were civilians.
26:08Inside the Željava air base
26:10much of the original
26:11operational machinery
26:12can still be seen.
26:15The base had
26:16two power plants inside
26:17and the first
26:18smaller one
26:19was right next
26:20to entrance number one
26:21and it's actually
26:22amazing to see
26:23the leftovers
26:24and the size
26:25of the machinery
26:25that was used.
26:27In the deepest
26:28recesses
26:29of the colossal
26:30underground complex
26:31lies the heart
26:32of Željava
26:33the top secret
26:35headquarters
26:35known as
26:36the Vitas star.
26:39Deep inside
26:40the mountain
26:40there was an HQ
26:41of the brain
26:42of the complex.
26:44The rooms around me
26:45were kitchen
26:46and a cafeteria
26:47doctor
26:48photo developing
26:49room
26:50communication
26:51interception room
26:52and everything else
26:54for a normal
26:54functioning of the base.
26:57Despite a huge
26:58military advantage
26:59the Serb forces
27:01feared losing
27:02their assets
27:03in Croatia
27:03including control
27:05of the air base.
27:06When the Yugoslav
27:08People's Army
27:08withdrew from the base
27:10in 1992
27:10they devised a plan
27:12to prevent
27:13Croatian forces
27:14from seizing it.
27:16The decision
27:17from the Yugoslavian
27:18Army
27:18was to completely
27:20destroy the runways
27:21and the airplane base.
27:23Pre-designated areas
27:25were built
27:25into the structure
27:26with the purpose
27:27of being filled
27:28with explosives
27:29to destroy the base
27:31in the event
27:31of enemy invasion.
27:33The original designers
27:35couldn't have imagined
27:36its final destruction
27:37would come from
27:38their own nation
27:39being torn apart.
27:41This is the elevator shaft
27:43or what's left of it
27:45leading all the way
27:46up to the control tower
27:48on top of the mountain.
27:55It's a fuel tank
27:56the only one
27:57that survived
27:57the explosion.
28:09Today
28:09what's left of the air base
28:11lies scattered
28:12across the complex.
28:13Many of the aircraft
28:14were left abandoned
28:15at the site.
28:17Due to the number
28:18of landmines
28:19found inside the tunnels
28:20and the extensive
28:22explosive damage
28:23this site will likely
28:24remain abandoned
28:25for years to come.
28:27And yet
28:28a complex
28:30that was built
28:30to be indestructible
28:32still remains
28:33impossible to destroy.
28:49high up in the
28:50Cambrian mountains
28:51is the site
28:52of one of the most
28:53extensive underground
28:54mining networks
28:55in central Wales.
28:57Many people
28:58even locals
28:58aren't aware
28:59of how much secrets
29:00are still hidden
29:01underground in this valley.
29:05For more than
29:064,000 years
29:07miners have been
29:08drawn to this
29:09remote site
29:10to unearth
29:11valuable metals.
29:13Many, many
29:14hundreds of
29:15thousands of tons
29:15of lead ore
29:16came out from
29:17these mountains.
29:18We've got mining
29:19taking place
29:20in this valley
29:20right up until
29:21the last hundred years.
29:23While this
29:24prosperous mine
29:25was once the center
29:26of a booming industry
29:27it now lies
29:29abandoned.
29:30The soil
29:30and everything else
29:31had fallen in
29:32and completely
29:32barred entry.
29:35But locals
29:36are determined
29:36to preserve
29:37its legacy.
29:39What caused
29:40this once flourishing
29:41mine to close?
29:42It was a matter
29:43of leave no stone
29:45unturned
29:46to find every ounce
29:47of it.
29:47And what does
29:48the future hold?
29:50There's still
29:51hundreds of miles
29:52more of these mines
29:54across the region
29:55still waiting
29:55to be discovered.
30:09In Wales
30:10a former lead mine
30:11reaching far
30:13into the granite
30:13mountains
30:14and forgotten
30:15for centuries
30:16has recently
30:17been rediscovered.
30:24Offering some
30:25of the most
30:26breathtaking land
30:27landscapes in the UK
30:28the Cambrian mountains
30:30in Wales
30:31were formed
30:32over 540 million
30:33years ago.
30:35Within them
30:36are hidden treasures
30:37if you know
30:39where to look.
30:39there's much more
30:41to this valley
30:42than meets the eye
30:42on the surface.
30:44What a hidden world
30:45of underground levels,
30:47passages, tunnels.
30:50One of the recently
30:51excavated mines
30:52is known as
30:53the Comistwith mine.
30:55Known for its rich
30:57geologic diversity
30:58its tunnels cover
31:00nearly three square miles.
31:04Mining expert
31:05Yohan Lord
31:06is on a mission
31:07to explore
31:08this forgotten frontier.
31:21The walls of the mine's entryway
31:23also referred to as an adit
31:25are full of metal ore deposits
31:27that don't rust
31:28such as lead, zinc,
31:30and copper.
31:32We are currently standing
31:33in one of the many cracks
31:35that go through the Earth's crust
31:37known as faults.
31:38They serve as sort of escape routes
31:40for magma rising from the Earth's core.
31:43Millions of years ago
31:44through volcanoes
31:45and this magma
31:47carrying all sorts of minerals
31:48condense and solidify
31:50within these cracks in the Earth.
31:52And as they cool down
31:53and solidify
31:54they form metal ores
31:56within these cracks
31:57and these are what are known
31:59as the loads
31:59which the miners then follow.
32:03Miners have been following
32:05the veins here
32:06for thousands of years.
32:08We've got mining
32:08taking place in this valley
32:10from over 4,000 years ago
32:12right up until
32:13the last hundred years.
32:15The mines were first exploited
32:16for the ore of copper
32:18about 2,100 BC
32:20in the early Bronze Age.
32:21Moving on to the Roman occupation
32:23in the early AD centuries
32:25it was first mined for lead.
32:35Lead was the principal ore
32:37mined here from medieval times
32:39through the Industrial Revolution
32:40and for a while
32:42the market for lead
32:43was so strong
32:44that it was more expensive
32:46than silver.
32:48However
32:48mining expanded
32:50in other countries
32:51and the demand for lead
32:52plummeted by the 1830s.
32:54Mine owners had to act fast
32:56to keep their expensive
32:58operations afloat
32:59so they turned their attention
33:00from lead to zinc.
33:03In the early 20th century
33:04you had zinc rising
33:06to be a very prominent factor
33:07as well.
33:09Zinc was predominantly used
33:11for brass making
33:12and coating metals
33:13such as iron and steel
33:14to prevent them from rusting.
33:16It was a matter of
33:17leave no stone unturned
33:19to find every ounce of it
33:21because that deemed
33:22how much the miners
33:23were paid at the end of the day.
33:27And this was one of the last chances
33:30which the mine had
33:31in a desperate attempt
33:32in the early 20th century
33:34to encounter new reserves of ore
33:36and the level actually ends
33:38right here
33:38with no mineralization at all.
33:41By the 1930s
33:43there was no more mining
33:44and the workings lay abandoned.
33:47They just gave up
33:48they ran out of money
33:49and this was the end of it.
33:52Today only a few remnants
33:53of the mine's former glory remain.
34:01Still
34:02mining enthusiasts
34:03like Johan
34:04have been exploring
34:05the abandoned mine
34:07for decades
34:07searching for new adits.
34:10And after years of searching
34:12Johan might have found one.
34:15My friends and I
34:16dug this out recently.
34:18It took us about
34:19three or four weeks
34:21to dig this particular adit open
34:25pick and shovel work.
34:26The entrance to the adit
34:28had collapsed over the years.
34:29There was a weak timber
34:32braced entrance
34:33which had rotted away
34:34and the soil and everything else
34:36had fallen in
34:37and completely barred entry.
34:38So we had to dig down
34:40through that collapse
34:41in order to break through
34:42into the solid rock level
34:44which we now have
34:45on the other side
34:46of that collapse.
34:48Once Johan and his team
34:50cleared the entryway
34:51it was easy to see
34:53that their hard work
34:54was well worth the effort.
34:56Judging by the items
34:58and the rewards
34:59that we found in here
35:00it was unlikely
35:01that any other explorers
35:03had been in here.
35:05We have some really good
35:06footprints here
35:07so we can actually see
35:08the heel prints
35:10on this side
35:11the clem as it was called
35:13and all of those
35:14individual hobnail marks.
35:16So even though
35:17it's in fresh looking mud
35:19this mud has been
35:20completely undisturbed
35:21for at least 120 years
35:24when the last miners
35:25walked through this
35:26and left their mark.
35:27Quite remarkable.
35:31Once miners removed
35:33all the natural riches
35:34hidden within the walls
35:35they would abandon
35:36their equipment
35:37leaving behind artifacts
35:39that are just now
35:40being uncovered.
35:41This part of the mine
35:42closed about 140 years ago.
35:45Among the first things
35:45that we found
35:46was a tally stick
35:47and there's a bunch of X's
35:49engraved with a knife
35:50onto the top of the stick
35:51counting how many
35:52wheelbarrows of ore
35:53were taken out of the mine.
35:55These are the remains
35:56of some explosive boxes.
35:57There's actually
35:58a miner's boot print
36:00still on this plank
36:01of wood here.
36:02Today
36:03navigating through
36:04these tunnels
36:05is a lot different
36:06than it was
36:06over a century ago
36:08and what these
36:09abandoned artifacts
36:10tell us about
36:11the dangers of mining
36:12in these narrow tunnels
36:13is remarkable.
36:15The box was
36:16a dynamite container
36:18two scrapers
36:19in the middle
36:19and a charger.
36:20The scrapers
36:21were used
36:22to clean
36:23the dust
36:23out of that shothole
36:24before the naked gunpowder
36:26was poured in
36:27using the charger
36:29and the charger
36:30is a long
36:31metal spoon
36:31essentially
36:32in which
36:33the naked gunpowder
36:34was loaded
36:34and it was placed
36:36into the back
36:36of the shothole
36:37like that.
36:38They were later
36:39made out of copper
36:40or brass
36:41but this one
36:41is iron
36:42so this would
36:42actually produce sparks
36:44which was yet another
36:45large danger
36:46to the people
36:47who were operating
36:48in it.
36:50Despite the dangers
36:51mining in 19th century
36:53Wales was a lifeline
36:55for those prepared
36:56to endure the horrors
36:57of this subterranean world.
37:00There's a very
37:01eerie feeling
37:03about the artifacts.
37:10Deep inside the Cambrian
37:12mountains in central Wales
37:14hidden for over 100 years
37:16lie the secrets
37:18of the last miners
37:19to work these dark
37:20subterranean tunnels.
37:22Life underground
37:23was harsh
37:24and the miners
37:25had little
37:25in the way of protection.
37:28On the heads
37:29was a felt
37:30towel
37:31or a hat
37:32this is original
37:33to Comersworth Mine
37:34and the candle
37:35would have been placed
37:36and we can still see
37:37a little black smudge
37:39there
37:39where it would have been
37:40on a ball of clay
37:41on the front
37:42of the towel.
37:49Conditions
37:50deep in these
37:51adits
37:52have helped
37:53to preserve
37:53the wood.
37:54This area
37:55of the mine
37:55is actually held up
37:56by some more timbers
37:59up there
37:59with several tens
38:00of tons of
38:01deads or waste rocks
38:02stacked up on top of them.
38:04What we have
38:04the nicest
38:05artifact here
38:06is this ladder
38:07which would have
38:07once been common
38:08throughout this mine
38:09now surviving sections
38:10in such good condition
38:11as this are quite rare.
38:14This ladder
38:15is about 150 feet long
38:17joined together
38:18in various places
38:19and about 120 years old
38:21and it would have
38:22enabled the miners
38:23to walk in
38:23the main at it.
38:25where I'm standing
38:26and to climb up
38:27three or four levels.
38:31Navigating these
38:32abandoned tunnels
38:33today
38:33is a lot different
38:35than it was
38:35over a century ago.
38:37It was difficult
38:38even when the mine
38:39was operational.
38:42Miners had to come up
38:43with ingenious solutions
38:45to transport the heavy ores
38:46out of the tunnels.
38:48This was to some extent
38:50the nucleus of the mine
38:52during its later period.
38:54In about 1900
38:55this skipway was built
38:56which is basically
38:57an inclined railway
38:58going down to the lower levels
39:00that served as a main elevator
39:02bringing ore
39:03from the bottom levels
39:04up to here
39:06and also down
39:07from higher up
39:09to here as well
39:10where the ore
39:11would be loaded
39:11into the wagons
39:13to be pushed out
39:14to the surface.
39:15It was actually worked
39:16by a compressed air winch
39:17sighted at the top.
39:19Recently
39:20Johan made another
39:21monumental discovery.
39:26We are approaching
39:27the most productive area
39:29of the Comerstwith mines
39:31which are the workings
39:32on the main vein
39:33that was called
39:34the comet load
39:35and it's up behind
39:36this big pack wall here.
39:38This pack wall
39:39retains a huge amount
39:40of waste material
39:41that was gained
39:42from those workings
39:43and platforms
39:44extending up
39:45about 500-600 feet.
39:46The wooden hopper here
39:47was built
39:48into the pack wall
39:49with a sliding door
39:51behind these two hinges
39:53so that material
39:54could be thrown down
39:56piled up behind the door.
39:57The door was then opened
39:59to direct the material
40:00into wagons
40:01sitting here
40:01and then all that material
40:03then was trammed out
40:04over the bridge behind me.
40:09The sheer size
40:10of the comet load
40:12is hard to fathom.
40:14This is one of the
40:16largest excavations
40:17on the comet load.
40:19When the entire width
40:20of the vein
40:21is extracted
40:22the chamber
40:23that's left behind
40:24by all of that material
40:26all of that rock
40:26being taken out
40:27is called a stope
40:28and this one
40:29in particular
40:30extends up
40:30for about 200-300 feet
40:32in height.
40:36And the timbers
40:37you can see timbers
40:38right up there
40:39high above us.
40:40Above those timbers
40:41that's merely
40:42a working platform
40:43and above that
40:44is another 500-600 feet
40:46of workings
40:46going right up
40:47to the top
40:47of the mountain.
40:52To see workings
40:54on this scale
40:55is quite spectacular.
40:59Of course the miners
41:00would never have seen
41:01all of this
41:02in its entirety.
41:02They would have seen
41:03one or two
41:04little candle lights
41:06like twinkling stars
41:07high above them.
41:09They wouldn't have had
41:10an idea of the scale
41:11or the shape
41:12of this cavern
41:14in its entirety.
41:17Through exploration
41:19Johan is determined
41:21to delve into the past
41:22of the miners
41:23and preserve their memory.
41:26There is no
41:27one comprehensive map
41:30there probably never will be
41:31of the 20
41:33maybe even 30
41:34miles of workings
41:35in here.
41:37There is a huge amount
41:38still to explore
41:39and still to survey
41:40and build up
41:41sort of an idea
41:42of what we have got
41:43going on in here
41:44and hopefully improve
41:45our mapping
41:45over the years
41:46as we continue
41:47to explore.
41:51There is still
41:52hundreds of miles
41:54more of these mines
41:55across the region
41:57still waiting
41:57to be discovered.
42:06I'll see you next time
42:09in the next one.
42:09Bye.