LowField Haematite mine waste heap

This picture shows one of the remaining haematite mine waste heaps once present in large numbers around Lindal in Furness as a consequence of the nineteenth century world scale mining activity at that locality.  The waste arises both from the sinking of the shaft down through limestone geology, and from the horizontal tunnels, or levels, going off from the shaft initially in search of ore and then, when found, following the ore vein to extract it.  This may be repeated at different levels down a stage by stage deepened shaft and each level potentially extended beyond the initial vein that was located to see if more are present.  This produced a very large amount of waste material as illustrated by this picture.  The mine responsible for this waste was known as Lowfield and it is in close proximity to the Barrow in Furness to Carnforth railway line which runs on the embankment where the uppermost of the trees are growing.  On the 22 September 1892, locomotive 115 of the Furness Railway, whilst at the head of a goods train on the up line to Carnforth, fell into a subsidence hole which opened beneath it whilst stopped on the embankment.  Initially pivoted at an angle with its tender detached and its front and chimney down the hole, it later the same day completely disappeared as the hole opened to a much greater depth completely swallowing and burying the engine.  Engine 115 remains at an unknown depth below the modern day line, the hole having been filled at the time of the incident by reportedly 300 wagon loads of ballast.  The engine driver, Thomas Postlethwaite, and the fireman hurriedly escaped from the engine as they first saw the subsidence cracks opening below them.