A strange box of steel underground !

 

A strange box of steel in a mining area...


This metal box is a historic piece of equipment used in the mining industry several decades ago. The intention was to support the roof close to the ends of a longwall mining area and to make it fall down easier after that. There was a certain mechanism in this machine that was released by the miner on the left side of the picture by pulling the chain that is also visible.

© Richard Binder