Old Cumbria Gazetteer |
 |
|
| Cobalt Mine, Above Derwent | ||
| Cobalt Mine | ||
| site name:- | Scar Crag | |
| civil parish:- | Above Derwent (formerly Cumberland) | |
| county:- | Cumbria | |
| locality type:- | cobalt mine | |
| locality type:- | mine | |
| coordinates:- | NY206207 | |
| 1Km square:- | NY2020 | |
| 10Km square:- | NY22 | |
| SummaryText:- | sources disagree on location; note Scar Crag and Scar Crags | |
| references:- | Adams, John: 1988: Mines of the Lake District Fells: Dalesman Books (Lancaster, Lancashire)::
ISBN 0 85206 931 6 |
|
|
|
||
| evidence:- | old text:- Postlethwaite 1877 (3rd edn 1913) placename:- Cobalt Mine item:- cobalt ore |
|
| source data:- | Book, Mines and Mining in the English Lake District, by John Postlethwaite, Keswick,
published by W H Moss and Sons, Whitehaven, Cumberland now Cumbria, 1877; published
1877-1913. goto sourcepage 109:- "THE COBALT MINE." "This mine was opened by the Keswick Mining Company, shortly after commencing operations at Stoneycroft. It is situated between Sail and Scar Crags, and at an elevation of upwards of 2,000 feet above the sea. The vein, which has a north and south bearing, is moderately large; four levels have been driven upon it a short distance, and a quantity of the vein material stoped out. A road was made to it from the highway, near Stoneycroft, a distance of over two miles, and an inclined tramway to convey the ore from the upper part of the mine. A smelt-mill was erected, together with crushing mills and dressing floors, at a cost of about L7,000. The smelt-mill was built on the site of a more ancient one, where copper and lead were smelted in former days. The Company was induced to expend this large sum of money upon the strength of reports made by chemists who tested the ore. They all assured the proprietors that there was abundance of cobalt in the ore, and as it is nearly equal to silver in value, it was confidently expected that large profits would be realized, but the chemists were unable to extract the mineral from the ore, if it ever existed in the quantities stated. It was said that owing to the delicate nature of the cobalt, and the stubborn character of the minerals associated with it, the former was destroyed in the attempt to extract it. I believe that all their efforts, aided by the costly machinery, furnaces, and other appliances in use, failed to obtain more than a few ounces of the pure mineral." |
|
|
|
||
| evidence:- | presumably visit log:- KDMRS 1979-82 placename:- Cobalt Mine |
|
| source data:- | Notes, log book of Geological Outings, mine plans, etc, Kendal
and District Mine Research Society, Kendal area, Cumbria, etc,
visits made 1979-82. Geological Outing of the Kendal and District Mine Research Society Log book page 58:- "DATE - SUNDAY 1/6/80 / MAP REF - / LOCATION - SAIL & SCAR CRAGS AREA. / NAME - / TYPE OF SITE - / WORKING OR DISUSED - / PEOPLE IN PARTY [ ] / NOS. OF PHOTOS - 34. / SPECIMENS FOUND - NONE. / COMMENTS - WARM DAY. WENT IN SEARCH OF COBALT MINE, SOMEWHERE IN THE AREA OF SAIL &SCAR CRAGS, BUT AFTER SEARCHING FOR 2-3 HRS NO TRACE OF THIS MINE COULD BE FOUND." Log book page 100:- "DATE - 2/8/81 / MAP REF - 1890/1975 / LOCATION - SCAR CRAG / NAME - COBALT MINE / TYPE OF SITE - MINES. / WORKING OR DISUSED - DISUSED / PEOPLE IN PARTY [ ] / NOS. OF PHOTOS - 34 / SPECIMENS FOUND - NO DEFINATE (sic) SPECIMENS OF COBALT ORES WERE FOUND / COMMENTS - VERY HOT DAY. TOW LEVELS LEFT OPEN, AND BOTH THESE WERE ENTERED, BOTH END AFTER A SHORT DISTANCE. THE BOTTOM LEVEL BEING THE LONGEST, ABOUT 60YDS, AND THE TOP LEVEL 40YDS OR SO. SOME SMALL AMOUNT OF STOPING IS VISIBLE IN BOTH LEVELS, BUT NOT EXTENSIVE." item:- private collection : 82 Image © see bottom of page |
|
|
|
||
| evidence:- | presumably mine drawing:- KDMRS 1979-82 placename:- Cobalt Mine |
|
| source data:- | Geological Outing of the Kendal and District Mine Research Society to Cobalt Mine,
Above Derwent click to enlargeKMR08.jpg "COBALT MINE LEVEL No 1"  click to enlargeKMR09.jpg "COBALT MINE LEVEL No 2"  click to enlargeKMR10.jpg "COBALT MINE LEVEL No 3" item:- private collection : 82 Image © see bottom of page |
|
|
|
||
| :- |
North east of Scar Crag. Opened 1848 for cobalt and perhaps arsenic; a bad investment. |
|
| Adams, John: 1988: Mines of the Lake District Fells: Dalesman Books (Lancaster, Lancashire)::
ISBN 0 85206 931 6 |
||
|
|
||
Lakes Guides menu.