The Davis Quartz Mine
At the foot of the cliff in the Davis Quartz quarry stands Shaft No. 1: an old timber headframe with a big wheel on top, and an open shed under a tin roof around the shaft. The open pit is picked clean - all the ore comes up from the mine under the quarry now, hidden in the rock. The deeper you go, the rarer the ore.
How mining itself works (tools, the timing bar, levels) is in Mining; processing the ore is in Ore Processing.
The mine is closed for now while it is rebuilt - the cage does not run and the ore rocks are back in the open pit. Everything below is how it works once it reopens.
The headframe
- The cage in the middle of the shed takes you down the shaft. Step up to it, press E and pick the level you want.
- The green safety lockers on the left: E to rent safety gear (hard hat with a lamp, goggles, hi-vis) for $75, the same as at Mining Supply. E again to hand it back.
- The foreman works from the shed: E to talk - start or end a mining shift, manage your crew, the Mine Rewards Shop and your work clothes. See Mining.
Ramps lead up onto the deck on all four sides. Floodlights come on at night.
Riding the cage
At every landing, step into the cage. The prompt lists both rides: scroll the mouse wheel to pick one and press E. G still takes the second ride straight away.
| Where you are | First choice | Second choice (G) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Up to the surface | Down to Level 2 |
| Level 2 | Up to Level 1 | Straight to the surface |
Level 1 - stone, coal, copper
The cage drops about 40 metres to the Level 1 landing. From there a timber-propped tunnel runs to a round chamber at the far end.
- The ore - stone, coal and copper - is hidden in the walls. Swing at the rock and listen: it rings when a pocket is close, a dull thud means keep looking.
- A pocket breaks in four stages and each stage drops its ore into your pockets. When it is mined out, a new one grows somewhere else on the level a few minutes later.
The ore cart
Every landing has an old ore cart on a short piece of rail next to the cage. Crews on a shift use it: the prompt offers Dump ore in cart and Send cart up (cage) (scroll to pick, E to use; G also sends it up). The cart goes up with the cage and the company pays when it reaches the surface. The cart comes back down a little later.
Level 2 - iron, silver
Level 2 is being tested by staff and opens to everyone soon.
Level 2 is deeper still. Two tunnels leave the landing: the iron tunnel to the left and the silver tunnel to the right, each ending in a big chamber. You find mostly iron, a fair amount of silver and some copper.
- It is dark. Only the landing has lights. Past it you see nothing without a lamp - the shift work clothes and the rented hard hat from the lockers have one, or bring your own head lamp. You also need a hard hat to work the walls down here.
- Gas pockets. Each chamber has a red lamp on the back wall. When it starts to flicker, gas is coming: you have about 5 seconds to leave the chamber. Without a gas mask (hardware store) you cough and lose health for as long as you stay in the gas. It clears after a while.
Gold, gems and more will be on the levels further down once they are dug.
Thanks! Staff will look at it.