The Mines

The Hapsburg Mines are really a natural caverns system.  Over the years narrow passage ways have been widened and small openings between different caverns and levels have been expanded.  In many cases flights of steps have been cut into the rock making it easier  to move between the different levels.

Initially the upper caverns were worked, but over the years miners have gained access to more and more caverns, now the best ores and gem stones are found in the deeper levels and galleries.

Miners organise themselves into gangs, and once a seam has been found different teams from the same gang work the seam around the clock, to protect it from claim jumping from other groups.  There is no ‘right of ownership’ to a seam - if it is left un  attended it is fair game for another gang to move in and claim possession.

Gangs normally consist of ‘Miners’ who actually dig the ore, ‘Totes’ who carry the ore back to the surface and ‘Prospectors’, who spend time searching for the next seam to mine.  Some gangs are large enough that they mine two or three seams at a time, swapping labour around between the different seams as they expand or contract.  Some gangs hire watchmen as well – smaller gangs may hire a watchmen to guard ‘their’ seam overnight, others may hire someone to escort their prospector into the deeper parts of the mines.  

The mine rules are straightforward; anyone working in the mine needs a mining licence which costs 1cp per month from the Mines Office, attached to the smelting house.  All ore collected must be sold to the Laird’s Smelting house via the Mines Office – and while the miners grumble about this, the protests aren’t too loud because the Laird pays a fair rate for the ore.

Miners find gem stones, such as malachite, azurite and turquoise amongst the ores they are mining.  These gemstones are not subject to the same restrictions as normal copper ore and can be disposed of however the mining gangs decide.  Most are sold locally for 2 or 3gp, to be polished, perhaps mounted in simple jewellery, and then either exported or sold on locally.  The money made from these finds is generally split between gang members - although that is a matter for the gangs themselves.

The galleries closer to the surface are considered safe, with only a few bats or rats to disturb the workers, lower down other cave denizens, such as Giant Ants and Fire Beetles, might cause problems for the miners.

An average gang might consist of one prospector, eight or nine miners to dig the ore and three or four totes to carry it back to the surface.  Some gangs, however, might be twice that size.