ABOUT US
WHO ARE WE?
We are the South Dakota Mining Mining and Mucking team. Each year we represent South Dakota Mining and our sponsors at the annual International Collegiate Mining Games. Our team members not only learn and practice traditional mining techniques, but develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. We are also active in our community, and host events to help introduce people of all ages to mining.
WHAT IS MINING AND MUCKING?
Introduction
Mining and Mucking is a collection of events that embody the major techniques of hard rock mining in competition form. There are seven different events based on old mining techniques: jackleg, single jack (aka hand steel), mucking, swede saw, gold pan, surveying, and track stand. Read more about these events below.
International Collegiate Mining Games
The main tournament is the International Collegiate Mining Games where teams from all over the world gather not only in the spirit of friendly competition, but also in remembrance of fallen miners. These mining games were first held in 1978 to honor the 91 miners who died in the 1972 Sunshine Mine Fire in Kellogg, Idaho. The event has since grown with multiple teams representing over five countries, including USA, Canada, Brazil, England, and Australia.
Teams and Scoring
Competition teams consist of five people and may include one alternate person in case of injury. Mining and Mucking is a very team oriented sport. Five of the seven events require the active participation of all five team members. The other two events (jackleg and survey) consist of two person teams. Overall team rank is determined by a sum of individual event placements. For example, if the team places first in mucking, they earn 1 point. The team with the lowest cumulative score wins. The individual event scores are based time, accuracy, or depth.
Mining and Mucking is a collection of events that embody the major techniques of hard rock mining in competition form. There are seven different events based on old mining techniques: jackleg, single jack (aka hand steel), mucking, swede saw, gold pan, surveying, and track stand. Read more about these events below.
International Collegiate Mining Games
The main tournament is the International Collegiate Mining Games where teams from all over the world gather not only in the spirit of friendly competition, but also in remembrance of fallen miners. These mining games were first held in 1978 to honor the 91 miners who died in the 1972 Sunshine Mine Fire in Kellogg, Idaho. The event has since grown with multiple teams representing over five countries, including USA, Canada, Brazil, England, and Australia.
Teams and Scoring
Competition teams consist of five people and may include one alternate person in case of injury. Mining and Mucking is a very team oriented sport. Five of the seven events require the active participation of all five team members. The other two events (jackleg and survey) consist of two person teams. Overall team rank is determined by a sum of individual event placements. For example, if the team places first in mucking, they earn 1 point. The team with the lowest cumulative score wins. The individual event scores are based time, accuracy, or depth.
JACKLEG
Jackleg is relatively modern mining technique. The jackleg itself is a pneumatic drill with a 6ft long drill bit and a pneumatic leg that pushes the head around. The jackleg allowed miners to drill holes much faster than the previous method of double jack. Double jack was a two person effort, where one person would hold and rotate a long drill bit while the other would hit it with a sledge hammer. The jackleg came along as a much needed substitute, allowing a single miner to drill a 6' deep hole only in a minute or two. Comparatively, the same hole drilled with the double jack method would take two people over an hour to finish. In addition to increased efficiency, the jackleg offered significant safety advantages. Miners needed to be cautious of fumes from combustion engines building up in the mine, which could be deadly. The jackleg drill solved that problem by using air as its driving force.
Photo credit: (L) University of Arizona Library (R) SD Mines Team
Photo credit: (L) University of Arizona Library (R) SD Mines Team
SINGLE JACK (HAND STEEL)
Single jack, more commonly known as hand steel, was originally used to start holes for double jack (see Jackleg section above). Hand steel is a single person method that uses one hand to steady and rotate a steel drill bit while the other hand hammers the bit into the rock. The resulting holes from this process could be filled with dynamite to blast out the rock. Hand steel was also used to split freakishly large rocks that were not worth the explosives. In present day competitions, teams must attempt to drill into a concrete block using a 4 lb hammer and a set of three steel drill bits. This event is set up relay-style with each team member allowed two minutes to drill as far possible before passing the hole off to their teammate. The goal is to have the deepest hole possible.
Photo credit: (L) H.C. White Co./Library of Congress (R) SD Mines Team
Photo credit: (L) H.C. White Co./Library of Congress (R) SD Mines Team
MUCKING
Mucking was the original method used by miners to transfer ore into the cart after it was blasted out of the mine walls. The initial explosion would cover the rail tracks with ore and other debris. An ore cart would be brought to the edge of this pile where it was filled by two men mucking (or shoveling) the ore into the cart. Only two men could muck at a time because there was not enough room for more people to help in the cramped mine conditions. This historical practice was carried into present day competition with only two people mucking at a time. Two other team members help catch high flying ore and evenly distribute it in the cart. This job is called screeding. The remaining team member switches in and out of the mucking rotation. This is a timed event that begins with the team running a ore cart to the end of 75 foot long tracks and back. The cart is filled level to the brim, then trammed down and back on the tracks again. Time is called when the cart is back at the start and the goal is to have the fastest time possible.
Photo credit: (L) Jasonville Mines Archives (R) SD Mines Team
Photo credit: (L) Jasonville Mines Archives (R) SD Mines Team
SWEDE SAW
Swede saw is a competition derived from the cutting of railroad ties and support timbers for use in mine shafts. Though this event may seem like it better belongs in a lumberjack competition, it is very fitting for the mining games since the ties and timbers and cut were the foundation for other mining work. Railroad ties were needed to lay track, without which miners could not have moved their ore nearly as fast or as far. The use of support timbers in mines reduced the frequency of cave-ins. Both of these needed to be cut by the miners themselves, as pre-cut ties and timbers were not provided by most mines. In the mining games, five team members race relay-style to cut a 6"x6" timber using a swede saw. This is a timed event where the fastest cumulative time wins.
Photo credit: (L) Kentucky Coal Archives (R) SD Mines Team
Photo credit: (L) Kentucky Coal Archives (R) SD Mines Team
GOLD PAN
Gold panning is a technique for finding small pieces of gold and other precious metals and gemstones. This was a popular technique used by prospectors during the mid-19th century gold rushes. Gold panning works on the basic principal that as the pan is agitated, denser particles (gold, precious metals, gemstones, etc.) will sink to the bottom of the pan while the less dense particles (dirt, silt, sand, etc.) will be washed away. Gold pans themselves are traditionally round shaped, with ridges along one of the walls to prevent the heavier particles from sliding out of the pan as it is being shaken. This was a long, slow process that required much patience from the prospectors since there was no guarantee that gold was present where they were panning. Therefore, once gold was found, it was not uncommon for prospectors to build a sluice box in order to try to produce more gold from that location. In competition, a each team member is given a pan containing 1 lb of material with 5 bbs hidden in it. These bbs can be lead, copper, or another metal. The type of metal bb influences the panning style. Competitors must pan out all the bbs in the shortest amount of time they can. Any lost bbs result in time penalties, typically five minutes per lost bb. The lowest cumulative team time wins.
Photo credit: (L) Lee Russell/Library of Congress (R) SD Mines Team
Photo credit: (L) Lee Russell/Library of Congress (R) SD Mines Team
SURVEYING
Surveying was crucial to map making and helped miners know where they were at in the mine. When people were under ground, they were not able to navigate without a map and compass unless they knew their exact location. Surveying was the only way for them to have a good representation of where they were at. The process of surveying underground has not changed much over the years, with main differences being the use of prisms and laser range finders instead of tape measures. To honor historical mining techniques, laser range finders and other new surveying technology are not permitted in competition. Instead, teams of two must determine the distance and elevation between two points using a tape measure and a theodolite mounted to a tripod. This distance cannot be directly measured due to obstacles in the course and an intermediary point must be used. The team has 30 minutes in the field to take dimensions using this equipment, then 15 minutes for calculations. This event is judged on accuracy.
Photo credit: (L) Macon Land Surveying Archives (R) SD Mines Team
Photo credit: (L) Macon Land Surveying Archives (R) SD Mines Team
TRACK STAND
The track stand event requires teams to erect a section of railroad tracks. The tracks used in the competition are small gauge tracks, similar to the ones that might be used in an underground mine. Miners used to build railroad tracks instead of trying to maintain the floor of the mine. These tracks made it much easier to transport ore. They also allowed miners to pull loads with cables or ropes from outside the mine without needing guidance from the inside the mine. That in turn made it possible to use coal or wood fired steam engines located outside the mine to move loads in the mine, reducing air pollution. In competition, teams must set up one section of track with 5 ties. The track is then inspected by judges and time penalties are given for inadequate assembly. Afterwards, the track is disassembled. The lowest total time for assembly and disassembly wins.
Photo credit: (L) State Archives of Florida (R) SD Mines Team
Photo credit: (L) State Archives of Florida (R) SD Mines Team
OFFICERS
CONSTITUTION
mining_team_consitution_and_bylaws_april232019.pdf | |
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