Paul Hauser

Hazardous Paul Hauser

Antimony is not a rare earth, but the U. S. Government considered it in 1957 to be a critical and strategic metal due to its military applications. I was 19 years old when I applied for a summer job as a field assistant to Ed Robards, a mining geologist working for the state of Nevada. Ed was assigned to map, sample and author a state bulletin identifying all the known accessible mine workings in Nevada that contained indications of antimony. To accomplish this task, Ed and I would go about field mapping abandoned mines using a carbide lantern, Brunton compass, 100 foot tape and a small drawing board. We measured the length of tunnels, depth of mine shafts and the orientation or attitude of ore bodies we encountered. Before leaving each site Ed would describe the specific geology of the mine and the type of minerals found. Ore samples were collected and taken back to be assayed. Much of the time it was a very hazardous task. According to state public records, over 40,000 abandoned mines lay within Nevada, and they posed a real serious public safety issue. A handful of people had already died while exploring them. Some of the abandoned mines we explored contained deep shafts, unstable workings, water intrusion, discarded explosives, toxic contaminants and bad air. Many of those same mines were also located in seismically active areas. There were no cell phones, no GPS in 1957 and no immediate help available if Ed and I were to get into any kind of trouble mapping those abandoned mines. A true one of a kind adventure story.