OPAL MINER PROSPECTOR

TRUCK IN THE HOLE

Old Jimmy was coming back to camp (Grawin Opal Fields) one night after a good nights drinking at the Grawin Club. The track that winds through the mulok heaps to his camp would be tricky for anyone at night but old Jim seemed to always get back to camp This night he was not on his toes too well, as he ended up on top of a heap with the front of the ute down the hole and couldn't get out the driver's door, so there he slept for the rest of the night.

Old Jimmy as he was call was a little on the deaf side in one ear and couldn't hear out of the other
So left and right would get out of wack from time to time depending on what home brew or 90% rum was still in his system.
Well all in all when it came to mining Old Jimmy would have no end of trouble when it came to direction.
One day Old Jimmy came down to my camp (pink hill field Grawin)asking for help to find direction for a conection.
When mining we conect shalfts for air this means that you would make a drive from one shalft to the other in the straitest line possible.
What would happen is the men would go down a hole each and go to the end of the drives and bang on the wall with a pick and find the direction,to make the conection
After coffie and chat,Old Jimmy and I wanderd up the hill to his holes,now this will be fun i thought to my self as Jimmys deafness will be hard to handle.
Down the holes we went and along the drives to the end,dead silant but for ones breathing and not asound from Jimmy in the other drive.
As sound travels well under ground and Not a sound from Jim I sat out this silance for a wile but still no woody wood pecer noise to hear.
After my attempts to give Jimmy some direction and still no reply,I headed along the drive to go up top and se what had happent to Jimm.
With candle light and pick in hand I head along the drive heading out,To my suprise 12 feet along the drive not far from the shalft,I hear the faint thud of a pick stricking the wall.
With care I find the strongest sounding place,and started to also dig in his direction,After not to much work the wall started to get the hollow sound nearing a conection.
A hand size hole then larger till I could fit my head through and se what Jimmy was up to.
No light No Jim the picking was still to be heard,Making the hole big so that I could fit through I then found my way along the drive that swung sharp left.
Here was Jimmy picking away at the wall the one hearing aid screching a deafning tone through the mine.
"Turn your aid down Jimmy",I shouted at him.
"You dont have to shout, an where did you come from"was his reply.
"I broke through around the corner,your about 15 feet passed the shalft.
"Wonder how that happend I did go by the compuss".
"Well you turned left insted of right,the conection is about 1.5 feet through."
This was not realy good opal leavel any-way,lets look at the hole.
Well that did turn out to be another day of fun.