Fielding Home - Blakeburn Portal #4 Traditional Geocache
240 Jordy: Due to new mining claim and a new private building only feet away from the hide, it's time for this one to go.
Fielding Home - Blakeburn Portal #4
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
You can get to this one starting at the Portal #5 Cache and we recommend walking down the old Railbed that will take you to the next stage. There is a Quad trail that will take you here, but please hike as you will not fully experience it without the walk. Wear good shoes, DEET, bring water & Bear Spray if you can.
The number 4 portal (located near here) was the site of the explosion and the homes and buildings in this area took the majority of the impact, especially the Gilmour Home, amazingly the Fielding Home still stands and is probably the best kept structure in all of Blakeburn.
Below is a quick excerpt from Terry's books of some of the events that took place at this very location.. Close your eyes and picture it 80 years ago.. If you find your way to the Portal you can find the location of the story..
Young Brake-Man, Johnny Porchillo has just delivered a short sring of 30 loaded cars to Motorman Harry Whitlam at the Haulage Tunnel entrance. A string usually consists of 36 to 42 cars, usually comprised of small strings of six cars. Light load or not, Harry waited for Johnny to attach the brake shoes to the last car, this done Harry Whitlam could begin his run down the rail to the Terminal and the end of his shift. With a wave to Harry, Johnny now walked back up the haulage tunnel, the 400 feet to where C.S. Smith and Albert Cole were waiting near the upper hoist for the next string of cars. Johnny was just coming up on a large puddle of water about 700 feet inside the haulage tunnel. At this point the electric lights blinked off, then on again. Johnny heard a thunder or a rumble, and instinctively began to drop to the ground just as the blast slammed into him. Unconscious for a moment. Johnny got to his feet and began to run. The tunnel was dark and filled with acrid smoke. He ran straight into a large puddle of water. The wrong way, Johnny realized. Now turning around, he half ran, half cawled for the portal, arriving just as the second blast threw him out into the open air.
The first people on the scene found Johnny bleeding from an open scalp wound and unconscious. But he soon came too and was amongst the first to attempt to enter the tunnel, but cooler heads held him back. They must wait for the Rescue Committe. The time is 6:30 PM. Wednesday August 13, 1930. 45 men are down in the No. 4 mine.
LM
PS When last there, someone has left their trailer there for their use - this location is NOT private property - it's just one of the things people here do..
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pnpur vf abj n pnzb ybpx naq ybpx ng nobhg urnq urvtug va gur gbc evtug unaq pbeare bs gur ybat jnyy gb gur yrsg bs gur sebag fgrc. Ghpxrq oruvaq n fznyy cvrpr bs jbbq.