Big Sky Fishing Gallery - Stewart Mine Gallows

Interesting crosslike shadow formed by the electric pole. In Butte they called these headframes "Gallows" for the conditions that were found underground.

I'm not eaxctly sure but my guess is there were what is called "rock bursts" in the area due to stress and pressure from fault lines and fractures in the rock layers underground.

I witnessed the aftermath of one such rockburst the day after it happened in a stope during active mining of the Bunker Hill Mine in Kellog, Idaho back in 1985. Rock bursts can occur without much warning causing serious damage with massive sections of rock (slabs several feet thick and of considerable length) suddely and violently releasing energy in the form of rock pressure built up from stress. In spite of all the timbering 12X12 timbers were crushed to splinters. Roof or side walls of stopes and raises can be affected . Of course anything in the area is crushed under the extreme force of the burst. You can get the notion that a miner would fair no better under these conditions. Butte, MT