Felixschacht

Shaft of the Pit Satisfaction

At this location is the so-called Felix Shaft. Extraction took place here at a relatively shallow depth (up to about 80 m) on three levels. In addition to the main shaft, there was also an experimental shaft and the Felix Shaft (new), of which no remains are visible above ground.

The so-called hanging bank is very well recognizable at the Felix Shaft, where a slight depression in the middle indicates the actual shaft. There are no known records of the Felix Shaft, so it can only be concluded indirectly from the pit layout that this area must originate relatively early in the history of the pit, as the depth is still indicated in "Lachter" instead of meters.

A "Lachter" (equivalent to 2.09 m) is an old mining measure that was replaced by the metric system in Prussia in 1872. Furthermore, it can be inferred from the pit layout that the Felix Shaft (new) encountered no exploitable deposits, as there are no branches leading off. The Felix Shaft belonged to the original concession "Satisfaction," which merged with the Albertsgrube in 1862.

Hanging Bank: The name refers to the facility at the surface opening of a shaft, where the transition from shaft extraction to above-ground transport takes place.

The etymology originates from pre-industrial mining and designates the location where the lifting vessel is hooked into the shaft. From the hanging bank, the shaft depth is measured. According to the "German Dictionary by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm," a hanging bank is described as "… the two long timbers of the upper quadrant of a drive shaft, over which the buckets are hooked in and out; … therefore, also more generally the mouth of a shaft."

When establishing a shaft, as experienced here at the Felix Shaft, in the early days of mining, the spoil was often dumped directly around the shaft opening. This created a circular dump around the shaft opening.

It was only with steam engines that it became possible to bring the spoil, along with the carts, to the surface and then transport it away more easily.

(Text: Jens Mieckley)