[OL-FB] Bells for the gods, cannons for the king

[Keymonus]

Somewhere in the bayou, Ile Dyonisus, November 622

Copper is not exactly what a miner hopes to find, when he first hits the rock with his pickaxe. However, it is what the prospectors found in the swamps of Ile Dyonisus: the weird minerals surfacing from the mud turned out to be azurite, a valuable copper ore.

Despite the initial delusion of the prospectors, the city government was enthusiastic about the discovery. Copper doesn’t immediately fill your purse, this is true, but with copper you can make bronze, and with bronze you can make the cannons that your navy needs… or, if you feel particularly pious, the bells for the new temple.

Digging tunnels in the soft ground of Ile Dyonisus was out of question. The slow flow of the water, however, had already made most of the job, century after century: in some areas the copper minerals were already exposed, and damming the river was sufficient to create a sort of open mine.

The mud was removed, and the valuable minerals were shattered and brought away, piece after piece. When all the available ores will be collected, the dam will simply be moved of one hundred metres, and the hard work of the miners will start again.

The environment of Ile Dyonisus is particularly harsh for the miners: humidity, mosquitoes and the ever-present mud are only the most immediate problems of the workers. Moreover, drinkable water has to be brought from a nearby river, as the swamp water would probably poison the miners.
Then, obviously, there are the alligators: the dam and a fence of wooden spikes are usually enough to keep them out, but on Ile Dyonisus you can never really know… 

As a good precaution, a few armed men are always present: if an alligator could find his way into the governor’s house (some say with a little help), a fence is definitely not safe enough!

Copper will soon leave the swamps of Ile Dyonisus and reach the whole Empire, as cannons, bells, statues, boilers to make sugar or whisky, or maybe the sheathing of a ship hull!

To be licensed as a copper mine on Ile Dyonisus, the swamp island.

Overall view:

---------------

I didn't realize how long it had been since I last built something of this scale... but, as my brave prospectors explore the bayou of Ile Dyonisus, and my soldiers march on the hills of El Oleonda, real life tends to happen! I hope I'll be able to continue soon with my storylines!

Edited May 6, 2023 by Keymonus

[Yperio_Bricks]

I love the idea of damming up the river so you can mine copper in the dried riverbed. And it is executed well. Great moc!

[Darnok]

I want to do literally the same idea for a mining build near Stormhaven, in those mangrove forests.

Nicely done!

[Professor Thaum]

Open-air mine... what a smart idea, and well executed for sure.

Will borrow the concept !

[Jeff of Clubs]

Oh wow! Wonderful stuff! Very lively and well laid out. The damn is a great idea.

[Thomas Waagenaar]

Smart idea of a mine! The little dam to block the river and then that tiny stream with plates is super smart!

[NOD]

Great diorama!  There is a lot of interesting things to see here. t's fun to watch people at work. On the other side of the dam, it can be seen that guards are required.