Watching Morail happily scouting the old tunnel face, taking small samples with her pick and examining them in good light, cast by her mirror, was an education in itself. She marked out an area somewhat low on the wall and even including some of the floor of the old working. Inside the marked area, she made new marks.
Withers noted, “Those marks are not really a grid, are they?”
Morail nodded cheerfully, “Correct and wrong at the same time. I am taking advantage of some small faults and differing properties of the rock. The result will be a neat removal of the waste. Some of it will need sorting because there are some minerals of interest here.”
Conversation became difficult for a while, as Morail drove a rock drill with a heavy hammer. Under her skilled drilling, the holes at her marked points appeared far quicker than Daring Do expected, and she was used to having to work stone in the documenting and recovery of ancient sites.
Morail showed some of her samples to Matriarch Moonstone, whose face lit up in delight! “Chrome for our steel! Where is it, Morail?”
Morail, mane and ears standing up to accompany her smile pointed to a part of her hole layout and downward at an angle. “We will know better after this blast. I need six #4 cylindricals, five #2 cylindricals and four #7 cubes! We are going to need an ore recovery team and carts to clear this one!”
With the Matriarch on her mirror, Daring Do asked, “The carts, I understand. What is special about an ore recovery team?”
Morail patronizingly patted Daring Do on top of her pith helmet as she answered, “Most of the rubble will be dross for the tailings cart. Some of it will be valuable minerals. The recovery team is experienced in knowing the difference and separating them.”
Soon a team arrived pulling a stoutly built cart. They handed Morail a heavy box, even by Diamond Dog standards. She went to work with a will, pushing charges into holes, adding small devices and tamping the holes tight with a clay.
Dragging the box with her, she led the way back in the tunnel to a fairly big pocket in one side. She herded everybody into it.
Saying, “Cover your ears!” she began to wind the crank on a big cylindrical object with an open bell at the other. The warning siren's scream split the silence of the tunnels!
Morail let the siren wind down to silence and flipped over a timing glass. As the last of the fine sand in it ran out, she tapped a swift code on a mirror like device.
The thunder of the charges going off filled the air like a solid hammer blow!
The recovery team leaped forward, huge shovels clearing the way to the main rubble for the cart! As they pulled to a stop, they unfolded a stout sorting table next to it! Several of the team lined up alongside the table. The rest went back and scooped up the blast rubble that had been thrown from the work face, and piled it onto the sorting table.
The busy sorters were shunting most of the rubble into the cart. They sorted a surprising amount into boxes that were set aside and replaced!
One chortled, “Oh, the steel makers are going to love this, as soon as the refiners are done!”
Meridian asked, head tilted in curiosity, “What of the gold ore?”
One of the sorters pointed with his tail to a box. “It's there. Gold is nice and all, but the minerals to make up good quality steel for tools is what is really valuable! Good steel for mining tools is the foundation of any drift!”
The rubble cart was soon filled properly and hauled off. A fresh one had been brought and was put into place with almost no pause.
Daring Do was suddenly hit by what she had not seen! “Matriarch Moonstone? What happens to your mine tailings? Even smaller shafts make a lot of tailings.”
Moonstone chuckled at the question. “We sell them. We grade them for size and color. Surface dwelling builders buy them for construction material.”
Meridian snorted! With a giggle, he bleated, “You really don't waste anything, do you?”
The rubble from the blast, cleared from the work area by the recovery team, Morail was busy marking new places for drilling to set charges. While watching her wield her hammer, Daring Do remarked, “You know, the first Mage/Tech devices were invented by the Rom in Equestria. They were power assistance for Horses whose legs were injured or weakened by age. They were quiet enough not to interfere with their road songs. Since they just pushed out and pulled back, maybe you could see if they could help you with hammering tasks.”
She was surprised when Matriarch Moonstone pulled out her Magic Net mirror and tapped codes. “Tool Development shop? This is Moonstone. Look into Rom MT leg prostheses power units as possible hammering assistance. Thank you, Tool Development.”
Shortly Morail ordered, “Everydog back to the blast refuge, charges are set!”
As they all crowded into the alcove, the leader of the ore recovery team told Matriarch Moonstone, “What we have seen so far, might justify bringing in permanent rails for the carts. We should know after this blast.”
She nodded, “If the chrome is a seam and not simply a pocket, it would justify it. We will see what Morail asesses after this charge is fired.”
All conversation ended as Morail cranked the warning siren! That was followed quickly by the underground thunder of her explosives detonating!
The ore recovery team was first out, clearing the way to get their sorting station set up! Several, every line of their bodies showing their excitement, were working with pick and shovel to clear the work face for Morail to examine!
She eagerly swung a heavy pick! Broken bits of rock flying from her assault, to the hammering tune of an experienced miner, Morail was obviously in her element! Laying aside the pick, she jammed a stout prybar into the fractured but still in place stone. A fast, hard heave had a substantial block ripped loose. As fast as it was removed, Morail was head down in the hole that it came out of!
She leaped in delight! “It's a seam!”
Matriarch Moonstone was on her mirror that fast! Looking up with a grin, her heavy clublike tail wagging she exclaimed, “I just put out the call for a mining team! When they heard that there was chrome, we had so many volunteers you would not believe it! We have track layers coming in, too!”
Wrapping Morail in a hug, Matriarch Moonstone offered, “How do you want your mine share to be paid?”
Without hesitation, Morail replied, “Put half to Drift prosperity. A third should go to the miners, including cart teams, divided between best provisions and best tools, which will be given to them. The balance can go to my account in Matriarch Amber's care.”
Turning to Daring Do, Withers and Meridian, she pointed out, “Our part is done and we are overdue for lunch! Let's go back to the dining hall!”
Withers commented, “Sounds great, but what about the gold? Did you find it?”
Morail gestured negligently with a hoof, “It's there. See that area of purple stone a bit above and to the left of where they are working. That's the gold ore. We will get to it but, I mean, it's only gold. Mainly valuable for surface trade. Not important like chrome to alloy into our steel.”
They all walked away towards the dining hall.