The weight of a person on these old boards might cause them to collapse without warning, sending the victim tumbling deep into the shaft. Often, areas most likely to cave-in are the hardest to detect. Minor disturbances, like the vibrations from footsteps or from speaking, can cause cave-ins. The sudden crush of falling earth produces either serious injury or instant death. Perhaps even more terrifying is being trapped behind a cave-in with little or no chance of rescue, in effect, being buried alive.
Death comes through starvation, thirst, or gradual suffocation.
Treacherous Timber Modern mines use non-wood materials or treated lumber as supports. Older, abandoned mines used raw wood that easily succumbs to decay and dry rot. While timber supports may appear to be in good condition, they may actually be very loose and ready to fall apart at the slightest touch. A mine opening that appears well timbered and solid might be supported by wood that is barely able to hold its own weight. Anyone walking in the tunnel risks the danger of accidentally touching a timber and causing the passageway to collapse.