First steps in quarry until his last run, each cataphile notes an improvement in his behavior in the undergrounds. The route passes through several phases where his attitude toward the place, other individuals and especially in relation to itself will evolve.

Step 1: The disease of quarries.

It starts with a proposed descent. Through a friend or media, the neophyte becomes aware of the existence of a city under the city. Torn between the desire for exoticism and fear of the unknown, he went to the rendez-vous. In front of a bar or in front a subway, a diverse group waiting for him. They have all worn and dirty uniforms, each carrying packs of beer in hand, the other monstrous sacks on their shoulders. During the walk to the quarry, the main game is to scare again, both by sadism but also to test it and avoid it falters once inside.

Because everyone knows the strange disease that threatens the neophyte: The disease of quarries. As one who fears seasick when he sets foot on a boat, the apprentice will distressed by the entrance of the cave. Only after twenty meters underground to think he tons of rocks that overlook and threaten. Add to that the narrowness of the galleries, the disorientation and the inability to find the exit in this hellish labyrinth and you get a malaise that will fade with the times. At the exit, greatly relieved to be whole, the beginner will be happy to have survived such an adventure. Most will never return and not deviate from the quarry. Some however will want to repeat the experience and come away with the attack of subterranean depths.

Step 2: Thirst discovery.

Finally, the long-awaited map is formally placed in the hands trembling with emotion of the beginners. The first explorations where the latter takes the responsibility for guiding difficult: The errors and half-turns are frequent. Few were self-taught in this area, learning to move in an underground quarry is not obvious. But the excitement of discovering a new world is huge: There are so many things to see that often runs beyond the required time. At this stage, the cataphile often integrates a group of friends who will evolve. This is the beginning for some the desire to be recognized by his peers.

The origin of the silver-lead mines Trémusson is Roman. It was already long pieces of Roman origin in the galleries. An excavation site has confirmed the original site, by the discovery of tiles to hook on both sides of the creek.

In the late 17th century, the English are precursors in the mining of nonferrous metals. They buy logging concessions in Britain. However, the site is still not exploited Trémuson. The concession is then awarded on 1 April 1732 to a Breton of Morlaix Guillotou of Kerver. Speculation around the precious metal is growing, which does not prevent the owner from going bankrupt due to a bad investment.

In 1740 the Mining Company of Lower Britain bought the concession. It will take 40 years to industrialize the mines. In 1782, more than 500 people work at the mine site. The size of the concession is over 90,000 hectares. It will never be fully exploited. At the end of the 19th century, the exploitation fall. The owners regularly change without success.

It was not until 1922 that the operation resumes. A laundry room is built on a hillside in 1924. She can wash the ore and the sort because the deposit is less rich than in ancient times. A year later, a foundry was built. The operation is successful for ten years, then the company suffers Dufourg the general crisis. In 1931, the mine was permanently closed. It will never be exploited.

Today, the mines are protected refuges for bats but the many miles of tunnels continue to drain the lead in the village by water infiltration. The villagers can not eat vegetables from their gardens or drink water polluted groundwater. There are remains of the laundry and the foundry behind the village.

source: patrimoine.region-bretagne.fr(FR)

A technical galery connected to an railway abandonned (the loop) around Paris.

In the quarries of the 16th in Paris, in the Palais de Chaillot. These quarries have been called "catacombs Trocadero" because a part was used in the Universal Exhibition of 1900 to show the public the geology of the basement. Height 55 feet 4 inches / 17 Metes 8693 (as printed on the wall)

We call these underground quarries "quarries of Chaillot". The size of these quarries was 12 acres originally, but now it remains only a small network of underground tunnels. At Expo 1900, we used a small portion of the underground galleries to present the work of mining and underground quarries. A prototype of the Channel Tunnel was also conducted.

The royal workshop of the underground quarry Gouvieux is located at the end of an appendage of the network of galleries.

Extraction of the Stone follows the geological slope. At the bottom of the galleries, a flat corridor allows to evacuate materials by truck. On the right, a horizontal corridor connects two superimposed levels.

A beautiful gallery carved into the tuff of Clermont. Strata are clearly visible.

At the bottom of the abyss, a gallery runs deep. Unfortunately, difficult to go further because the lack of oxygen is very strong. Warning!