Teh One Who Knocks
02-09-2015, 12:37 PM
NICK WHIGHAM - News.com.au
http://i.imgur.com/JqGPYzV.png
Perched high above the Banyuwangi Regency of East Java, Indonesia, is an active volcano that sits spitting 600C blue flames as noxious gases spew from its cracks.
It’s one of the most toxic places on the planet but 24-hours-a-day, men can be found scurrying into depths of the smoky, poisonous crater in order to collect the volcano’s useful yellow contents.
All for as little as $12 a day.
The Ijen volcano is home to one of the largest sulphur mines in the world and attracts men from the surrounding areas who undertake the physically demanding trek, often twice a day, to retrieve the solid blocks of sulphur.
German photographer, Kevin McElvaney spent two days and one night on the volcano, shadowing the miners in the difficult conditions.
The 27-year-old was able to capture some harrowing and incredible shots of the miners as they carried out one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
http://i.imgur.com/VzO3EfA.png
‘The smell is penetrating’
Despite the difficult conditions Mr. McElvaney admits it’s “quite a beautiful environment.”
Part of the site’s ominous serenity is the smoky atmosphere that billows around the mine. But while it looks like steam, it’s actually highly concentrated hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide gases that can burn a miner’s eyes, throat and lungs and even dissolve their teeth.
Workers will periodically be swept with thick plumes of toxic smoke that swallow everything around them.
“You just feel that there’s a warm wave coming, you just close your eyes and then lie down,” Mr. McElvaney said.
“It’s a pretty sh**ty situation, its burning a bit in your mouth, a sour feeling, it’s also burning in your eyes ... Once the smoke was gone I just removed the gas mask and spat out.”
Miners have to be careful not to inhale too much during these moments or they could pass out — something that Mr. McElvaney witnessed on more than one occasion.
The workers have limited protective gear and some even get by with as little as a T-shirt wrapped around their face.
Operating in such conditions is likely to cause irreparable damage. According to the Australian Department of Environment’s National Pollutant Inventory, “repeated or prolonged exposure to moderate concentrations [of sulphur dioxide] may cause inflammation of the respiratory tract, wheezing and lung damage. It has also proved to be harmful to the reproductive systems of experimental animals and caused developmental changes in their newborn.”
Volcanologist, Dr. Heather Handley of Macquire University’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences said it can even lead to “premature death.”
http://i.imgur.com/oxjwDxN.png
Yellow Gold
According to Dr. Handley, other countries once mined volcanic sulphur deposits “such as the White Island in New Zealand, which was mined during intervals from the 1880s to the 1930s” as well as Japan, Italy and Chile.
However, the Ijen volcano represents the remaining bastion where one can witness this crazy scene.
So how does the Sulphur form?
The Ijen volcano emits gases through fumaroles in the southeast side of the crater. In 1968, local miners caped these fumaroles and channelled the gases through ceramic pipes down to barrels, where it escapes with a loud rumbling sound.
Inside the pipe network, the sulphur condenses and drips into the barrels as a red hot liquid. After a while it cools, turning orange, then into yellow rock-hard sulphur.
To assist in the cooling and condensation inside the pipes, and to extinguish the small blue flames, miners spray water on the pipes from a small nearby reservoir.
http://i.imgur.com/1X9kha6.png
More money than working in the rice fields
The men work around the clock in three separate eight hour shifts, thus there is usually always someone in the mine. Most make two trips up and down the 3.5km face of the volcano, carrying baskets weighing up to 80kgs.
The physicality of the job is gruelling and those that have been working in the mine for a long time bear the scars and skeletal deformity that unavoidably accompanies the work.
In addition to the physical harm suffered, the Indonesian miners risk the real possibility of death.
Since mining started in the volcano in 1968, gas explosions caused the death of 49 workers in 1976 and another 25 in 1989. Such eruptions send acid flying out of the crater and can destroy nearby farms.
However despite the dangers and seemingly meagre pay, it offers villagers a better level of income than working in the surrounding rice fields.
For one miner, he could make it to the volcano once a day and carry a 60kg load of sulphur that would earn him just under $5 dollars a day (48,000 Indonesian Rupiah) while working in the farm he would make closer to $3 a day (30,000 Indonesian Rupiah).
http://i.imgur.com/QpoyfcY.png
Boys will be boys
Despite the intense conditions, the miners do create moments of fun and try to have a joke when they can. Mr. McElvaney recalled times when the worker operating the hose would place it between his legs and joke that he was urinating out the flames.
“It’s just boys down there,” he said.
Once they have filled their baskets to the brim, they begin the 1km trek to the crater mouth before heading for the base. Once at base-camp, the miners have their collection weighed and reap their rewards for the day.
“You can see some of them smiling as they walk back down figuring out the money they will make,” said McElvaney.
A majority of the sulphur mined at the Ijen Volcano will be used to bleach sugar by a local factory.
http://i.imgur.com/FXK6fFW.png
Communication was difficult with the miners, said Mr. McElvane as they spoke very little English. When organising the trip via text message with guide and former miner, Imam, he was encouraged by his use of English — but later found out that he was relying on a dictionary in his home.
Despite the communication barrier, the photographer wanted to know why free men would willingly engage in such a dangerous job.
Aside from the obvious need to support themselves or family, Mr. McElvane said that he felt many would give the expected answer, conveying that they were only doing it for a short while.
“But then you find out that they’ve been doing if for ten years,” he said.
However as some of them don’t have a family of their own, Mr. McElvane believes that perhaps the volcano provides a much needed sense of community for the men.
http://i.imgur.com/sagf2Gz.png
http://i.imgur.com/JqGPYzV.png
Perched high above the Banyuwangi Regency of East Java, Indonesia, is an active volcano that sits spitting 600C blue flames as noxious gases spew from its cracks.
It’s one of the most toxic places on the planet but 24-hours-a-day, men can be found scurrying into depths of the smoky, poisonous crater in order to collect the volcano’s useful yellow contents.
All for as little as $12 a day.
The Ijen volcano is home to one of the largest sulphur mines in the world and attracts men from the surrounding areas who undertake the physically demanding trek, often twice a day, to retrieve the solid blocks of sulphur.
German photographer, Kevin McElvaney spent two days and one night on the volcano, shadowing the miners in the difficult conditions.
The 27-year-old was able to capture some harrowing and incredible shots of the miners as they carried out one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
http://i.imgur.com/VzO3EfA.png
‘The smell is penetrating’
Despite the difficult conditions Mr. McElvaney admits it’s “quite a beautiful environment.”
Part of the site’s ominous serenity is the smoky atmosphere that billows around the mine. But while it looks like steam, it’s actually highly concentrated hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide gases that can burn a miner’s eyes, throat and lungs and even dissolve their teeth.
Workers will periodically be swept with thick plumes of toxic smoke that swallow everything around them.
“You just feel that there’s a warm wave coming, you just close your eyes and then lie down,” Mr. McElvaney said.
“It’s a pretty sh**ty situation, its burning a bit in your mouth, a sour feeling, it’s also burning in your eyes ... Once the smoke was gone I just removed the gas mask and spat out.”
Miners have to be careful not to inhale too much during these moments or they could pass out — something that Mr. McElvaney witnessed on more than one occasion.
The workers have limited protective gear and some even get by with as little as a T-shirt wrapped around their face.
Operating in such conditions is likely to cause irreparable damage. According to the Australian Department of Environment’s National Pollutant Inventory, “repeated or prolonged exposure to moderate concentrations [of sulphur dioxide] may cause inflammation of the respiratory tract, wheezing and lung damage. It has also proved to be harmful to the reproductive systems of experimental animals and caused developmental changes in their newborn.”
Volcanologist, Dr. Heather Handley of Macquire University’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences said it can even lead to “premature death.”
http://i.imgur.com/oxjwDxN.png
Yellow Gold
According to Dr. Handley, other countries once mined volcanic sulphur deposits “such as the White Island in New Zealand, which was mined during intervals from the 1880s to the 1930s” as well as Japan, Italy and Chile.
However, the Ijen volcano represents the remaining bastion where one can witness this crazy scene.
So how does the Sulphur form?
The Ijen volcano emits gases through fumaroles in the southeast side of the crater. In 1968, local miners caped these fumaroles and channelled the gases through ceramic pipes down to barrels, where it escapes with a loud rumbling sound.
Inside the pipe network, the sulphur condenses and drips into the barrels as a red hot liquid. After a while it cools, turning orange, then into yellow rock-hard sulphur.
To assist in the cooling and condensation inside the pipes, and to extinguish the small blue flames, miners spray water on the pipes from a small nearby reservoir.
http://i.imgur.com/1X9kha6.png
More money than working in the rice fields
The men work around the clock in three separate eight hour shifts, thus there is usually always someone in the mine. Most make two trips up and down the 3.5km face of the volcano, carrying baskets weighing up to 80kgs.
The physicality of the job is gruelling and those that have been working in the mine for a long time bear the scars and skeletal deformity that unavoidably accompanies the work.
In addition to the physical harm suffered, the Indonesian miners risk the real possibility of death.
Since mining started in the volcano in 1968, gas explosions caused the death of 49 workers in 1976 and another 25 in 1989. Such eruptions send acid flying out of the crater and can destroy nearby farms.
However despite the dangers and seemingly meagre pay, it offers villagers a better level of income than working in the surrounding rice fields.
For one miner, he could make it to the volcano once a day and carry a 60kg load of sulphur that would earn him just under $5 dollars a day (48,000 Indonesian Rupiah) while working in the farm he would make closer to $3 a day (30,000 Indonesian Rupiah).
http://i.imgur.com/QpoyfcY.png
Boys will be boys
Despite the intense conditions, the miners do create moments of fun and try to have a joke when they can. Mr. McElvaney recalled times when the worker operating the hose would place it between his legs and joke that he was urinating out the flames.
“It’s just boys down there,” he said.
Once they have filled their baskets to the brim, they begin the 1km trek to the crater mouth before heading for the base. Once at base-camp, the miners have their collection weighed and reap their rewards for the day.
“You can see some of them smiling as they walk back down figuring out the money they will make,” said McElvaney.
A majority of the sulphur mined at the Ijen Volcano will be used to bleach sugar by a local factory.
http://i.imgur.com/FXK6fFW.png
Communication was difficult with the miners, said Mr. McElvane as they spoke very little English. When organising the trip via text message with guide and former miner, Imam, he was encouraged by his use of English — but later found out that he was relying on a dictionary in his home.
Despite the communication barrier, the photographer wanted to know why free men would willingly engage in such a dangerous job.
Aside from the obvious need to support themselves or family, Mr. McElvane said that he felt many would give the expected answer, conveying that they were only doing it for a short while.
“But then you find out that they’ve been doing if for ten years,” he said.
However as some of them don’t have a family of their own, Mr. McElvane believes that perhaps the volcano provides a much needed sense of community for the men.
http://i.imgur.com/sagf2Gz.png