Last month I went to Franklin. Not all that exciting... my first ghost town though. I have learned that I missed quite a bit of it, so I definitely want to go back. 

Here's the thing that impressed me. A mineshaft in the middle of the main trail. Straight down 1300ft. It is covered with some pretty serious grating, so there isn't much hope I have of going down there, but I started thinking... I can send a camera down into the hole a hundred feet or so. 🙂

Then I started thinking some more... what if I sent a camera all the way to the bottom? One quarter of a mile down. 

I did some research regarding the hole. Found there is some extension to the shaft at the bottom and several veins (called 'coal seams') along the journey down.

 What I need, is a rig to lower lighting and camera down into the hole. I will use the 360 camera so I don't miss any view. 

Two lines.. first line down will be weighted, with a light at the end. Second line with more light, an altimeter, and the camera. The camera, being something I don't want to lose, will also have a safety line to the first line. Between the two, I should be able to recover my camera (and the footage!). 

So, I drew up some plans, made a few variations, and ordered some sturdy string (within my meager budget!). 

The spool winders will be ratcheting to prevent the rigs from falling quickly. 

Here is what I made: 

The double spools (with a counter to measure how much line has been released) with 1500ft of line on each. 

Open

Folded

On a tripod I found

The camera/altimeter rig. (it folds up to fit through the small hole in the metal grate)

The safety line weight and other accessories.