So I'm making an adventure with mining as a focal point, and I'm trying to design a realistic, functional mine. It's going to focus on marble, quartz, similar valuable but not precious minerals. I've been researching old mining methods but still have some questions.
-What happens to stone once it's brought to the surface? Is it just dumped into a warehouse raw, or is something done to the stone on-site? For example, is it shaped or cut? Would there be a mill (likely mule-powered) for this work?
-Once the stone is removed from the mine, how is it transported? I'll have a nearby town and no rivers, so I'm guessing they'd use horse-drawn wagons.
I'm also trying to figure out how many employees would operate at a mid-sized mine. Other than a few important/leadership positions (overseer, foreman, assayer, quartermaster, medic, stablemaster, guard captain), how many people are actually needed? Right now I'm ballparking like 30-40. This would include the miners as well as support roles such as cook, medic, carpenter, blacksmith (for on-site tool repair), guards, and the like.
Lastly, what kind of buildings would one find at a stone mine/quarry? Here's my list so far:
-Office, including housing for the important employees.
-Barracks for the rest of the crew.
-Stable for mules (and horses if the stone will be transported via cart)
-Tool shed
-Kitchen
-Blacksmith
-Warehouse
-Miscellaneous storage (food, feed, a small armory, etc.)
-Mill (if stone needs to be processed somehow on-site)
Any ideas, thoughts, or suggestions would be much appreciated.
