Flooded Mine memory of boulders falling in the air shaft

domotang · December 09, 2018, 12:42:18 AM

Around 1977 on the Flooded Mine ride, I recall the boats having triangular brackets on the front and rear, projections on some of the animatronics faces, and a part of the ride in the air shaft where boulders fell on the boats from the top of the shaft, but were diverted by a net just above. The boulders were apparently made of foam or light balls.
After watching a YouTube current pov of the ride, boulders no longer fall on the riders. Instead, it's populated by a scene of prisoners trying to climb up into the air shaft towards the end of the ride.
This is the same shaft that can be seen from the outside of the ride.

mhguy77 · December 09, 2018, 11:08:52 AM

I agree with your recollection as well. The boulders were the best.

domotang · December 10, 2018, 11:11:22 AM

THANK YOU! For validating my memory here! In my Flooding Mine research, I never came across any recollection or reference to the falling boulders scene in the air shaft. I was positive this wasn't just in my head.

DollarCityBoy · December 10, 2018, 03:41:38 PM

I never saw the boulders (1st visit to SDC was in 1987), but i've heard many other people reference that original part of the ride. I do, however, remember the "Candy Mine" overlay in the early-to-mid 1990's. They only did the over-lay 1 or 2 seasons at the most, but in my minds eye it was amazing. To this date, i have only been able to find 1 photo of the "Candy Mine" and its somewhere in the archives of this site.

runner1960 · December 10, 2018, 03:51:56 PM

The Boulder gag ran through the 1970's and maybe into the 1980's. Not sure when it was removed. It was accompanied with a strobe light effect which may be why it was removed due to some medical issues. There was also a explosion and a voice that said something like "Look out below, its a rockslide" .

History Buff · December 10, 2018, 06:38:42 PM

The worst edition of the shaft was the grim-reaper-type guys above us with lasers and laser sounds. There was really no reason for that kind of nonsense. The rock slide was clearly the best rendition, but the current set-up is also appropriate.

sanddunerider · December 11, 2018, 07:33:24 AM

I dont remember the falling boulders.... LOL>..

But then again, there are several things from that time era I forgot

runner1960 · December 11, 2018, 03:22:44 PM

Quote from: sanddunerider on December 11, 2018, 07:33:24 AM
I dont remember the falling boulders.... LOL>..

But then again, there are several things from that time era I forgot

At one point they had a live employee sitting during the last turn like a mannequin. He would then jump at each boat to scare you. I sometime wonder why i can remember those things too. A lot of reasons why I should not, thats for sure. LOL

KBCraig · December 12, 2018, 09:22:25 PM

Quote from: Runner1960 on December 10, 2018, 03:51:56 PM
The Boulder gag ran through the 1970's and maybe into the 1980's. Not sure when it was removed. It was accompanied with a strobe light effect which may be why it was removed due to some medical issues. There was also a explosion and a voice that said something like "Look out below, its a rockslide" .

Exactly. I thought it was the best scene on the ride. It was classic like the original route of FITH, where you were about to go across the burned-out bridge before swerving and plunging.

palallin · June 12, 2019, 11:38:52 AM

I remember the rock slide well. In fact, it had such an effect on me that I had a nightmare about it as a kid. I dreamed that the cave-in actually did block the exits. The water ran out, and I was trapped. Shook me up then, but I still loved the ride. I wish we cold go back to it (and lose the guns).

FM instilled a serious interest in mining and mines that has persisted to the present.

Pudgy Jones · June 13, 2019, 08:42:58 AM

When I was younger, I was always freaked out by the saw blade. The blade used to "come off" and roll toward the boats. At the same time, the lights would go out and you couldn't see what was going on. The 10 year-old version of me knew that it was only a matter of time before the thing malfunctioned and sliced me in half!

mg · June 13, 2019, 12:52:07 PM

Quote from: Pudgy Jones on June 13, 2019, 08:42:58 AM
When I was younger, I was always freaked out by the saw blade. The blade used to "come off" and roll toward the boats. At the same time, the lights would go out and you couldn't see what was going on. The 10 year-old version of me knew that it was only a matter of time before the thing malfunctioned and sliced me in half!

The blade actually slides at the boats again this year. One of my favorite parts from when I was little. Happy to see it come back.

Okiebenz · June 13, 2019, 05:39:46 PM

Yea, but it doesn't spin anymore.

KBCraig · June 13, 2019, 10:32:13 PM

I loved the rock slide. It was awesome before the ride had guns, and riders were actually involved in watching the scenery and wondering what was coming next.

Rider imagination interacting with ride creator imagination, instead of mindless pew-pew-pew... ah nostalgia.

Junior, too! · March 08, 2020, 12:09:45 AM

Kerry Chester, who was lead maintenance man at the diving bell, was able to come up with a more efficient way of getting that rock slide in the Flooded Mine to work. He got recognition in the company news letter for doing the work. It was a cool effect. I know use of strobe lights is pretty much a thing of the past because some people have bad reactions to the strobe. The mine has changed to some degree since I first rode it as a kid of about 7 years (that was in the late 1960s.) There used to be an office scene showing a clerk falling through a floor that was collapsing due to rising water. That was pulled years ago probably in the mid-1970s.