Decomposition and use of plaster of paris
The work in the tunnel
In order to be able to break down the gypsum, holes were first drilled in the tunnel and filled with explosives. After the blast, the chunks of plaster were loaded into carts by hand and pushed uphill out of the tunnel. This work was done by so-called tugs. They were later replaced by draft horses and finally by small diesel locomotives from the Junk company.
The transport to the Moselle valley
Outside the pit, the gypsum was weighed and then transferred to larger lorries (for approx. One ton of gypsum) for onward transport and transported into the valley via Bremsberg. It took the carts one to two minutes to get from the mountain station down to the valley. During the war there was a short cable car from "Strombierg" ”over the Moselle to the German side. During this time the Bremsberg was out of order.