Josef Schafer, 1840-1905
The haulier
Josef Schafer, from Stange near Sterzing, was around 30 years old when an ultra-modern plant was built in Maiern at the head of the Ridnaun Valley for the processing of ores from the Schneeberg. It was at the core of a 27-km long conveyor system that connected the mines high up in the mountains with the train station in Sterzing via steep brake inclines and flat tracks for horse-drawn wagons.
From 1880, Josef Schafer was entrusted with the transport of the processed ores on the horse-drawn railway lines between Maiern and Sterzing. As an ore haulier he also made money by supplying the miners with food: he was authorised to have tokens minted as substitutes for small change, which the miners used as an in-house form of payment.
Josef Schafer, from Stange near Sterzing, was around 30 years old when an ultra-modern plant was built in Maiern at the head of the Ridnaun Valley for the processing of ores from the Schneeberg. It was at the core of a 27-km long conveyor system that connected the mines high up in the mountains with the train station in Sterzing via steep brake inclines and flat tracks for horse-drawn wagons.
From 1880, Josef Schafer was entrusted with the transport of the processed ores on the horse-drawn railway lines between Maiern and Sterzing. As an ore haulier he also made money by supplying the miners with food: he was authorised to have tokens minted as substitutes for small change, which the miners used as an in-house form of payment.
