The greatest difficulty facing all mining ventures at Ross Island was the close proximity of the lake shore. The earliest record here dates to 1756 when careless mining led to a great 'disaster' that flooded the entire mine. Several solutions were proposed, including a suggestion made by two visitors to drain Lough Leane which earned the wrath of local boatmen! The mining companies tackled this problem by erecting a large coffer dam around the shore and using pumps to drain the mines. The first dam was built during the 1754-8 operation and subsequently extended by both the Ross Island Company (1804-14) and the Hibernian Mining Company (1825-9). This embankment was made of limestone taken from quarries within the mine and stabilised using puddled clay and stone walling.

In 1807 the Ross Island Company purchased a steam engine at a cost of £4000 from England. This 35 horsepower beam engine, one of the first used in an Irish mine, was fuelled by coal imported from Wales, consuming 1.5 tons a day. The company also made an ill-fated attempt to harness water power by diverting the river Deenagh to work a waterwheel and pumps at the mine. In 1826 the Hibernian Company purchased another steam engine, with a 36-inch cylinder capable of pumping some 13 tons of water per minute. By 1828 this equipment was unable to deal with the great influx of water, leading to the mine closur