Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-09-18
GERMAN SALT MINES.

correspondent Of the Providence Journal in letter dated
Constance June 3, thus describes visit which he made to
the celebrated salt mines Salzburg
"From Salzburg, where arrived the day, made
visit the celebrated salt mines of Haen They situated
upon mountain, half hours walk from the town. Be
meath handsome brick house the summit of the mountain
the entrance to the mne Another gentleman and myself
made the descent together We obliged to cothe
selves in large linen jackets and trousers with black leather
apron tied behind and thus pctuesquey accoued, with
light in hand commenced the suberranean excursion
We first raversed long, narrow, and gently descending pas
sage, cut in the solid rock until came TO steep and novel
railway, going down into darkness which our light could not
penetrate The railway consisted Of two smooth and round
beams about half foot apart rope upon the right side
which served baustrade We sat the beams our
right legs under the rope which grased m our hand the
guide being ahead and every thing was slippery away we
went at the rate twenty knots hour down into the abyss
Arrived the bottom aved another long passage, cut,
not in the rock but the salt ITSELF the crysazed saline
earth from which, by the operation OF fresh water the clear
salt IN the form of brine, pecPated These salt galleries
bordered the sde hoor and roof Soon to
another railroad, which shot down IN the extraord
nary manner reaching second level of which levels there
are eight Thus proceeding reached at last salt lake,
Illuminated for the OCCASION and over which sailed
mindng Of the passage OF the Syx. We then passed
through chambers containing portraits of Austrian Emperors
OF Sazburg Archbishops and collections of minerals, until
arrived at a wooden upon which rides sraddle
mountain Seated upon this we were swiftly drawn by
miners along the rock gallery, work in itself Of
half century, until at last dscerned the daylight the
end OF the passage resembling at first intense STAR but be-
coming paler proceeded. We rushed into broad
day. having raversed space of feet in the womb of the
mountain, and having been hour and half buried in its
intricate wndngs This mine is supposed to have been work
ed before the Romans in Germany 1t belongs
Austria under earth into the kingdom Of Bavaria II
is said that fourteen days would be required explore tho
roughly 1t always supplied with fresh air and water the
latter being necessary for the extraction Of the salt from the
This brine is conveyed by pipes Halein and there
converted by means OF evaporation into pure salt The fresh
springs found in this mountain curousy and pro-
vdentaly that though aversng entire salt straas they dc
mnge become tnged by the The
healthy and live to old age. They work individually
but hours aday Sazberg ancient ecclesiastical city,
built upon the site of Roman colony. No city Europe
boast pouder situation Its acropois, crowned by the
naughty palace OF the Archbshop, towers above that
from the batements of the castle looks directly down upon
the roofs and stccpes Of the The rapid Saza pours
through its centre. Grandly shaped mountains rise all
sides of excepting in that quarter which looks towards the
great plain Of Bavaria and the snowy peaks of the yroeau
| Alps bound its horizon"