The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-05-28

in the little church when we arrived at his house.
but he soon came to greet us, and his hearty wei
come at once made Us feel at home in his humble
cottage. We passed the night with him, and In the
morning he accompanied us part Of our way with
his dogs, gun, and several Of the villagers in pursuit
of deer among the mountains
toiisome journey Of six hours brought us
to the village Of Muse, q dilapidated town
OF three or four hundred inhabitants, situate
about two leagues from the emerald mines.
In the time Of the Spaniards this place
was OF considerable importance, for besides hav ng
the mines, 1t OF the principal places the
line OF travel and trade between Bogota and the
river Magdalena- Trade has taken another course,
and the emerald mines having been monopolized by
the government, Muse has rapidly declined. Three
hours more of mountain travel brought Us to the
west of emerald bearing mountains We here found
MIR. Fallon, an English gentleman, who is the d.
rectiDg engineer-for these mines also are worked
by an English company-who received ns very kind
ly. He was at dinner when we arrived and insisted
upon our sitting down with his family.
His house. with several 0uthOuses, and a large
barrnck for the w0rkmen. ia placed almost immed-
ateiy upon the top OF the sugar ioa shaped Emerald
mine. which is only few yards in the rear of his
dwelling. Only one mine is worked now,
although during the last century seven in
the immediate vicinity were worked by the
many eneralas were taken out at tina, time that
the government fearing that their abundance would
cause them to deprecate in value until they ceased
to be precious stones ordered the MINES to be closed
and the veins to be hidden. This order it was said
was given in 1880, and the labors OF filing up the
mines were continued for q year and half, until
everything was hidden and lost Az the workings
were open workings, this operation was easily per-
formed large masses of earth and rock being rolled
in from the surrounding vicinity, which labor was
subsequently continued by the torrent rains of this
region, and ultimately the luxuriant vegetation of
the tropics spread aim sst impenetrable mantle Of
forest ever the once rich mines.
in no nul ad ne
their true position and character gradually fading
away into the Obscurity of tradition, until after the
contamination of Colombian independence when the
Liberator Bolivar as President granted to his fiend
Senior Paris the extensive privilege Of working
them, he paying five per cent of the yield to the
government. The abors were carried on principally
by his son, the present gentlcmanly owner OF Sim-
jaca, of whom I have already spoken, who told me
forest earth and rubbish that had collected in the
mine he undertook to open, the products being alb
sOlutely nothing. After that time he began to find
few emeralds, which for three years barely covered
made the formation his constant study night and
day, in which he was greatly assisted by the liberal
education his father had given him in England. He
studied the old manner working 80 far he could
miners still living in the vicinity, and such few writ
ipgs as the Spanards had left in the New Granadain
archives, and applying to his labors the new
powers OF engineering skill, he was enabled to
to CO. Being rally OF the bottom OF their workings
instead OF working lateray he struck at once deep
err than they could work, and suddenly he came upon
so great mass OF emerald bearing rock that in O
me he took out hundred pounds OF eneralds
Long years Of toll and study sud emily rewarded
with abundant wealth, and shortly afterward this
family surrendered the mines to the government
Since that time they have been rented to company
formed mostly OF English and German gentlemen, at
the rate of sixteen thousand dollars year. 1t il
said that the company have not made any profit
from their labors as yet but at the present time the
workings seen to promise better results The veins
most capriciouS in their course and yield, and
Mr.. Paris said he could only compare them TO the
branches OF q tree, some Of which bore good fruit,
others poor, and many none at all.
The system Of working these mines is, believe,
peculiar to Muse. Water from the neighboring
mountains is brought by artificial means to the top
of the emerald bearing hill, and the whole face OF
the rock on each side is worked down by the bar
into the ravine below, from whence it is carried OF
by periodical discharges Of water from the dam
the steep decvity carries everything before it; and
as these discharges conveyed to different points
Of the precipice, as the workings may require, the
whole power under perfect control The Of the
hill is soft smutty clay slate through which white
veins Of calcareous spar run in all directions in the
most tangled confusion. The face OF the pref
pice looks like an immense rough black board
covered with tremuluus and confused chalk lines
the unaccustomed eye, but am told that accidents
rarely occur. The workmen stand upon the faseo
the cliff, and with the points Of the bar LOOSE.
the rock beneath their feet, which falls at once or
with light touch, into the ravine. AS they work
upward they form narrow steps or lodges, al keep.
ing in line, and each taking care that there is M
loose stone behind him or beneath his feet, as the
slightest impulse or slip would preciptate the miner
himself down the crag.
AS soon a. greenish tinge in the snow white
vein gives token OF the presence Of emer id the
abors are prosecuted with the greatest decacy, III
order that the delicate crystal may not be fractured
and the director, Mr. Falon, repairs at once TO the
spot to receive it from the vein. No one is allowed
i'll the mine except at working hours, aud then only
when attended by one of the overseers. The hours
of working arc from sunrise to sunset, the men 60
never entirely suspended during the day. The call
to labor and to rest is most singular. No bell or
whistle is used. but at sunrise and at sunset small
beetle in the neghborine forest emits loud, shril
whistle for four or five minutes which is the adopt
ed signal for the workmen. At no other hour of the
day than during those few moments at noon and
evening does this beetle utter any sound In the dry
season from one hundred to one hundred and thirty
men arc employed; but in the wer season, when the
supply Of water is abundant more than two huE-
dred are usually kept at work. Gradually the whole
mountain is being washed down and carried of by
the mountain torrent; and day after day the direc
tor sits In an open Office on the edge of the vast
pita, silently watching the w0rkmen until the
demand his presence at the vein.
We remained nearly two days at the mines. en-
joying the hospitality and entertaining conversation
oil Mr. Fallon, who often remains months without
seeing the face Of any one except the miners, &C
companied in his solitude by his lady, who is the
only woman within leagues Of the place. We
had the good fortune to see some emeralds taken
out, as the workmen stuck bearing vein on the
morning after our arrival We went down with Mr..
F. into the pt,to be present at their uneahng, and
the brilliant gems seemed to us exquisitely beauti-
full and in their mighty setting OF black slate, from
impure contact with which they seemed to be pre-
served by delicate fringe of snow white crystals.
Mr. Faon told us that they were comp arativey pale
In color and full Of ardn, as the flaws are called
The emerald crystal always six sided ia its for
nation and is rarely found free from flaws In
value is next but one to the diamond the sapphire
it in commercial estimation. These
mres are the only ones of true emeralds known in
The world pale and inferior stone being found in
Siberia. Here only one mine has been opened, the
difficulty and expense that Senior Paris encountered
In opening this giving little encouragement to the
uncertain task OF opening the others in the imme-
date vicinity.
The Indians knew the beauty and appre ,iated the