Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-11-06
THE TIN MINES OF CORNWALL.

HE I'm MINES OF CORNWALL.
Through many an old town we passed on our
way to Truro, the inhabitants of which live in
the primitive style-dresSing neatly but very
oddly; the buildings have matched roofs. dia-
mond shape; the panes of glass are set in lead
The streets were very narrow and the spelling
on the signs in the Old-fashiOned style; but
everywhere found the people open hearted
and handed.
We arrived at last at Truro after having en-
Joyed delightful ride through 90 miles of ever
varying country. / was too tired to do much
SO looking about the town a little, retired to
my room to be ready on the following morning
TO see the smelling of tin
The tin is not smelted at the mne it is only
prepared for II and then sent to different places
Truro and Penzance, chiefly. 1t is found to
be cheaper to send the tin to the Goals than to
bring the Goals to the tin. / was first shown
the ore as it is received from the mine 1t
looked like shining black sand, Of no great
value This is put in the furnace a large fire
made up underneath and the process of smelt-
ing begins. The heat and draft are very much
Increased by large chimney which is built up
ward Of a hundred feet in height The heat
passes all around the ore. After the melting
process is carried on n sufficient length of time
20 separate the tin from the Stag, the former is
drawn of into a large iron tank; as il passes
out you notice large quantities of arsenic es-
Gaping in a blue flame. The liquid tin is then
ladled into large mOulds holding some four hun
dred pounds each. The blocks are about three
feet long, one and a halls broad and eight or
nine inches thick. The value is IS to flO ster-
ling per block, according to quality. 1 should
have added-the stamp of the work is put upon
each block before il is cold
The tin is also put up in blocks of fifty to one
hundred pounds, and also in small rods about
the size Of a mans little finger. The rods are
foot and a half long and are packed in kegs
Many manufacturers Of tin ware prefer the tin
m this shape as being more easily worked up
W hat have above stated Is all done after the
tin leaves the mine. Another beautiful pro-
cess Is that Of capitalization. Many blocks
when taken from the mould are found to be i'm
perfect and have to be remoulded. Each one
Is subjected to a great heat and when almost
ready to run into a fluid state, il is struck by
alarge weight and falls into ten thousand pieces
of all size, and forms. One of them 1 have.
looking as bright as silver. / hope to keep it
80 until nv return.
From the smelling house went to the station
and took the cars for one of the mining towns
As We passed aleng on either side huge piles of
earth-taken down from the innermost parts
OF the eaTth-tall. brick chimneys old mines
once worked but now deserted-in many places
fields OF wheat growing over ground which had
been dlSembOweled-Were presented to our no
lice Leaving the cars in few moments we
were IN the midst of the mining district of Eng
land. Everywhere about US were signs of lie
and activity, while hundreds of feet below the
surface. thousands of miners with shovel spade
and pick-axe, were busy digging away at the
earth, breaking the rocks in pieces-preparing
them 10 be raised to the surface in the large
iron skebbles, holding about two bushels each.
he leads run in different directions: the ore is
dug out, taken to the mouth Of the shaft and
the skebbles filled with it. long iron chain
running over rollers for a considerable distance
making peculiar rattling noise in passing
over them-is attached to these of which there
are usually tvO-One descending while the |
other Is rising The ore once raised to the sur
face IS taken to the stamping mill; but before
gong into this the large pieces are broken up
by hand and then the mass is ready to be
crushed into powder; heavy iron weights OF
several hundred pounds, attached to long beams.
are made By water power to strike on the ore
crushing it to pieces. The finer parts are
washed away into receptacle for them. by wa
ter, which Is kept constantly running through |
tne mass Thus the pOunding-fOr / can cell |
1t nothing else, goes on till the whole is in |
powder.
Much Of the work above ground is done by |
women and girls, dressed neatly and cIeanIy
and perfect pictures Of health. This is the frst
process But the ore is not yet ready to be sent
away VI course the powder contains much
earth yet, which must be taken out from the
TN 1t Is put in a box upon the top Of which
stream 0t water strikes, this washes the sand |
INTO passage way where the mass passes along
IN small quantities. / should add there is a |
sISht tall from the box and also at the end of |
tne passage midway over this, woman stands |
with coarse limb broom in hand which she |
keeps constantly passing slowly across. Thi. |
anu the weight of the tin, makes it fall at the |
bottom OF the box and the passage way. This |
washing Is done several times each time with a |
aner broom and more slowly than the preceding |
fou VIII say after all this washing the ore Is |
now ready 10 be sent aHsy But look about
w hat II hat hltfsH H.r,
from yondcr chimney Are they engaged be- |
low IN reTel> Nothing of the kind This |
dry powder washed so clean you saw il few |
minutes ago. IS being burnt to extract the |
arsenic from IT. The persons employed in this |
work suffer very much and in addition their
Iives are shortened many years by inhaling as |
they must unayOidably, the fumes of the |
arsenic with which the ore is filed. After the |
burning the ore Is put in piles; parts taken from
each TO the assayer, who from these parts de- |
ternines the value of the piles. and they are |
tnus sold, according to the per centage Of tin
which they contain. This makes up the diff
terent processes and will, trust, give you some
idea Of mining
The miners. "a class, are very intelligent
people; exposed. as as they constantly are to
danger-to death from an explosion taking
place IN different manner from what was ex-
pected- which will send many from time to
eternity by a living death buried in the
rocks-thelr trust 8 in Higher Power and we
ind the religious elements strong among them
On Sunday you will see thou sands Of them neat
ly dressed, on their way to the Wesleyan Chap
els, this being their prevailing faith Wesley
preached among them while living, with good
success Chapels are nov standing in different
parts Of Cornwall, in which he preached to
them. His name is dear to them and they
cherish IT with the deepest reverence In all
the mines in the world. Cornish miners will be
found. Noted for their steadiness. sedateness
and temperance for they do not drink ardent
spiTits,) and their thorough knowledge of the
different parts of mining, their services are in
deed valuable. The underground life which
they lesd-full Of vicissitu les and dangers
makes great changes In their character de-
velOping the better traits of their natures They
remain below ground seven eight hours
Children are not allowed 10 work below
Miners mot what m Am unuId e.II