The Evansville daily journal., 1858-06-24

yesterday room. BY descco,ling some
36o feet belowSthe surface ofthe ground.
into ihe coal, dark, and narrow syennes
of the Bodiom mines, where we spen'
The morning most comfortably. and IN
the very interesting employment OF map
) ping tbpse- subierraneBn regions and wit.
messing the operations IF their inbai ii
ants, To most people, the dark caverns
of mine is most dismal place, and
The labors Of s miner, carried on 10
darkness and seciusiop, seem most dreary
snd terrible If all human emplnymenis
Yet il has It's charms 20 these srcus'om
ed 70 IL; and il is extremely difficult TO
persuade minors TO undertake any other
labor. Their muscles. feelings. and
hsbi,s, become adapted TO their worh,
and all other labor l. irksome and more
faligripg TO them. In hi; dark and Sc
cluded room, which he seeks through
the dark passages Of the mine, TIE pick
man finds an qrable and agreeable TEN
perature. at oil seasons. He IS his OWE
task master, and lord OF oil be can sur
vey. His wages depend upon his own
sxertions. aud are counted by his pro-
duct. He stops aud lights his pipe and
smokes whenever the desire prompts
him: and when noon comes, he resorts
10 bis we'll filed tin kettle, with poi OF
coffee fixed in tho top ond placing his
lamp under IL. he diues sumptuously in
halls built with the foundations Of the
earth, and sips his coffee. and smokes
his pipe, after IL, in the posture, and with
the grace and freedom Of an Arab. A..
ter six or eight hours Of free and easy
labor. and parting evening chat with
bis neighbors upon the number OF
shots they have made, and the luck Ol
the day with them, he sscencs TO the
upper world, the master Of two or three
dollars, ts the earnings of the day
Miners are a class Of themselves i'm
bued every where, and Of whatever ma
tionality they be, with peculiar charac
teristics. In their habits. impulses, and
conduct, they resemble Jack Tars more
nearly than any class Of lobo.rrs. They
> are great rovers; seldom remain longer
than a few months in any one locality
and consequently never acquire no me
Though earning from $50 to $50 pei
month, II is seldom that any Of them
ever lay up anything. Their improvi'
depce is as rroyerbical as that of the
sailor.
In the Bodiam mines. thanks TO Nj
Kerstemsn's most jucicious manage
snent, they labor in safety and comfort,
with the air flowing around them as fresh
aud freely almost, as il they were IL
the groves n the surface. We have hot
some experience in mining engineering
and know something Of its difficulties
and perplexi,ies; and we have visite.
most Of the coal mines in the Ohio val
lev. to gain some knowledge OF the art
We have no where seen mines more nd
mirably arranged. no The great desider
alum Of ventilation so thoroughly &c
complished. The highest test Of min
ing engineers capacity, is his ability L
carry the air with him through all tn
narrow avenues Of The mines as the wor
progresses. In hot weather when tn
air above is at higher temperature an
; more rarified than in the mines, il
d ficul, 10 draw it down. On yesterdu
in the nppsr air the thermometer rang
ed at 90o in the shade; in the mines
was at 60. With the ordinary arrange
ments il would have been most difhcu
20 make the external air descend ii
narrow shafi, and the miners would pr,
baby have been obliged to suspen
their work for the Gay. aud perhaps du
ing the season Of hot weather.
Notwithstanding the temperature
the surface there vas a strong and col
slant draft down the SHAFT, which WI
led along through the iniersesiins e'
tries, around the whole area Of the work
e 10 the remotest room; and afts. pcr?orn
ing circuit Of nearly three four,hs Of
mile through winding passages, al
always with a..force OF breeze suficie
to sway The fame Of lamp. IL can
10 the mouth Of the furnace, where
was heated and rose through the oppO
lie section Of the shat: f:om tba;
which il deseded, aud went of throO.
the chimney stack.
We have never seen in any mine
thorough and beautiful system of vel
ti.stion; and in mine worked by
deep shafi, the result afforded bea
tiful illustration of the laws Of pneum.
ics; and r fiected the hishfs, credi,
Mr.. Kersteman as o scientific miner.
the interior management Of the Bodis
mines he has been eminently successf,