Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1858-12-10
THE SALT MINES OF CRACow.

and ten feet; thirty feet more and the en-.
tire strata 10 found to be composed Of salt.
At tha, depth tho visitor to the mines sees
overhead ceiling Of solid salt. under foot
floor Of salt, and on either side dark gray
walls Of salt, sparkling hero and there with
small crystals. In the upper story Of the
mines is the chapel OF st. Anthony, by.
antino eIeaSaea,ion, supported by columns
with altar, erucifI, and lifc-siIe statutes
Of saints. apparently Of black uHrble, " but
all a. salt as Lots wifo. as Mr. Taylor
discovered by applying his tongue to the
nose Of John the Baptist. The humid air
Of this par, OF the mines has damaged some
Of the saints, one Of whom Is noarly head.
icss, and Others are losing their limbs in
Consequence OF the moisture.
Tho minc has been worked for several cen.
iuries, and presents some wonderful sights
TO the visitor. IL has become wildering
maze Of galleries. grand halls, s,aircases
and 'aulted chambers. where one soon loses
all sense OF distance or direction" Every.
thing Is solid salt, except where grca, piers
Of hewn logs have been built up 70 supper,
some Threatening roof, or some vast chase.
lcit in quarryins has becn bridged across.
On descending u the lower region the air
becomes more dry and agreeable. and the
saline walls more pure and brilliant. ono
hall, one hundred aud eight feet IN height.
resembles a Grceian theatre. the traces Of
blocks taken out representing the seats Tor
spectators. Out OF this hall one million
cwt. Of al. was taken. In another vault
two obelisk, Of Of salt commemorate the Wis.
of Francis I. and hIs Empress. Say.
NJ. Taylor:
"Aitcr we had descended to the bottom
OF this chamber, boy ran along the bridge
above with burnin; Bengal light, throw.
Ing dishes OF blue lus,nrc on tho obelisk,,
on the Scared walls, vast archc-. the en-
trance to deeper ball. and tho far roof, fret.
tel with the picks Of tho workmen. The
effect was misicll-Uonlerful Presently
we entered another and loitier chamber.
yawning downward like the mouth OF hell,
with caniycrous tunnels opening ou, Of the
other end. In those tunnel. the workmen,
half naked, with torches in their hands,
,.,fI .,,.. rr,-,..rL. ,nI a.. g.g.,.. . 4 ......
(which here 80 rcvcrb~rrtc in the imprisoned
air that one can feel every wave Of sounds, }
give a rough representation " the Internal
regions. ior ibe benefit of the crowned heads
who visit tho mines. The effect must in
deed b. diaboliclL. Even Se. uncSccpti5u-
able characters as We were. looked truly
uncArthly in our shoslly garments, amid
the living glars Of the fireworks.
\ !ttll further We struck lake four
iathoms deep, upon which we embarked in
heavy square boat, and entered gloomy
tunnel. over the entrance VI which was in
scrih,d. lin ,alt let,er') " good luck 70
you" In such a place the motto seemed
lronieAl. abandon hope all ye who enter
here" would have been more appropriate.
Midway in the tunnel. the halls a. either
end are Suddenly illuminat,l, and crash
as Of hundred cannon believing through
the hollow vaults, shook the air and water
in such a wise that our boat had no, ceased
trembling when We landed in the further
ball"
Mr.. Taylor descended to depth OF fou
hundred and City feet, but tha, was onl.
half way to the bottom. The remainder
a wilderness OF shafts. galleries aud cham
hers. The process OF detaching the sal
from its primeval beds is very simple. IN
block. are first marked out on the suriae
by series OF grooves. One side is then
decpened to the required thickness, and
wedges being inserted under the block, 1t j.
soon split oG. 1t is then split transVersel
into piece. ofone cwt. each, in which forn'
IL ready for sale. The number OF work
mcn employed in the mine !. 1900, all 0
whom live above ground. They are div
ded into gangs, and relieve each other ever.
six hours The miners are muscular an''
healthy looking men. and their sanitar.
condition is said To be quite equal to that
the field laborer. Scurvy does not oecu
amongst them. and the equality OF the tem-
pcraturc Of tie mines-5i degrees faren
heit all the year round-has favorable ef
fec, upon such as are prcdisrosed to disease
Of the lungs
As lar Us explored the lergth Of the min
is two aud hall English miles, IT, brea1tl.
a little over half mile, aud is solid depth
six hundred aud ninety feet. II commen-
ccs about two hundred feet below the sur
face, and is then uninterrupted until sand.
stone ls reached. Notwithstanding the i'm.
mense amount already quarricd, 1t is es,i-
mated that at tho present rate OF eIplora-
ton the known supply cannot be exhausted
under three hundred years. The trpartiio
treaty on the partition Of Poland limits
Austria to 100000 cwt. annually-of
which she bound To furnish 50, 1000 cwi. TO
Prussia. 100000 cw,. to Russia, leaving
1900, 600 ewt. for herself. This SUN yields
her net revenue from the mines OF two
millions Of aOrin.--sl 900, ,O6O-annually
I, is no, known how this wonderful deposit
was originally discovered. II was worked
in the twelfth century, and perhaps much
earlier.
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