The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-09-30


enough to supply the 100000 inhabit-
acts in Austria one year.
Two obelisks of salt commemoratel the
visit of Francis |. and his Empress in ~.
other spacious irregular vault, through
which We passed. by means Of wooden
bridge resting on piers of the crystaliae
rock. After we had descended TO the bot.
tom of this chamber, boy ran along the
bridge above with burning Bengal light,
throwing flashes of blue lustre on the ODE
lisks, on the SCARED walls, vast arches, the
entrance to deeper halls, and the far roof,
fretted with the picks of the workmcn.
The effect was mag wonderful. Even
the old Prnssian, who had the face of an
exchange Broker exclaimed, as he pointed
upwards! at is like sky full OF cloud
lambkie." Presently we entered another
and loftier chamber, yawnng downward
like the mouth of hell, with cavernous tun-
nels opening out Of the further end. ln
these tunnels the workmen, half naked with
torches in their hands, wild cries, fireworks,
and the firing OF guns (which here SO rever
beratcs in the imprisoned air that one can
feel every wave OF sound,) gave rough
representation OF the Internal regions for
the benefit of the crowned heads who visit
the mines. The effect must be indeed da.
/ boical Even we, unexceptiOnable charac
tiers ss we were, looked truly unearthIy in
our ghostly garments, amid the Ilvld glare
of the fireworks.
A little further, we struck upon q lake
four iathoms deep, upon which We embarked
in heavy square boat and entered II gloomy
tunnel, over the entrance Of which was in
scrbed (in salt letter. good nck to you
la such place the motto seemed lrOnlcal.
Abandon hope, all ye who enter here
would have been more appropriate. Mid
way in the tunnel, the halls at either end
were suddenly illuminated, and crash, as
OF hundred cannon believing through the
hollow vaults, shook the air aud water III
such wise that our boat hal not ceased trem'
bling when we landed in the further hall.
Read Tasso;
fireman lie spazlose atre Caverne,
Ell drr Greco IN 9tri TumoT rimbotnbd.
il you want to hear the sound Ot it, y
tablet inscribed heartily welcome" " salut"d
W. in landing. Finally, at the depth OF 4j0
feet our journey ceased, although we were
Ell nan way W ~
isa wilderness Of shafts, galleries and small.
cr chambers, the extent OF which we could
only conjecture We then returned through
scores OF tOrtuous passages to some vaults
where IA lot Of gDomcs naked 10 the hips
were busy with pick, matet and wedge
blocking out and SEPARATING the solid pave
ment
The process is quite primitive, scarcely,
differing from that Of the ancient Egyptians
in quarrying granite. The blocks are frst
marked out on the surface by series Of
grooves One side is then deepened to the
required thickness, and wedges being insert
ell under the block, j, is soon split of. Its
il then split transverseIy into pieces OF
cwt each in which form it is ready for sale.
Those intended for Rnssia are rounded on
the edges and corners until they acquire the
shape OF large cOcOons. Tor the convenience
OF transportation into the interior Of the
country.
The number Of wOrkmen employed in the
mine il | 800, al Of whom belong 10 the
upper crust that is they live on the out
side Of the world. They are divided into
gangs, and relieve each other every six hours.
Each gang quarries out, On an average, a
little more than 1000 cwt. Oi salt ~ that
space Of time making the annual yield
800, 900 cwt The men We saw werr fine,
muscular, healthy looking fellows, and the
officer. in answer TO my questions, stated
that their sanitary condition was quite equal
TO that Of the field iabOrerS. Scurvy does
not occur among them, and the equality OF
the temperature Of the mines which stands
at "a deg. OF Fahrenheit all the year round
--has n favorable effect upon such as are
preiEp0sed TO diseases 81 the lungs. He
was not aware Of any peculiar form Of dis,
ease indGCed by the substance IN which they
work, not ithstanding where thc air ls hu.
mid salt crystals form upon the woodwork
The wood. may here remark, never rOr,
and where untouched retains il quality fDr
centuries The officer explicitly denied the
story Of men having been born 10 tbcsr
] mines. and having gone through lrfp wi,h0at
ever mounting 10 The upper world. 20
there gOs another interesting fiction Of Onr
. youth.
II rrnqirc. .trctch Of Imagination IN
concaye the rxtent Of this salt bed. As
, far ase explored. lts length IL two and hall
, English miles. = breadth htt!r over half a
? mile, and it. solid depth go feet 1t com.
Denoez about 200 ieet t,eOw the sHrfsce
! and Is then uninterrupted 10 sandstone. .1ch
} a. forms tie peaks u the CarpathIan Noun
tain. Below this there Is no p'obabal'y
2 that it again re appears. The genera dr
, rec;ion IS east aud west dipping rapdjy at
, ia western extremity, 40 that 1t may no
! doubt be pushed mach further IN that drec
ton. NGtw.'hs,aniIng the immen-e arn0an'
! already qgarrred- and It Ti.l te nett"r ~
. der.tOOd when state that IN" aggregate
. length Of the shair aod go'irries amOGnr u
a tour hundrsd and iody ro",'-l' - e'tltna