Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-04-13
miscellaneous.
[From the st. James Magazine
DOWN A FREIBURG SILVER MINE.

A whole village of miners exist around
the shaft The hands" employed at this
one mine number nearly 800. My friends
"house" seemed to consist of one largish
room, serving as parlor, tap-room, cellar
and bedroom; for behind curtain was the
" state-bed," !" and numerous children snored
in all kinds of indescribable contrivances
round the wall The beer (no fear of that
growing dead which never had spark of
life) was contained in huge stoneware jars,
uncovered, from whence his wife drew for
US into noggins exactly like "Luther's
drinking-cup in the Dresden Museum.
could not forget that his birth place was
not far off that, however, Churpriz," or
"KonigovUn Sachs," or "reigning family" :"
might turn political Papists, these poor mi
ners would be staunch. Yes, there he was
on the wall, neatly framed and glazed"
and inscribed in the formal German way,
much as if our immortal bard were entitled
w. Shakespeare, Esq, "Mr Martin Luther"
Who, looking round at that humble por-
trait, could doubt that the poet was eX-
pressing his countrymen's feelings, when,
Indignant at Luther's bust being shut out
of the Walhall, or German " Westminster
Abby" for great benefactors of their na-
ton he cried Der liebt in den Herzen :;
wozn noch in Stein ?"--"Why need we a
bust when he lives i'll our hearts 2"
But return to the miners. They came
dropping in, one or two at time, till some
dozen were collected, drinking beer and
eating black bread and slices Of sugar
sausage The room, like all German rooms,
was very hot to begin with, and now be-
came so insupportable, that | wondered
how mine hosts eldest daughter, (who,
amidst the outstretched bodies of her
brothers and sisters, was washing cups and
passing occasional Jokes with the company
endured the thick Berlin wool jacket in
which the upper part of her figure was en-
cased. However, by the time / had been
rugged out in full miners garb, much to my
own satisfaction and to the infinite amuse-
ment of the lookers-on, the word was given
to start, and l and my guide stepped out
into the cold, rainy night. We soon reached
the mouth of the shaft and after prepar-
atory descent into workshop, where we
got lanterns fixed to our girdles, we bade
farewell in good earnest to call beneath
the sun" Oh, that first ladder shall
never forget the resigned feeling with
which stamped down step after step be-
hind my guide the greasy work the
damp, gravc-like air above all, the roar
and din from the huge water-wheel and en-
gines constantly at work to keep the mine
in anything looking order. Truly, | heard
the wash of waters, but nothing could |
see"--save vast slimey boards moving
slowly up and down at my elbows. At
first i naturally enough took these colossal
piston-rods for the firm walls of the chin
ney, down which | was creeping. | was
set by one grazing my hip, and making me
shrink within myself, like the man who saw
the prison walls closing in around him.
After reaching the first landing place all
unpleasant feelings vanished, or were ex-
changed for a fear that some miner 1--WE
began to meet them as we got lower down }
might, in his more rapid descent, come un-
awares upon my fingers. This was all but
realized in the ascent the guide had for.
gotten to give the cry which should stop
that flight to all down corners until we had
passed and as blindly worked my way
up, my first intimation of danger was some
clumped foot coming rudely in contact with
my miners cap.
Of the depth to which descended | can
form no notion. My guide-book says the
ladder is from "a to 80 ellis. Of these
was told there are sixty in the Himmelfurt
Indeed, my cicerone persuaded me had
gone down forty-two of them. However
this may be, the depth of "Birch wood
shaft " stands in the guide-book as ovei
800 ellis j.; and the Z" Murder Mine is still
deeper. The passages are generally very
low an exceedingly unpleasant stoop hac
. to bo ,oa;ntoipad in traverSipe Or them Gen
orally the walls were plain gneis, ol