Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-10-05
TEE ME-. CENHS STORY.
Alleged Discovery OF Diamonds
and Precious stones.

In place Of our accustomed story, we pre-
sent the following statement, the most sensa-
tional of the day, in which, however, we
think there is vastly more fiction than in our
usual narrative. We find ii in The Neec York
World, of the 22d inst, which contains
lengthy letter from Arthur NJ. Leary, an en-
gineer of New York, inclosing the sworn
statement of Pierro Tagliare, in reference to
81 discovery Of mine of jewels while bur
rowing the Mount Gems Tunnel through the
Airs, between France and Italy. Tagliare
has been arrested by the Italian authorities,
and is confined in the jail at Susa, and it is
alleged that there are strong corroborating
circumstances TO the truth of the statement
The tunneling has been stopped, and it is said
the French and Italian Governments are di-
siding the spoils- We omit the beginning Of
Tagliare's statement.
The great event came off on the 10th inst
I was at work with Bacco in the advance
chamber, and we talked, in the pauscs of the
drilling, of the disappearance OF the English
traveller. Stonewold, who had been lost on the
neighboring Mount Cents, with many valua-
bles in his possesson-amongo others, some
diamonds, which were largely advertised by
his friends as family heir-looms His body
had been found crushed to pieces at the bot
tom of the pass, and some of his possessions
were missing. The murder had been laid to
the laborers on the tunnel, as we had many
bad fellows, and the hard life they led was
indeed temptation to any profitable crime.
Bacco, who was a cruel, greedy person, treat
ed the alleged murder as possible enough,
and half excused the commission of it. There
were with us only two laborers, thick -headed
Piedmontese, animal enough to love drinking
and sleep, but very stolid when at work, and
without sympathies of any sort out of their
poor, bruised carcasses.
recall the moment well 1t was close to
o'clock we look note of the time carefully
because at o'clock we should be done for
the day, and with trifing intermission for
supper, the work would be commenced for
the night by a relief party. The advance
chamber in which we wrought was closed by
pivot doors from the completed tunnel with
out, where the masons were pricking up the
sides and the engineers laying the rails; we
could see through thu CT, vices of the gates
the lamps of gas ial ing in wavy lines as far
rs the outlet, and our own close and rock
strewn recess with jagged ceiling and sharp
pointed sides, recently blasted, was lit by
mingled lamps of oil and gas, so that il was
fitfully luminous, but damp as the caverns of
the Alps could well be. made supportable on
" by fresh air pumped in from the reservoir
at the mouth of the mine, and deiaged with
Jets of water which necessarily PLAYED
against the sharp tips of the perforators. In
this damp chamber the crouehing figure of
Bacco and our aids, stopping against the
rock, threw prolonged and crossing shadows
upon the granite surfaces, though the entire
cavity was scarcely erect enough TO permit
one to stand, as it is the rule only TO blast q
portion of the surface to be excaysted, and
TO complete the rest with the sledge, shovel
and pick The huge frame, propped 10 its
place, and fed with air and water all the
while, heaved from its pistons the ringing
drills necessarily, and made the excavation
echo with sharp reverberations. To drive 10
a sufficient depth nine paltry holes, with all
the power at our command, required fifty
nine thousand FIVE hundred blows, and as
many revolutions of Il little rotary engines
behind each piston.
Suddenly Bacco stopped the engines.
tsCorpo al Do" he said; .'three of the drills
are quite crushed; we must have been pound
ing upon adamant."
Directly the frame and engines were with
drawn; We charged the perforations and ap-
Piled our slow match, and fed behind the
pivot doors for protection.