Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-03-22
LIE YnnderS OF ScYaia.

u
scripton of the extensive works of the
silver mines in and around that place
There are whole communities and villages
under ground, with cars steam engines,
and many of the other app iances of up
per world life 1t saws
Descending at the Chollar works by a
perpendicular shaft over four hundred
feet In depth, one may wander off in al
most any direction. By two or three diff
ferent roads we might travel eastward
nearly half mile, finally coming out to
the light Of day in the southeastern SUI
hnrbs of the city, among the mi Is and
miners cabins; but we will take another
course Leaving the village Of the Chol-
larites, we travel northward Along the
Sides of the narrow sheets are glimmer-
ing li@hts--some twinklins far ahead, like
distant stars, and others flashing suddenly
upon us as we turn the corners with &
binding alluence Of light
As we proceed on cur journey we meet
with many picturesque groups Of miners
I
out chambers in the precious silver rock,
and there hoistiaS into place the stout
/ tlmbers that are to support the mount&in
and the city above. We pass through
roomy caverns. whose space robs our
/ candles Of light, and in whose walls
yawn gloomy galleries leading we know
not whittier. and about and within whose
black portals cubic pyrites and bril- liant
quartz crystals flash back to light of our
cand es in thousand merry glow-worm
/ twinkles. After passing through the sub
/ terranean vii ages of divers mining COM
panies, we come to the thriving settlement
Of the savage people. Having halted in
/ their hospitlble hamlet long enough TO
! hear the latest underground news, and to
make some inquiries relative to our road
TO the next village, the home of tie Gould
/ 4 Curry tribe, we take our leave and pur-
! sue our Journey OF course we see many
wonders, meet with numerous adventures
and encounter more than one solitary
! trave er-but not SOLITARY horscman =
walk on the brink of more than one yawn-
inr chasm, and experience numerous and
mixed sensations. but fna ly reach the
Gould & Curry clan in safety.
We find them quite civilized people
! Although NOR, than 400 feet. be'ow the
streets of the city, we here End large
/ building with large stcam-engine in it.
putting away as comfortable as though
/ there was no surface to the earth, with
green trees, singing birds and sun shining
unon and everywhere We enter the
/ builiinr, take q seat, sip glass of cham
cur inc smoke mineling with the white
wreatnS Of steam from the kissing engine.
wonder whether we arc real within the
earth or upon it. Lamps are burning
/ through the room IN which we are seated
are going down stairs coming mp stairs.
hustlnr in every dircction-a new face
each minute. We appear to have stumhl-
ed upon the @nomcs. We find, in passing
/ through the village, that the people here
haze railroads running in every direction.
and, as in the world above, haze TO clear
the track for the rushing trains that, with
fiery eyes, dash watchful out from dark
and lonesome roads With a "whiz' the
cars fy past us and speed away down
along W at seems one Of the drcary lanes
to Satan's sootv kin@dom-a by-way lead
ing straight into the smoky capital
About us we occasionally hear the splash
in- of water, mingled with cracking
sounds, and pass through places where the
air strikes damp and cold upon our cheeks,
to enter where it is hot and stiang.
Suddenly pea,s Of thunder burst over
our heads, ana every gallery and cavern
echoes its roar Our nerves are soon quiet.
for we know that the noise was but the
discharge of a ton of ore through some Of
the chutes above. There are Inhabitants
far above Us toward the surface of the
earth-the place is like a huge ant-hill.-
Again, upon "a sudden, our ears are rent bY
an xplosion-above. below-somcwhere
which causes US for moment to suppose
that the earth has burst in its centre and
i no longer a thing Of substance We
know that it was by blast which thus
caused the whole place to shudder. and
smile at our late nervousness There
are many roads leading from the Gould &
Curry, and we might trave' half mile ir
several directions, but we will continue
our Journey northward and rise to the
surface at the works Of the Best & Belcher.
through shaft some four hundred feet
in depth Here we land nearly one hun
dred miles north Of where we decended
Our underground highways are being ex-
tended daily in every direction, and vi
soon be connected with those Of the Gold
Hill mines, and these again with those of
American Flat In very few years
more there will be miles on miles of these
subterranean streets, meandering under
and running from one to another of our
cities