Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1865-01-27
THE QUICKSILVER MINE.

The next morning the superintendent OF the
mine kindly furnished me with his buggy and
span of horses TO make the ascent of the noun
taiu, where the mine is situated Two miles away.
The rOad, constructed at immense cost for the
transportation Of the ore to the furnaces below,
winds up the sides Of the mountain, crossing
ravines and gulches, and leading through tan
gled masses OF wild wood, among which | dis
cerned the manznmta, and the lustrous leaves
and bright red bark of the madrona.
The ceanolhus, with cluste of lilac, like
flowers of various shades of blue, violet and
red, was in bloom together with an abundant
variety of other flowers, large bouquets OF
which gathered, and filled Herewith the front
part of my buggy. AT last we arrived at the
patio, an area OF little more than an acre in
extent, where the miners were at work separat
ing the ore from the baser rock and placing it
in bags for transportation. We are still several
hundred feet below the summit, where in lS45
a shaft was sunk and mining first commenced
This point had been the resort of the aborigi-
nes from time immemorial, TO obtain the ver-
million found in the cinnabar, which they used
in the decoration of their persons. A funnel
extends into the side of the mountain nearly
two thousand feet in which a railroad track
passes, the cars receiving the ore as il is bro't
up from the depths below or heights above.
There are over six miles of shaliings, drifts,
adit levels and tunnellings; pretty thorough
exploration of which | made with boy sent
for the purpose, getting bewildered and losing
our way but once. Truly, the crossings and
recrossngs can only be compared to the streets
of dense city. while nothing short of the clue
furnished Thesus by Triadne could ensure the
safe return of the unfortunate pilgrim who
should enter without guide. The miners are
mostly NJ xicaps, and have named the different
passages after their saints, and run them off as
readily as We do the streets of a city, There
are about six hundred miners and workmen
employed IN companies, one set by night and
another by day, alternating week about. The
ore is found in detached masses, has rich,
dark, vermilion color, and yields from 80 TO 10
per cent. of pure quicksilver. The average an
nual production at the present time is some
thing over two millions of pounds and proves
fertile source of wealth to all concerned. The
process of smelling is very simple, the mercury
being detached from the cinnabar by heat, and
afterwards collected by condensation. Below
the condensing chambers are huge bowls into
which narrow trough flows the metallic fluid.
On throwing into them half a dozen pieces of
silver, they foated around on the top, light and
airy, like porous cork, or buoyant bubbles bur
their brightness on taking them out exceeded
that OF new coins fresh from the mint, for they
shone with brilliant lustre and reflection like
that of mirror. The superintendent permit
ting, stepped into the iron watts half filled with
this shining liquid, and with slight support,
found was able TO walk on it sinking only TO
the tops of my boots, on removing which the
cold, slippery mass, as il !isdaiaing such treat
ment rolled off, leaving the leather unsoiled.
From these watts the molten lead is ladled out
into scales, its weight accurately determined,
and then noured into wrought iron flask each