The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-11-26

caouchouo was dripping wet with the water which per-
cOiass through sod rock and falls small strsams
upon the rocky floor
AMONG rHx woRxnEr
After leaving this we were obliged to pick our way
from the top and sides by the ordinary processes Of
drilling and blasting the perforating machines only
being n msin low M Inv Ms1
along here encountered the workmen boring and
drilling aud breaking the rough and jagged rocks oil with
wedges
A short distance beyond this we found some thirty
ing '1 something; and my guide said we mus. stop
imagined what was the probable cause Of the delay
where could see the clear blue vault or heaven
Of this stony one just above my head sat down and
meditated was nearly underneath the summit Of the
Grand vaop which rises nearly eleven thousand feet
thousand above the valley Of the Arc and which was
heads Back Of Us to the entrance was : distance Of
nearly mile and half and before nothing but
earth in sunocssng smoky atmosphere surrounded BY
forty hy half naked black and dirty, brutal looking
men, jabberng away in horrible italian patois and
each bearing miners lamp. 1t was q strange scene
but did not have long 70 mediate upon IT, for while
was doing 80 my thoughts and observations were dis
turbsd BY sound which under all the circumstances
might have we'll appalled, Drawer and more firmly con-
sttuted man.
THE BLAST
Bang but not tho sharp, quick chang" Of . cannon
or an explosion the open air. dead, dull, rumbng
sound echoed around and seemed be shaking the
solid rock it's very foundations looked above; there
the rocks were hanging In uncut ragged masses looking
though they required but good shaking 70 send them
nit s's Of the Grand vaons Bang bsns bangi il csmo
thick yellow smoke, and the sitting black gunpowder
came rushing towards us, when my guide touched me
on the saS sad Ge i. nov 90 on
speedily sprang up and joined him.
Ar THE ExrRgnrY OF THg rUSNH.
There the gallery became narrower and lower, and
more encountered with debris and tho air thicker and
more sling for few minutes, and then covered
and sharp Kissing sound. The air became fresh and
pure and grateful to the lungs and In minute moro we
tunnel and beside the aeTuao," in which were mounted
the perforator boring their way through the solid
rock.
where the peroratng machines actually at work. ID
entirely excavated by the machines themselves, and s
but nine feet high by eight wide just large enough
in fact TO the dGto and the per- orators 1t bears
upon 1t and the thirty mine men employed upon the
guso when i is In full operation When We had entered
crawl around this huge machine to get 70 the 'front.'
where the drills darling out from 1t like adders
tongues and saw them Knocking against the solid rock
striking fire every stroke Kissing, rather rghten
ing sound caused by the compressed air in escaping
companied the movement Of the machine land the air
we breathed here pure refreshing anddeficious.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE pERRoRATIHG MACHINE.
II Ia much easy describe the action OF the per-
foratng machine and It's effect upon the rock than TO
explain its delicate and complicated organism Indeed
wtnout diagrams, will be impossible TO convey more
pressed ar-brought through iron tubes distance Of
mile and haIf-sets and Keeps these machines IN mo-
ton Upon tho "oDusto which bears the same relation
10 the perorator that the carriage tho gum nine
perorators mounted-each being entirely separate
and distinct. from the other In tho operation
automatic movements to initiate hand labor
percussion, rotation and progress The blow
which drives the drill against the opposing rock Is
given by piston, to which the drill is liked and which
oscillates with extreme rapidty. In its upward and
downward or rather forward and backward movement
Tho mis- aite tel
In aud tho compressed air. Tho posterior section OF
the piston being larger than the anterior section to
which the drill Ia attached and tho pressure of the air
being direct ratio to the surface upon which 1t bears
it results from this fact that in the forward movement
tho blow given by the drill is much more powerful thon
the returning The force given 70 the advancing
piston OF hundred and ninety pounds, and the
two hundred times minute, the effect being Of course
the though weight Of one hundred and ninety
pounds allowed TO fail two hundred times minute
upon a drill. In this manner tho machine initiates the
movement Of percussion given In hand labor, and BY
very complicated piece OF machinery rotary motion is
given 70 the drill which Ii advanced and pushed into
the rock by spring behind the proraor which pushes
1t forward. fHN A4N Ht
Upon the aOnso are mounted nnc pcrforators, each
one have before stated independent Of the ether
and they placed in different parts Of the a some
upon either side, TO attack the surface Of seven
square metes in which they required 70 work. ct
work Of twenty stout labore The series Of operations
comprised between the attack Of the rock and the
oxplO8tO0
reprise which effected in three different operations
drilling the holes in the rock, charging and exploding IT,
aud the removal Of the stone In six hours work OF
the peoraors the surfacc0f the rock Is ridded with
from ninety 10 y hundred holes Of about thirty0v
inches In depth and from inch and half TO nearly
three inches In diameter the largest the centric
aud mo smallest about the circum; ercnce This being
completed, the efaao Is wheeled back distance OF
about hundred yards. and with all the workmen pro-
tectcd beh nd heavy doors OF oak Tho miners then
turn In and luke possession Of tho gallery exploding
first the centre drills. for the purpose Of blowing
large piece of rock and then the smaller ones, at
each explosion running and securing themselves behind
the ogssto As explosion takes place stream
Of compressed air 10 let loose which dut and purihes
the foul atmosphere caused by tho explosion and drives
IL towards the entrance OF the tunnel The charging and
explosion Of the mine occupies three hours, and the
rocks which broken by the explosion into small
blocks thrown into wagons, and in two hours the
space cleared out and rendy Tor fresh attack.
set Of workmen comes in the a6o wheeled back. and
the pororatos again sol 10 work upon their PERSISTENT
hard and Irresistible arguments against the solid ribs OF
this mighty mountain. And 80 this continues, without
interruption, summer and winter week days and sun
days. night and day. the only two holidays In the yoar
being hast Sunday and Christmas. The workmcn, Of
whom there two thousand employed each SIDE Of
the tunnel arc divided into three rcies working eight
hours day and resting sixteen. Tho common laborers
receive but three francs or about sixty cents day
men receive from iour 70 six Two rsprises day are
,EF71's w. THE FIRST sIoHr gtA&
Of the at,fo, squeezed between which and the rocky
sido Of the stood watching the action OF the per
fosOSs for y half su hour rs%nd Yd ne than
Scattered sboutn under and ut the sides Of it-were
the workmcn employed In tending It's various parts,
while in front-the whole OF which brilliantly lighted
with gas-wcrc the men directing the course Of the
drills. We happened 10 come In just as new attack
was being made with three Of the perforntos The drill
which is about four feet long, attached TO flexible
rod which joins the piston. The compressed air Is
turned on and man holding the rod 70 which the drill
Is attached Just fireman holds the nozzle Of hose
directs II against the point TO be attacked "Thud"
thud" thud, goes at the rate Of about two hundred
times minute, humping away at this rapid rate with
rotary notion and scattering fire all around II at every
stroke Two men tend this portion OF the apparatus
one TO give the general direction OF the drill, and the
other standing upon the ground holds the end where
IL strikes the rock with crooked iron, 70 prevent
from flying on from the desired point OF attack.
NMEysE WEAR TEAR MATERIAL.
Al first does ny very wildly, however and in working
in this hard quartz every few minutes tho drill II obliged
TO be changed the tempered end OF being down and
shivered These have TO DO continually rcpontcd and
tempered and about two or three hundred year
used up and sommelier has calculated that before