New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-01-27

able TO draw of the water had TO abandon the whole
mining, be had enough left and now he s runnlne an
ad level below the whole diggngs which are of gresa
extent and when this is completed he scarcely caa fail
Now so FAR as could see, this party has adopted the
only proper 10 pursue and II should be the guide
for future mining operations 1t Is true that by pump
ing either with steams engines horsepower many
mines have proved highly profitable and are so to-day;
bnt this be done only where the rock Is hard and
the creyces do not communicate neeiy VITA oistans
ones for II they do tho water viii come tor mica ana
the task Is too great for any series OF pumps On tne
contrary whether the rocks are open or close 60 ad
level which constantly drains the. mines WI leave
them dry at an expense about equal TO Iuanne pumps
few years, which generally run night ana day, ana
when they stop the water rises and dsys pass
workmen can 60 down. But difficulty arises wien
one drains his mine which is unless he own thoasand
or fifteen hundred OF land he drains bis neigh
boris mines thing one has yet done and this Shows
the necessity for law which reasonably shall tax par
ties who are benefited by anotheIs labor heard Oh
case where one man pumping his mine also pumped
lis neighbor's, who Immediately commenced raising
mineral; but the first one discovered that .! dSnmns
up orevice he could keep the water where Il belonged
nd In this way the man was brought 10 terms
On the whole Mt seems TO me that the enterprise OF
working these mines is too great for Individual eo
and that they should be owned ana worked Dy conps,
MES The first step would be to become possessed OF
ownership or long lease Of large tracts which were
abandoned by the miners. being driven oa pI wa.e,.
while the mineral was going down. aud these tracts
should be in localities where as much as 200 feet o. tue
ninerabearng rock arc known TO lie between me Do,
tom OF the old diggings and the one nulestonei asE
these 200 feet 1t IL not my place to advertise 10 IHk
TRIBUNE where such places can he foundi tins belongs
to paies interesed but lean say tda In N! yes tsy
ere TO he found ard that the chances Of making fcr-
tunes are equal II not superior 10 anything III shs
Western Territories where labor, provisions, and
everything else is dear, and where one - depieao Oh
the advantages Of society.
The following miners terms which VII ekp.slei
An Idi Lad properly IS to let on water IL star"
from the loves. practicable ground. -.
4 LersI may be for the purpose or to dFl. rom
4 DriG is a passage running on hornontaHy irsm
the shaft level or adit. ..e...
Shat IS perpendicular hole. aug from tar suiiac'
Ike well. and Is the opening ofthe mile.
A Crsrics sometimes called lode, lead, OF vein, Is
hor zoutal opening deep in the mh, caused W con-
vuson nearly straight sometimes traced os miles, ana
descending Though the whole strata e. an unknown
depth Creyices are in groups paTelsl 20 eeet ones
aud from 20 TO 20 feet apart They rise 70 o o'
the surface clay which is from one 100 To- ~ Iee ne;
the average is about ii feet. When crevioe Ises
almost to the surface hes been discovered ~ tue goa'
ranknCss vi the grass. -, I'll.
A Chimney IL an opening 10 q ere'iee N"'e' "'"'
down 10 another crevice below g,
An East and Uta a term used IN spcaalag o. ~
crevice which usually contains the heayirs. -
A North and South. other creIlees elOSsI", t1s ~
aud Vests at right angles. Sometimes NotttaSn
South or an East and West wiz SOP .s sHa r iSE 49,
These breaks are called jumps Sometimes Sos,nI
ard South bears heavy minerali generally tne eres.
body lies in the East ana We5: me rast nnd Wess and
North and Souths nor sit found elsewhere except as
float minetal on the surface in the bottoms h sol
the general condition These crevee' are 81
from an inch wide TO spaces as woe ana lieh 90 n
or rooms in houses, and sometimes ~ or iOO eet oH
sTysrol Ia a term used instead Of lead one. TINS
term Of the lend ore Os!s' sGR T. 'n'
AN ADIT LEVEL.
In digging an sdit level. point i5 selected on tne
side or loot Of bill Bat Of course it Is not lower than
the watereourses very rev =, we ar re.ch
ing the rock II one first could strike ereyice, for In
this case ne would be likely at once 20 strike mineral
and wealth Immediately would follow. Some ancs inst
are discoyered by finding creyee at the foot of bill
like a cone. When the State OF Illinois undertook 10
build what is now called the Illinois Genital it graded
quite distance at the loot OF oai WHERE seo ~
mineral are being taken out These are calico the
New California Mines. Generally. ad is run to an
cover mineral already found IN t9e NH apo. anu me
OF those Ieentered from one-ei2hth 10 hall mile;
several were unfinished If the distance Is far the COST
is great but is said to cost less III sold than IN shahy
rock The space is about five feet high and the same
broad though frequently it is so low one almost must
crawl Generally the miners fud seam Tor cap rock
overhead which leaves O smooth surface; but they ats
ess fortunate on the Sides though often there seam
on one side while the other side is jagged and rough
AZ they progress shafts sunk from above 10 haul
ont the loose rock others have ram.Hays and cars,
but shafts are necessary to give air and to drain upper
dggings for often the shale Is decompOsed INTO pipe
clay which holds water. Sometimes holes ore bored
down through and war runs IN MERGE streams sn tor
hill water becomes abundant and often II spnrs cut OF
the rock on the sdes and overhead in heavy showers
In such cases il is necessary 70 protect the woIkmea
with large sheets Of sheet.iron particularly overhead
and even then IL Is wet enough
Very little can be done without blasting From the
earliest days OF mining powder was az much OF staple
as -four or pork When pick or sledge can 90 no
more hole about an inch IN diameter IL drilled one
miner holding the drill aud another striking on IL With
sledge Frequently this Is done where water Is rusd
ing ike food in which case after the hole Is drilled
rim Of clay built around It, Then IL Is filed with clay.
made solid with clay bar. Then 1t is pounded dowa
with heavy sledgo when what clay Is not forced into
the creyices of the rock is forced outward and the hole
10 left dry The powder 10 put In with an iron needle at
the side; then it Is filed with tampering iron, with
crease ia it around the needle when It is fred with
paper squib and the run to some angle to ges out
of The way In other cases. powder is put in canvas
bag then dipped in kettle Of hot pitch. and safety
When there are seams the cost OF running on adit
level say for GOO yards Is from 90 70 slO foot In SOLID
rock the average is about $40 foot. Only two can
work at time at the forehead which means the end
ABOUT MINERS.
About ell the miners foreigners; the best from
the lead mines Of the North Of England and from Corn
wall. They commence the business very early in life.
and are peculiarly fitted for IL BY long labor and
perience. Many Of them are quite well informed.
There are Irish and Germans who do very we'll the lat
ter are most persevering i heard Of one German.
who owning small farD spent several years IN run
ming level on II. His wife raised grain and mint and
he worked ike a slave month after month and year
AFTER year with no help except when his vito some
times carried out rock. People Thought him crazy; no
one believed he would live long enough TO complete his
task Rat he uecked and hammered and blasted away.
tl Al last be struck creyice and now has money
than he will ever spend. As general thing, Ameri.
cans are poor miners; that Is In working in the solid
rock But II once they strike mineral they almost will
tear themselves to pieces in getting II out and they
will follow lode with astonishing eagerness:
These foreign miners scarcely can be hired to wora
above ground and never they 90 much at home az
when down deep in the earth sinking drills for blasts.
or standing their knees at the forehead Of the Drift