New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-07-31
MEXICO.

oRe-wINzES. SLOPES, AND RISgS-MIEING
| . uUMeRs-THE i@ALACATE-SUMS AND DID,
TANcEs-NATIYE MIEERs-rHE ASCENT
From Our Own CoussDonisot n, ,,, Nm. q, tsss
| Down IS ladders, each seven varas steep, down ~
compartments OF gloom cut out OF Tocki III Snort
/, 500 feet into underground night-tbis ID inc way
WA ranch the bottom of tho famous Rosario Mine
Bnt frat OF ALL we 20 through tramway projected
| into the mountain sido for 100 vNss OF more.
| by which road every car load OF metai
ia wheeled into daylight. ANY one WHO
goes TO bury himself in this lv9y sep9cneI cSieu
mino il bound 90 put on tho dr0 suit OF t0mDClOthes
! thew give him, the same worn by every resurreo-
ZIONIST here who digs Ho must put on wool and ergs
the latter a frieze-oOtb. tough and stt; psnthOons
and coat of the truo mining pattern and color, well
soiled and dabbled and crumpIed all over; and ne
| must top the whole with the round. short brmmed
! pOt-hat C0mpaOted of T05ln and tow, and 80 hard
that no atte.bt Of rock likely TO aim at ones head
| from above will make any impression upon Its
wesrer The bat IL plumed with flaming candle
stuck in front with clay. 10 that VINE
the miners hands arc froe TO grasp tho ladders his
light ia as tho right point OF reflection Ihus &C
coutered each ofu was living pIesentment OF John
Ieach's drawing of Punchs NAVY plus candle Az
tho end OF the tramwaik our sble bodied guide the
mineCaptain, taking breath asks win au explosion
of Cornish good nature Dyc want TO soc me IN
gin ~ Undoubtedly-ali live engine thfoDDing III uIe
| heart of o mountain must be wonder 50 we enter
| big hole and go down wet ladder and step III upon
the Pluto who manages The steady cylinder 5dss
| the immense oddity of this nountain-lungs, FIVE
hundred feet it may be from the arfacetop whereOn
the engine OF tho neighbOr mine OF san Iear0 is
| working with water sent up TO it IN pipes that
distance This TO be sure. is mountain humanlzed
or denonzed its iron lungs httlng ~ rmly into ts
rough breast if it were breathing creature as
tho earth tsof could do certain work TO order and
by nature But TO speak in mstterof-faCt the busi-
ness Of the engine IL 60 pump water ana Draw up
| rocks POnderng tho power OF gloom ana laDOT
which mine engine 49, we 90 round tno hlacmbeiy
and crawl down narrow ladder hole in the rear.
We descend into the abyss
Countless rungs have 60 DO trodden ana great deal
of precIpitous rock passed by before our manshait
opens on another level There are excavations TO
right and loft but no new work visible az we grOpe
round number OF malacates, by which orc Is taken
| up from tho bottom of the mine. malacate Is
sometimes called horse,whim, ana rs urunl cor
az right angles project poles wheretO mules are
harnes,cd Ropes 90 round tho drum ana over pores
dozen feet high and "a many apart TO the wen on
the mine With tho turning of tho maiacate by the
mules rope goes down and the other comes up
bringing a large cOwskn full OF orc OF Wat 1
| There arc many OF these malaCateg IN the
mine in the neighboThoOd of the several sbafts 40
we go deeper the signs Of excavation increase There
strange vaults and chasns IA inc gallery through
which we 90, narrow openings here and there. up
and down where 10 seems tnat there had been oe-
sire TO follow up streak of luck or TO yentate be
tween levels rises INTO NoH irnges INTO Efebus Inc
rock Ivy the way is pOrphyrtic The picks OF MINERS
are now in hearing remotely and the FAINT sound OF
y blast comes upon the ear. SUI deeper tho vaults
4
along another level aud there are great spaces here
followed out by pick and powder that would accom-
modate many congregations OF miners bI 9Io
wines more rlses, more levels, are the oideI
! OF tho way. Tho Wine ~ a small veDtllat:
ting shaft struck down between levels. for want OF
which the miner would be badly OIL fOT the breath OF
life-but t is sometimes experimental also and fol-
| lows indication OF metal we SEQ mere that
wines have been sunk TO connect the IeVe whereoh
| we stand and the below. and our attention "
called 90 a rule IN mining. Wines connecting lower
levels with each other are usually placed between
| the winzes cut Through above. IN ordeT that new
direction OF ground may be explored ~ the ore eH-
tends through the level above this part of the vein
is LAID open by an upward excavation on rise.
Seemingly at corner of tho level. we came across
the first signs of life seen since the malacate team
stols aud few stray Cargadoros on the ladders.
The present scene ~ "A d0pestlc aud economic phase
of the lie i'm MINES rude kitchen oilers IT. genlal
ere, 90 three four Mexican dishes well Dcppeied,
larded. and sayoiy number OF t dgsky'
papers tortllas. and chile, aud something IKE an
ola Odtida of red peppers meat ana vegetables al
evil. tortilla - hat cako of maize; ffloee
| ~ noble. black bean. tho king OF al
beans Would the senior Americauo paItake
% o thanks ro Ro pnone, a1 pusno !, NOT Soo
/ for mine journey unless one IL much used tot;
therefore, again, sweet slrs, no. Surely. then, the
il he ia aware OF himself will he put that vegetable
| fire into his insldes-MR grdolas Senores no; mi
grooias What then 10 be done with this ntractabe
! fellow, who will neither eat nor drink, ana VINO
makes II appear that he rejects Mexico in the shape
/ of chilef Tie him up. Accordingly these three or
four COLLINS OF the mine, laughing Ike hyenas, take
/ hold of your correspondent put rope around his
/ arms aud tie him 10 beam. Outrage you say; no,
only the custom of the mine. These stalwart fellows
arc some OF its f0remen. On condition that the
gentle stranger will pay for his initiation into the
mystery mining Ivy snn sufficient To treat all hands
thereabout 20 pulque, they will set HIM free there
is some facetious Chahcrng 90 prOlOng the bondage
but finally it's victim leaves his goOd-natured cap
tors in the midst of laughter and Adi0s II is the
immemorial custom of the miners to put strangers
] f,b hts fnfp
string OF bells, big and little, on his approach ana
/ tho noise of this rude chime sounded pleasantly
enough through the far hollOws Of the mines. But
Of late this part of the miners rites has fallen out Oh
practice.
There is still lower depth for him who enters Ro
,arO another level 10 pass many more ladders 10
| go down accumulated darkness 10 undergo. But
the bottom of the mine IS reached, or rather We are
next door to the bottom. Up and down in cavern0us
cuttings of the rock. the tawny native miners are at
work There is seemingly no end TO the long. lrreg-
ular. abutting. rugged. and spacious galleries in
which they are boring No level way exists here,
wherefore we must Chamber over rocks and
planks till we take hold OF another ladder
that directs us TO the last pit. The last borlngs
and diggngs. They about to blast at one OF
these yards OIL, but out OF sight, and ere we
come upon the miners the explosion takes place with
q sound of half suppressed thunder. This IS the
handsomest part Of the mine-as miner would say.
1t has stranger depths and rises, odder cavities
| everywhere Ii is as yet unleveled unorganized
into the regular proportions OF the NINE and Is the
continuation Of some mammoth caves, with pits
dOmes, and galleries in every order OF dlsor-
der. We had TO climb up rocks 10
miner. who was digging soft ore between
| in nook so cunningly followed that folks up at
grass would wonder The miner may dig up down,
or on, but must do it all upon principle. When he
bores or digs into the rock, he IL making stope
1t is principle that he shall not bring his house
down on his head. So between the arches or holows
made by his workings upward he must leave enough
rock TO serve rs pillar for the superstructure. This
obvious principle is nicely carried out by the miner
himself but it is thought safe to put the mason to
work after him. Mines are full of timber-supports
and brick mendinRs and arches it il
TO assure permanent safety to the miner The falling
do,yn 90 rocL in ono of the lavala might ahut him