New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-19

confess why their eyes and legs should be 80 much
more reprehensibe than the rest of them to como
in for special condemnation in the next world But
before have in the least satisfied ourselves, we
are darling up faster than we came down. and are
out of the shaft in the safe uninteresngness of the
shed. The wOrkmen go down with KIT OF TOOLS
We tell the adventure to friends who stayed be-
hind, keeping a smashing and martial outside, ana
not one of MS cOnfesSing to have had twnge OF ap
prehension. But the second call for volunteers
being made, the obnoxious bolts having Deeh Sc
cured. the Mouse thinks il too hot to go AGAIN,
the gallant Vice-President is quite 700 Ioy"l
TO desert his pretty sister Governor Blasdei Is sure
that il was his six feet of sinewS thewS stature,
bulk. and big resemblance of man that starteu
the planks, and is too self-denyng 10 compromise
our comfort again. and so nobody is left but me ana
NV friends Of the mine l am not courageous, but
am logical and know that can get to the bottom,
where desire TO be- only by going down. 80 we are
off again. plunging, this time so fast we CO. the
drifts flashing by u.s. the black tube growing hotter
and hotter the water dripping down my neck from the
frayed edges Of my hat the candles burning low TILL
suddenly. we are down nine hundred feet, and am
helped of my perch to the rough stone floor. am
afraid that there is basement kitchen below this
first story hut as wished to believe that had gone
To the limits Of possibility, held il to consider too
curously to consider thus far, and asked nobody.
This house of Savage is very remarkable. We were
in a vauted passage OF white rock, little higher
than our heads, and all picked out with silver. 1t
looked mtermiuable, for the candles here and
there only darkened it, Other passages led
of TO the right and left, dozens OF
them fastening, doubt, TO statelier and
richer chambers. The Secretary lighted candle for
each of us and we turned down long corridor TO the
lett The wind rushed through and put out the
weak taper over and over but it was gratifying to
=. ficulor f4auf, IN
laton The floor was slippery with Ooze, too and
one compelled to admit that that sort of archtec
ture has drawbacks. Now and then we met half
naked miner gTimy and picturesque against the
white wall with the red candlelight falling on his
face. Edging by we went on and on picking my
way over puddles and wishing that my angel had
had q keener eye TO these especially sharp stones
against which my poor feet dashed, my friend lead
ing as nimbly as if it were tagged walk. New
passages opened. remember he said that if we
took one should come out in some perfectly in
possible place it might have been the Vatican, or
the OhOr end of the mine stories higher mp but
had such q respect for the man who had the names
of all that rock at his fingers ends that for the
moment believed him. learned all about the
rocks too. There we're pOrphyry and quartz
nnd-well l am not absolutely sure about
old red sandstone and Milwaukee brick,
but / distinctly recOllect rotten granite and
tistics are of no value to anybody but Superntend
ents and Secretaries. Sometimes the wall was so
soft that broke off great Jumps with my fingers
beauties of specimens graywhite. and shot through
and through with little pin-pricks of light as IL
whole family of silver glow-wOrms had been caught
aud made fast in it. But when had broken most of
my nails in my scientific frenzy the Superintendent
out of elaborate comparison of the values of
the differing processes of smelling to say. Don't
bother with that trash; it's not worth carrying. I'll
give you some up stairs" o. the lovely, glittering
thingsi | kReV they were rich, but they grew so
heavy that l was forced to resign them. Except
one. weight five pounds two ounces, which shOne so
that could not prevail upon myself to part with 1t,
and 30 lugged it up in my pocket, bruising myself
black aud blue, but nObly Indifferent TO personal
HARM because | was sure it of immense value
and was bent enrichng Columbia College with 1t.
With infinite trouble packed it so that 1t wore
large hole in the elbow of most useful gown, and
yesterday after consulting Mining Engineer as TO
what local Cabinet most deserved it, gave it 10 the
chambermaid to throw sway.l Sometimes the
rock was so hard that the picks scarcely
dented it. Sometimes the dripping water broke
oft great powders But all these drifts are
timbered. like the shaft, for safety, as bon
as they are blasted or broken ont In places these
enormous planks are crushed in with the weight
upon them In places the drift is filled up with a
fall OF debris There 10 not much variety IN SaVageS
building system. Always the same dim, vaulted
passages, tho same cleaning gray walls, the same
supply of water laid with lavish hand. There
hundreds of men down here, but the place is vast
that you hardly see half dozen together. You hear
little rumble, and suddenly meet loaded car.
miner pushing his candle stuck in his hat or in an
upright of his car his face and naked chest all wet
and shining with the dripping sweat Or you come
suddenly on two or three men running from blast
which they have just set TOR you hear the picks of
gang down the passage to your right but cannot see
a figure in the black darkness. So, when one has
stumbled along six hundred feet in dreo-
ton and twelve hundred in another and when
the pools have thoroughly wet ones feet, and the
little percOlating streams have soaked ones head
and shoulders one is quite ready to leave Savage
10 his original shadows and go back 10 daylight
and civilization. The rest waiting in the Ele-
vatOr for the Superintendent and me. and are
so polite as to compliment me on my courage, which l,
with equal poiteness, dsclalm in way which makes
me seem very Dido of daring. The Superintend-
ent touches the bell, click if we shot from
amortar we fly up the shaft and very dirty and dis
heveled, are received with laughter and applause.
dofF my lendings and am hustled off home, lest /
should take cold. But next morning am summoned
20 the parlor where are two knights demanding
speech of the lady who went down the mine" name
unknown. / am cOmplimented to find that my
friends the Secretary and the Superintendent don't
know me in the garments of civilization (having
plainly expected an aged trump hut still more COM
plimented 10 reeeive-Item dainty little silver
wedge as a charm for my chatelsine; item: silver
brick of generous size; item such box of dull and
priceless specimens recOmpensed me for the bowl
ders had been obliged to forego think said