New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-19
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
LETTERS FROM NEXT DOOR.
WOMAN IN THE SILVER MINES.

when the Feiee sits on the broken arches OF tho
Brooklvn Bridge builder does it in Nevada; out
he is not an architect because no lorge's oes"'S'
One of the square white bird-cages received US
and we found within that cramped-looKlng cuoe'
on one floor alone, a large hall. drawing
room, dining-room, four bedrooms bathrooms
kitchen and scullery, wood-shed and covered FeIah
dab. The furniture such as one sees III
the usual well.to-do household of New-York and
Chicago, expensive, strong, and snowy. lho
breakfast, served at twelve o'clock, was Just
such as one never sees except in this ex-
traordinary Western life The table, with It's
exqnisite linen and nexbaustIbe spendor of silver,
its bubbles of rarest glass its costly CHINA ana
graceful fruitstands and delicate vases and ocean
ters was pleasant sight to travellers eyes, And
breakfast segregated into dozen courses, and per-
fectly served by unexceptOnable walters 10 thiry
guests, was what at home Jenkins would call an
Event in the Fashionable World. But this, remem-
ber is Virginia. out of the world, mining town
ten years old. whose every pound OF flour and pinch
of salt and kitchen porringer is brought from the
railroad over twenty miles of mountain, and which,
half a year ago, had only stage communication with
the East and with the West.
After breakfast the women are left 90 lounge, IL
being much too hot 70 go out and the on 10
| smoke and talk, and at four O'Clock arrive some
thoughtful folk to ask who wishes to 90 down ono
of the mines. In the morning, everybody had been
pledged to that undertaking, but general luxe
warmness and pusillanmity had taken possession OF
| the band and it turned out that only the MOUSE
| and the Historian were possessed WIN
| n landabe spirt of inquiry. We were warned
that il was fearfully hot and dirty down below aud
we came forth-sach guys, blushing to be seen OF
men-arrayed in busters very limp and clinging as TO
| the skirt and very baggy as to tho waist. buS
| when we arrived at the Savage Mine (which We
! reached by driving straight down high wall OF
earth. az it seemed, but they called it road We
were considered much too fine for the OCCASION anu
| the spendor of raiment was Quenched In ragged
| mining coats and brimless mining hats, IN which
| becoming dress we explored the resources OF the
place To the ordinary observer the Savage Mlne'
which stands for all the rest the name being changed
IS an enormous and costly shed, where uncommony
| panpered, and noisy, and eyil-dlsposed maehineiy
has it's own way about most things, ana won coh-
sent to let anybody speak in its presence II 1t can
helm it. IT industrious and perseyering to be sure,
bringing the rough ore ont Of the pit crushing II,
| senaraiing IT, and for all know to the contrary,
making il nt Presentation Services with the owners
| name engraven thereon with many nourisbes' 10
| puts on airs enough to do more than that. But L
don't see why the possession Of these energetic VIZ
tnes sboud confer on one the right and title Of being
| "a disagreeable as possible, though have often
noticed that it TO, and, as remarked 10 'no
most determined and conscientious OF the exceiiehb
crushers, or elevators or whatever it was, IL you
| mnst be so unpleasant, give me the gentle vices
Having made the tour of the Fhed' and won
darad Of everything and been taken into the back
ward where were great dust heaps of silver that
were reproach to Savages housekeeping as well
as a temptation in the path of Youth, we were leu
lanb-iike into the building again. and pointed 10
small trap-door which was said to be the Mine.
platform slung to stout ropes slowly swung down I'd
our level from airy space. We looked with interest
at the enormous cylinder on which the rope was
coiled the twisted strands, at the thick HOOP OK
tho nlatform at the iron roof made to resist the
dnts of any cratic bowlder which might fancy roll
ing down the shaft at the tremendous IRON claws,
which if the cable breaks, instantly feel tine stain
of the parting and catch hold Of tie sides for dear
life miner invented the swift, intelligent thing.
and there has not been an accident from the failure
of the rope since it has been in use. The Superin-
tendent lights his candle, two other officials light
theirs the Secretary lights his, and we are ready
Just at the last moment Mr.. Cofax hurres in to sec
somebody and finding that we are going down, is
good-natured enough TO go too-in Difference 70 the
| Mouse whose brown eyes dilate as she bends over
the black mouth of the pit-though mines are an old
story to him. Then Governor Blasdel, kind as he
is big saws he will take the last place if nobody wants
it, and in suits as motley Fastafs soldiers, the
recruits reaDpear after brief absence. We take
positions feeling, the green ones of us, as we
might feel if it were the platform of the guiDo-
tine instead of an innocent lift the signal IS gwen
bell rings there is q little jerk of the rope. and
are off not gliding, but dropping down with horrible
swiftness The shaft is pitch black, but the flicker
ing light of the candles shows it to be a perpen.
dicular passage way, four five feet square, With
upright timbers and cross tmbers, very wooden
wall indeed to keep the rock braced and steadfast
lest il should crumble Water trickles out of the
stone between the planks and pale moss clings IN
matches here and there while light, hairy sort OF
unpleasant fungus seems TO have sucked the life
from the lodges wherever it could fasten to them,
that they crupbe off with the rush of our descent.
Two hundred feet down. and We pass drift-the
horizontal shaft where working, seen for aB
instant like gnomes by the Pickering light Of theis
candles as we drop by Three hundred feet aud
more gnomes burrowing. Four hundred feet and
with sudden, sharp jerk, we are fixed in that hor-
rible dungeon. Our candles go out; the rushing
wind that we made in our motion is still the
sitting hot air suifocates US; the darkness appalls.
Nobody speaks The Superintendent fumbles for
matches lights one, which goes out in the damp
ness lights another which goes out and another.
The heat is intoerable the close shaft is sickenine
our fears grow apace. turn giddy Isay to myself
sternly, If find that you going TO faint,
III stab you with my pen-knife" That brings mo
round. by this time somebody has coaxed a feeble
match to burn. and We have lighted candle. two.
three. The Superintendent lifts his high over his
head and examines carefully. The iron roof is all
right the ropes safe. Then he stoOps down, and
We fancy that the hand shakes with which he moves
the candle the door, and and down the planks
of the shaft. Nothing wrong there. Let mesee tho
other side" he says, and We think how strange