The Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1869-1872, 1869-07-03
Letter from Unionville.
USIoSvILLE, June %, ]

Thursday last, and will give You the benefit
of my observations on that occasion. II is
now about year since my last trip ON the
Arizona mountain, and from continued favor
able reports from time to time since then, 1
was prepared To witness some important
changes in the developments made but the
amount of work done in cutting drifts, sink
ing shafts and running tunnels, was far beyond
even the liberal estimate had made. From
the point where the lower tunnel strikes the
ledge, south to the northern boundary of the
Silver Mining Company claim, the mountain
is literally honey-combed with a complete net
work of drifts, slopes, shafts, and tunnels, in
all of which large quantities of rich ore are
exposed, sufficient Mt least, when taken ont,
TO keep the two mills belonging TO the com
pany, of which Gov. Fall is the head running
for at least another twelve months. When
last visited this locality, l was able, after a
thorough exploration of the premises, to form
satisfactory idea of the dips and bearings
of the ledge where exposed in the works, but
not so this time, as ! reached the surface of
the ground after two hours exploration
among tortuous windings and dark narrow
passages, completely bewildcred, confused
and lost. On entering the mine we passed
in through the main working tunnel on the
lower level, going southwark uutil we came to
door, which, on being opened at our ap-
proach by n workman in the mine, let through
n strong current of cool air which extinguished
our lights in q second and left us in total
darkness. Turning to the right, however, we
entered the mouth of n tunnel coming in
from the west where many candles fastened
into the wall wele burning, which served to
re-liGht our extinguished tapers. 1t was near
this point the ledge was first tapped in the
lower tunnel, where it made sharp angle to
the west, along which the west tunnel now
runs. BY placing our lights to the south
west wall, vast masses Of rich ore were visible,
which had not yet been broken down by the
| miners as they had pushed on past it in
making further explorations to the westward
Pursuing our way further on in this west
| tunnel We soon come to WI ere immense slopes
| had been raised upward on the ledge toward
| the top Of which most singular sight ar
| rested our gaZe. There. amid the heavy haze
of powder smoke which hung thick in this
artificial chamber from which the ore had
| beer taken, glimmcring lights were seen,
! resembling pale stars trembling on the outer
! rim of heavens black vault, when wild tenn
pests shake the upper sky. In close prox-
! unity to these lights could be discerned the
dim outlines of human forms apparently sus-
pended in mid-air or floating on the thick
! SapOrs of this subteTTanean abode. At the
| same time could be heard the sharp sound OF
the sledge hammer and drill, mingled with
the deep-toned chorus of blast after blast TO
the southwark on the Silver Mining Com
pRny'E ground, it being the hour for putting
| off their blasts, which resembled in that con-
fired atmosphere the booming of heavy mr.
tillery doing its fatal work on the field OF
carnage. My first impressions were that VIC
had reached the borders of Pluto's sulphur
ious dominions, where old Vulcan was forging
his volcanic thunders for the final day, when
this terrestrial orb shall be consumed with
fervent heat. This impression however, was
but the hallucinntion of n moment and passed
like the vision of a dream, rs the sound OF
the bla5ts died away in the distance and ON
nearer approach to the workmen disclosed
the fact that they were not demons and chill
dren of night, who forge the ;hunderbolts o
heavens consuming wrath in the fiery bowels
Of the globe, but that they were common
mortals of our own species engaged in thei
daily task of breaking down and wheeling on
the vast treasures for which this mine is be
coming famous both at home and abroad.
The miners here were engaged in stopiu
or working upward from the tunnels an,
drifts, which were run off in all direction
from the main tunnel on the lower level. Thi
method of thinning upward-of 'excavatin
great covers and oycrhanging arches in tn
solid rock above, had always to my min
something of awe-inspiring grandeur in it,.
can readily understand how men may lie upo
their backs and drill holes upward and charg
them with powder for blasting when there
some solid substance under them to rest upor
but when it comes To hanging by ones eye
lnshes and too-nails To the under side OF
smooth rock surface, sixty feet in .hc air fror
the bottom of n stOpc, in order to drill hol
10 blast down the identical rock to which the
are hanging, am confident l would desire
be excused were ] even n first-cass miner O
;, firm ground.
II is not to he wondered at, that minin
r. should bo regarded as among the most haz
ardous to life and limb of ali industrial pu
suits. The miner when wounded or disable
by accident in the mines like the soldier wh
fights the countrys battles, should have
=, pension allowed him for life, TO bo paid fro
the National Treasury. to which by the peri
of his toll he 30 literally contributes III
risks TO life and limb of the miner arc b'
little less than are chose of the soldier wht
engaged in active campaign duty, and yo
should the soldier fall wounded at his post, ]
is ombnmod in n nations gratitude and has
pension provided for him the remainder of h
da-s, while the disabled minor is left 10 q
cold charities Of an unsympathizng world
After we had examined tho ledge Mt
points where exposed in the extensive wor
at this place and found il to be from two
ten feet in thickness, we set out again 10 G
tend our observations further into the mou
tain. Following the main tunnel southwa
We passed several orc shutcs connecting wi
'. tho works above, and from which large uun