Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1871-09-01
MINING DEPARTMENT.

teHlioH tAlaL us ttDpOl LailCe ueuduuS. -
is only that class OF men who study ii
forces of nature and their phenomena fC
the love of it, that are disposed to give
that close, patient investigation that it RI
i quires.
The ability of water to take up soil
- I'D it in solution is no Ions
made debatabls q1' i0n but is admitted ',
a settle.. fact, in both ss- eA'' anu p.'O :"
ophy. Let's approach the A
pRAcr CAL BEARING r..
Of tbis onesrI,n from what we do knoT
Water coming to US tre,," f"po, ' 10
has existed In the atmosphea g % 'n'
source of rain and snow, comes to - o.
soft water; but in passing through the
SOIL and rocks, previous TO returning 10 Us
in our common springs, 1t becomes nara
water. Every woman and child is ac-
quainted with this fact. Ii We ask, W hat
Is the difference between suit water AID
hard the answer is, hard water holds sol
id matter in solution soft water does not.
If we ask, How does the water obtain the
solid matter the reply is, 1t dlsSolVes IL
out of the soils and rocks IN Its passage
through them. But how do you Know
that it IS solid matter that makes water
hard =? asks some incredulUuS, bralnleSs
man dixie the one who has been bowling IN
the Witness about science being guess
work.. The simple process OF boiling
our tea proves it. ale the water is al
lowed to ren.ain al a common temperature,
it is whatwe callciear, OF transparent; out,
when boiled, incrustations OF rock Will
form on the sides oi the vessel.
If solid matter, then is taken up by
water at common temperature, passing
so short distance through rock, aud re-
deposited under proper conditions, by our
ordinary springs, now much more exten'
slvely must this work be carried on by tlt
water of thermal springs.
Water is not only adapted to take up
solid matter in this way and to hold 1t III
solution, subject to physical conditions by
which it may be redeposited in various
forms, but its ability to take up and ca
.,acity to hold II Is vastly increased oy
neat. By rising the temperature OF water
We increase its solvent power and enlarge
is CAPACITY for solid matter Certain
locks Or compounds that are InSoluole II
water at ordinary temperatures, rtadli!
dissolve at higher temperatures.
Take silica, Tor instance, IN the form 0
osr SllicIous sandstone, or qnartzte
" alter passing only through this class Q
| ock comes out at our springs almost a
soft as it comes from the clouds Bu
IN the geysers OF Iceland, or in the ther
NAL springs of that country, we find arg
amount of silica in solution that = con
tinualy redepositng on the surface arouh'
the springs. H ~ ele-.~4...s or matcria
forming our deposits of ore, and the min
erals that usually accompany them, are 81
soluble in water at certain degrees JI tenn
perature, and under certain cr;tlysical con
ditions. And there is no reason why the,
may not have been taken up at grea
depths by thermai waters, and brough
up by this beautiful process Of nature anC
deposited, as We find them, either agains
the SIDES of the assures, or at the surface
whtre the most favorable conditions Wer,
met with.
But thermal springs, neglected as they
have been as an important class of natura
| phenomena, are now no longer regarded a!
more isolated, accidental occurrences il
nature. They are found to be conforming
to general laws, and following we'll defined
laws of what Is or was, lines Of physica
activity. The thermal group to which the
geysers Of Iceland belong, says Prof
DensOn, occurs southwark from the highest
point Of Hecla, and about 20 miles from it
There main direction is about n. II Q E..
almost c..rallel with the chain of Hecla
an. With the general direction of the fss.
lures. In Bakewell's travels in Savoy and
Switzerland, we have the following refer
ence to therma springs. Along the whole
line of Alps before mentioned, which
extends for one hundred and twenty miles,
numerous hot springs are gushing out at
the feet of the primary mountains near
the junction Of the lowest secondary lime
stone. From nine of these springs the
temperature was found to vary from 81 .
to l26 Fahrenheit
We noticed here that thermal springs
are following the same lines of physical ac-
tlvity, as that of earthquakes and volca-
noes, and We have no reason to suppose
that they are modified forms of the same
general course, namely heat. They are
not however confined to present active
volcanic regions, but are found 10 rise as
well in regions not marked by volcanic
action on the surface, as in those where
that action is now apparent or may be in
ferred to have existed at no very distant
geological period.
And furthermore, there is reason to sup
pose that through the great reduction that
must have taken place in the past. In the
temperature ofthe earths crust by far the
larger portion that played such an impor-
tant part in arranging its mineral contents
are become inactive, and we are led to infer
their existence and action, Gas we are
often compelled to do by fossil remains)
from the impression in the rock.
If thermal springs then have their orl-
gin in the heated regions below (and their
is certain proof of this) We
may expect that they will take up in So
luton, not only solid matter from rocks
and other compounds through which they
pass in their upward course, but matter
obtained from metalliferous vapor or sub
limations with which they must come in
contact. For the point in the earths crust,
where water is converted into steam, is
thepoint where liquids and gasses meet.
1t is the opinion of those who have studied
this subject carefully, (and whose opinions
are entitled to greatest respect that phys
cal forces acting from below IN this way,
nave had more to do with the formation
Of ore deposits than forces acting in any
other way. And to their action espec-
ally we must refer that form of surface
deposit last referred to-
Mazomanie, Sept. 1st, 1871.
j. MUIR RISH.
aSS- IF Won are pGinr to run q threSh-