Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-03-20
Our aJuung folks.
Down i'm A salt TEiue.

there
o. do, uncle, we shall like that " says
Maggie, climbing on to that gentleman's
knee And " ., do " is echoed by Frank
and Sydney, who perch themselves on tn
arms of the easy-chair on which he is sit
ting. " But what do you mean Why,
how could you get into the ground ? 1t
must be all hard and dark there
Have you never heard of mines-coal
mines, and lead and salt mines, and many
others? ,"
90, yes, uncle, of course we have"
"Well, it is sat-mine am going to
tell you about. 1t is long while ago
was there, but l was so pleased and sur
prised at what | saw that L think l can
remember all about it now"
" was travelling with party of friends,
when, passing through a small village
called Wlllisha, or WIeliezla, we thought
we might as we'll visit its famous mines.
WHAT a funny name though Where
is it, uncle ?"
A very long way from here, children
1t is in a country called Poland aud it is 4
very well known mine, so that if people
are anywhere near, they like to 20 and see
It, and the day we went there were about
forty other people going down too
And was there only one opening
" No, there were either eight or eleven
altogether but six OF them were used for
bringing up the salt through. The others
were square openings, at the top Of which
there was large wheel, with a rope as
thick as mans arm passing round 1t, used
to draw things or people up and down with
remember the poor Old horse that worked
it was quite blind. The first thing to be
done was to put on one Of the miners coats,
50 as to be ut to be seen wheu we came up
again. Then each of Us took a miner as
a guide aud prepared to start Of
Did it not take a long waile for 50
large a party to get down
No, we all went down at one time. al
though our carriage did not feel very safe.
My "a de tied rope round the other
big one that hung to the wheel and then
twisted it round himself in a loop, so that
be could get in it lie then made me sit
on his lap, put his arms round me, aud
gave the signal to start. of we went
but we had got but a few yards before we
made a full stop. | thought something
Id4 EDhG hlUuEs Jul IO, ~ " d. Olllh q SCC
Dad miner tying himself to the big rope
lie took another visitor on his lap, and on
we started. but soon TO stop again for a
third and fourth. until at last | got heartily
tired Of my awkward position, and rather
afraid that the rope might break. Ii was
not at all peasant, can tell you, children,
sitting in a mans lap in a narrow, dark
veil, and knowing that if that one BIZ
rope did break down we should all 90 but
1 shut my eyes and tried hard to forget
that we had some SIX hundred feet Of empty
space below US. Well, at last. and It
seemed q week to me, we began a slow
descent, and glad enough l was when |
was emp tied out on my feet"
Was 1t not dark down there 2"
Yes, pitch dark but my miner, beng
the first one down, struck light for his
small lamp, and then, taking hold Of my
hand, led Us along cold, dark passages,
down lower and lower, not one of Us speak
ing, for | believe that we all heartily
wished ourselves safe outside again, only
no one liked to own 1t. | am sure | held
tight hold of my guide, and | fancy the
others did the same with theirs.
q" Presently we came to another lot of
steps, down which we almost tumbled, tn
one lamp which the guide carried giving a
most miserable light, and he cheering Us
up by saying that if it went out we should
all be lost, as the mine was very intricate,
and he should never be able to lead Us
back, as he did not know the way. You
may fancy how we kept our eyes fixed on
that one little guiding star. and what our
feelings were when 1t suddenly fell and
went out. T5ere we stood, like a flock
of frightened sheep, in a small cavern
closely walled in, not knowing what would
become Of US, when our guldeS-whO 1t
seemed knew very well where we were, and
only put out the light to astonish US the
more-led us up kind Of straight passage
to place where we suddenly found our
selves looking at most wonderful scene,
well worth all our troubles and difficulties
to reach. Fancy, children, coming out of
all the damp and darkness on to a regular
road and an underground town-with
houses, carts, carriages, horses, people
lighted up most brilliantly. the whole
place dazzling and bright at any time, but
even more SO to US, just coming out of the
dark passage. Fancy what it must have
look ed like. The whole top was arched
and supported by tall columns the floor,
the roof, all carved out of one large mass
OF salt, which looked like beautiful crys-
tai"
"A nd was it all white, uncle 2"
| No, for to increase its beauty the salt
was in places stained with bright eolors,
looking like masses of precious stones in
deed in some parts too dazzling TO look
at"
:. AMI who makes all these beautiful
shapes ?"
Z" The whole place being followed out
of one solid block, they have to be careful
to leave plenty Of supporting columns, and
the men take great pride in making these
as pretty as possible and as they are al
ways cutting and carving away fresh salt,
their under ground city grows larger. 1t
has been worke ed for more than six hundred
years. and there is quite large number
of families in it. Many hundred people
are born and live here, and never seem to
think Of living anywhere else, though
most Of the men 60 up and down very
often
What do they do for chairs, and Ia
bles, and things?
You forget that they have several
doors, as we may say, out OF the mine.
The miners build their huts some separate
ly, someitogther but the funniest thing is
to see the. great road, as it is called, which
runs right through the mine, and up and
down which carts are constantly passing
laden with salt, being taken to where the
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