Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-01-20
Illinois Preserving the Earth's Equi.
librinm.

Tom Hughes in McMillan's Magazine
Galena is undoubtedly the center of a
rich mineral district, indeed one may
say exceptionally rich, for it seems that
silver grows there. A shaft near the
town was abandoned for some years.
When opened again lately, an old chain
which had been left hanging there by
former explorers, was found coated
with silver instead of the futile rust of
the old world | ventured to cross-ex-
anime the mining engineer a matter-of
fact, successful person. who told me the
story, and was convinced that he was
not Joking, and believed himself that
all metals grew. But the most amusing
case of faith in Galena that we came
across was that of one whom | may per
haps call typical Western adyenturer.
He came out young, and had tried
many ways of life, including that of I'M
dertaker, encouraged to this branch of
business by serious epidemic. AS the
ordinary funeral apparatus was scarce
in Illinois at that time, he converted a
light wagon he had into hearse by the
aid of some black trappings, and in it
he drove famous old trotter which he
had brought from the East. The trade
throve with him until one day when he
was called on to convey a wellknown
citizen and justice of the peace to his
last resting-place. There would seem
to have been considerable gathering
of wagon owning neighbors to the cere-
mony in question, and when the pro-
cession started one or two of them kept
pressing up on the TANKS of the hearse.
Somehow the pace would keep quick,
ening, till at last, about mile from the
cemetery, in order to hold his place at
all the undertaken was obliged to drop
"g-lang" to his old trotter. He brought
up at the cemetery with a clear lead :,
though the chief mourner made pretty
good time; but possibly in consequence
of an accident which happened to the
coffin, or because the epidemic abated,
soon after left his mournful occupation.
Turning his attention to mining and
land investment, he became the convert
Of an ingenious mining Spectator and
theorist, who has established to his own
satisfaction that Galena and the imme-
date neighborhood are the heaviest
parts Of the known world, and will
therefore prove the richest in metals.
From a cursory perusal of the pamphlet
in which the proofs are given, gather
the argument to be that the rotary mo-
ton of the earth makes it certain that
the weight is pretty evenly divided,
and that America is, in fact, about as
heavy as the three old continents put
together. But, having regard to the
immense disproportion between the az
gregate superficial area of Europe and
Asia and that of North America, it is
clear that the latter must be composed
of vastly heavier material, otherwise
the world would be lop-sided, and its
motion entirely different from what we
experience. This extra weight can
only be caused by an immense prepon-
derance of metals on the American side,
and abstruse calculations show that Ga
lena is the precise spot where the great
est mass of them will be found to exist.
! give the information for what it may
be worth to intending investors. There
are wilder crochets about in the West by
scores.