The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1873-08-01

A San Francisco Chronicle re
porter gets the following remarka
bic story from a mining exPer
namcd I5redemeyer, a German
which we doubt not will prove in
,tresting to The general reader, snd
therefore transfer At to our columns
REDEMEYER's REMARKABLE
STORY.
Said lie: | worked four years as
a practical miner in my native
country, till was about Is years
old. | then went to the mining
school at Duren, and after gradu.
atlng there went to Berne, where
also graduated at the mining school.
In 1862 | secured a position,
through the Government of Iiol-
land, as Superintendent Of Mines in
Dutch II dia There | remained,
principally in the tin mines, for two
years. All those tin mines are
worked by Chinese. One head
Chinaman makes the trade for the
coolies, who work on shares with
the Government, to whom all the
mines belong, They only work
during The dry season of eight
months. The tin is found in the
valleys. The mode of mining is as
follows: The Jungle is cut away in
wide strips across the valley. In
these cuts, at short distance from
each other, holes are bored by hand,
the drill being cased III a copper
cylinder that sinks, and keeps the
sand from falling into the bore
from the sides; consequently all the
sand loosened by the drill is raised
ty its screw to the top OF the CYL
inder, whence It is taken and care
fully washed and anolyzed. As
soon as tin is discovered a hole as
large as an ordinary room is dug
straight down into the earth, the
ore being conveyed to the surface
IN two baskets on poles, They use
3 single notched tree trunk as a
ladder. All the tools, provisions,
etc, are purchased by the coolies
at their own expense from their
share of the profits, the Govern
'nent furnishing them with furnaces.
All the smelling is done by Euro
peans. Those tin miles are the
richest in the world, and yield inn
meuse profit to the Dsltch East In-
dian Government.
THE MINES OF BORNE0 AND SUM.
ATRA.
After developing many mines in
Dutch India | went to i}orneo in
1864, and remained there till 1866.
The principal mines III Borneo are
gold, aud they al, Belong to the
Sultan. There are one or two
diamond miles there; but few rubns
are found. They wR'k their mines
in q very primitive etylc, washing
ont the gravel, as in our placer
mines, and melting the nuggets in
crucibles OK furnaces OF fire proof
porcc ain The mining interests
are not much attended to in Bor-
neo, the Sultan receiving all the
gold and gems found. In 1866 | |
lett Borneo and went to Padang,
in Sumatra. The mines are owned |
and worked there by the Dutch
Government. Malay prisoners are
sometimes used in breaking quartz
or removing the earth from shafts.
The ore contains only silver, crop
ping out gray, like some specimens
thst you see in brokers' windows
On Montgomery aud California
streets.
MINING AMONG THE BURMESE.
In 1868 ! accepted a pos ton
under the King Of Burmah aud left
I;orneo, being still unmarried. |
NSs appointed General Superin-
Of all the miles in Upper
Burmah, and at once started for
that kingdom, travelling through
All British India, where | had many
curious and interesting adventures,
which, II you like, | will tell you
at some other time. The principal
mines in Upper Burmah are ruby,