The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-10-03

The Oxford Fair.-We have received
just as we go to press, the following notes
of the Oxford Fair that took place on
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this
week. 1t is too soon to get a full report:
The day on Thursday was all that could
be desired, and shortly after 6 A. N. the
people began to arrive by carriage, wagons,
on foot and by rail, until the Fair grounds
and building were one living mass OF
humanity
The display in all departments was equal
to any former Fall Exhibition, and in many
the entries far exceeded all former oc-
casions. The display by the ladies was
especially fine, and we have no doubt when
the premium lists are published it will be
found that Cecil county's fair daughters
bear off many of the first premiums.
We have seen many exhibitions, but
never saw anything to equal it in the
amount of ornamental works in wax, cone,
leather, artificial flowers, crayon and other
drawings, and oil painting; all the work
of the exhibitors.
The display of fruit was especially fine,
particularly of apples. The largest display
in this department was made by Cecil
countain, Mr. Balderston, of Colora nur-
sery, who exhibited SO varieties of apples,
and also receives the first premium for
peaches.
The display on the grounds was very fine
of all sorts of animals.
The balloon ascension, advertised to come
off on Thursday, did not take place as
desired, owing to the material procured by
the society for the manufacture of the gas
not being of the requisite purity. The
sulphuric acid needed had been procured
at an adjoining phosphate factory, and
though good enough for that purpose,
would not make gas fast enough to fill the
bag in time; so the ascension had to be
postponed until Friday, when new supply
OF acid could be used This caused much
disappointment to many who had gone on
purpose to see it on that day, and none
were more worried at the trouble than the
managers themselves. u.
ssThe Line Pit."-A correspondent gives
the Oxford Press the following description
of the work now going on at the famous
chrome mine Familiarity known as the Line
PITT"
The chrome ore pit one mile southeast of
Mount Pleasant, in Maryland, after stand
ing a long time, is being worked again by
the Tyson Mining Company of Baltimore,
under a lease from Messrs Kirk, Wood
and Roman, heirs of the late Levi Brown,
decd. Said pit is some $50 feet in depth,
situated near the Mason and Dixon line. in
the Sth District, Cecil county, Md. The
mouth of the shaft and the ladder shaft
are in Pennsylvania, but the ore is in
Maryland, where they are mining, having
a good prospect and good article of Rock
nra No hau 1I1r, n
requiring two hands to handle them on the
upper surface, and four hands in the pit.
There is always gang of four hands min
ing at time. They work on the eight
hour system with three reliefs. A steam
engine is soon to be erected to haul up the
buckets of ore, rock and water. The wash
house and smith shop also require the
attention of several men.
1t took two months to pump out the
water and the miners are now working on
a seven-foot vein of rock ore at the end of
an eighty-foot drift in the bottom of the
mine. There are two shafts coming into
one at the depth of eighty feet, when it
descends from this greatest flow of water
by an incline plane to the bottom. In this
latter portion the water barrels are con-
tinually passing up and down day and
night, drawing water, rock and ore-the
last two are drawn in the day time. The
mining is continually going on. There is
one man continually tending to the horses
at the within, another to empty and unload
the barrels, third to wheel ore and rock
away from the mouth of the shaft, while
the fourth washes and picks the small
pieces of ore from the rocks and dirt.
The miners work is disagreeably wet,
muddy and laborous, and it requires much
nerve in those who, to crafty their curios
ity in seeing sights. climb on the wet lad
ders, enshrouded in darkness and sur
rounded by rocks, carrying your light with
you to the bottom Of the shaft and up to
daylight again. We were pleased with the
gentlemanly kindness of the miners to
strangers and visitors to their works.
Their perseverance and energy in raising
the ore is remarkable.