The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1874-11-07
Down in a Silver Mine.

this occasion did not take us below the l.,
loo it. level. We might have gone 400 fee
feet deeper-might have visited tho 1900
l,300, l 400 and 1.500-ft levels-but We
didn't. Hank Donnely, foreman of the
mine, who was our guide on the trip, of
fered to escort us through the steamine
regions below, but as we have said, o,ll
business was above. We do not propose in
this article to speak of the ore breasts, rich
slopes and chambers, and all that sort of
thing; we mean merely to mention some of
the sights met with while we were ramb-
ling about in the vast cavernous recesses of
the upper portions Of the mine.
1t is not dark and dismal below, as many
suppose. The long drifts are lighted up
by candles placed at regular intervals.
These drifts and the broader galleries,
running in all directions somewhat resem-
BILE the streets and alleys of some old
fashioned, overcroWded village-some vii
lage seated in a confined place, where it is
crushed out Of shape. Our underground
streets are not wanting in life. As we pass
ground regions we meet the people of the
place at every turn.
There are employed in this one mine be-
tween 750 and 800 men, sufficient num-
Der to populate town of considerable size.
Men meet and pass us, all going about their
business as on the surface, and frequently
a turn brings us in sight OF whole groups of
them. We seem to have suddenly been
brought face to face with new and strange
race of men. All are naked to the waist,
and from the middle of their thighs to their
feet. Superb, muscular forms are seen on
all sides and in all attidues, cleaning
white as marble in the light of the many
candles. We everywhere see men who
would delight the eye of sculptor. These
men seem of a different race from those we
see above, the clothes wearers. Before us
we have the troglodytes-the cave dwellers
Our mind runs back to time when the hu-
man race housed in caverns; nor alone far
up the Nile as the ancients supposed, but
in every land at a certain stage of their adj
vaneement in the arts of life. Not unfre-
quently, while travelling along some
lonely passage, we were confronted by a
man of large stature, huge beard, and
breast covered with shaggy hair, who came
sliding down out of some narrow side drift |
and for moment stood and gazed curious
ly upon us as though half inclined to con-
slider us intruders upon his own peculiar
II n,
have been much surprised to see the man
before US cut caper in the air, brandish |
huge stone axe and advance upon us with |
wild whoop.
Way stations are frequently encountered
during our underground travel. These are
large rooms fitted up off at one side of the
principal drift and usually not far from the
main shaft. Here are barrels of ice WATER
tin dinners and GUNS hanging about on
nails, and probably boxes OF candles and
other stores. We are always glad to come
to one of these statious and go for the dip
per without any one telling us that it is a
good thing to do. About these stations we
always find number of the Troglodytes.
They come for water and stop for short
time to hear the news of the mine; for the
station is near the main incline, up and
down which regularly run trains of cars
and which is the Central Pacific of the re-
gion and connects the lower regions with
the surface. These men gaze contempt
ously upon us, as being men wearing shirts,
and then betake themselves to their own
peculiar regions along the several streets
and alleys leading thereto. On the 11O0-ft.
level we took a smear cut" through the
wilderness. This is place to make the
hair stand upon the head of any clothes
wearing man who has not been scalped by
nature or art. 1t covers about ten acres of
worked out ground. One sees here some
thing of the great pressure Of the superin-
cumbent earth. The large timbers are
crushed down, splintered and twisted;
chambers originally square are squeezed
into diamond shape and their roofs touch
the floor in the center; solid piles Of square
timbers are pressed into pancakes; wines
and chutes are telescopcd; ladder ways
once spacious are crushed out of all shape
and now can hardly accommodate cat-all
is confusion confounded-yes, that is just
it, eonfounded confusion Yet through all
this we must find our way. 1t not q little
resembles the track of q tornado in tim
Der country-what is called 'swindfall."
When we have windfall we do not want
one of this kind In places are immense
caverns where all the timbers are
gone, and great flakes of clay and rock
lean out fromthe walls and composedly look
down upon the trembling passer-by. One
is afraid to sneeze lest he may bring these
down upod his head ~
Sociable rats dwell in this fearful region.
Sitting down upon some of these fallen tim
bers to rest, several of these quadrupedal
Inhabitants came about. Hearingou voices
as we for time remained stationary,
these fellows naturally concluded that we
had something to eat, and came to look out
for their share. They got up OH the ends
Of the tiinbers, cooked their heads this way
and that, as they gazed inquiringly about.
Evidently they did not understand it at
all Why we should be sitting there talk
ing with no dinner pals in sight puzzled
them not little. They always flock about
the miners when they sit down to eat, and
always get their share of what is goiug.
A ride OH the giraffe was new expert
ence to us. This g giraffe = Of the miners,
is merely a large car made to run on an
incline track. The wheels in front are low
and those behind high. Thus the body of
the car is as level as that of car ON an
ordinary track. This incline stands at an
angle Of thirty-six degrees, and the track
laid in it is of ordinary railroad iron. The
car plying to and fro carries about eight
tons of ore. At the front is a seat, much
the same as drivers seat on an omnibus.
Here is seated the conductor of the train.