The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-10-20

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Staver's Hotel
DOWN TOWARDS CHINA.
A correspondent writing Of the silver
mines of Saxony. which he visited, says
Entering one of the buildings, the guide
opened trap door and Immediately de.
scended ladder, and telling me to follow.
Now this ladder led into the bowels Of
the earth for more than two thousand
feet-say half mile--at an angle of
forty degrees, and was to be descend.
ed backwards. At each side Of it was
sometimes q wire rope, sometimes wood
en- rail, for the hands. Within few
inches sometimes sometimes a few feet
off, were the walls OF solid rock and
close at hand huge beams moving slowly
back and forth through space Of about
two feet. These we're the pump.rods,
ceaselessly toiliug to free the mines Of the
perilous waters ever gathering in the
depth below. Above our heads the slop.
ing rock made ceiling that most Of the
time compelled us to crouch quite low to
avoid hard knocks on the head which
even the thick felt caps we wore could
not wholly save Us. So | went down,
and down, and down in this darkness,
which was but dimly lighted by the tai.
low candle in the little lantern hung by
cord around my neck, that bobbed con.
stantly against the steps Of the ladder,
which are Just wide enough for one foot.
was glad, after descending two or three
hundred feet, to reach gallery, where a
rough board seat was indeed welcome,
From this point narrow passages through
the rock led off at right angles from the
shatt--the work Of earlier times, long ago
abandoned How far they extended |
could not guess, anil the candles lighted
the darkness but few feet Within the
territory Of this mine are twenty.eight
miles Of such passages, was told, and |
was content to pass them 10y and resume
my descending labor.
We reached, every few hundred feet
, n new level, where galleries branched out
TO the right and left, and offered pleasant
opportunities for repose.
All these galleries have been worked
|, out long ago. AT least, after know
not how long time occupied i'll descending
we got az ta- down as was expedient-
about one thensand five houdred feet
', deep-and began TO walk on level ground
into narrow passages in the rock. Now
we began to see ore A little railroad
track was laid through these passages, on
: which men pushed along small cars, lader
with ore, to the main shaft, where they
, ascend an inclined plane to day" as the
miners vocabulary has it. Every meas
ure of depth is SO far from day" Ant
singularly enough going on foot is called
riding" perhaps from the luxury o
walking as compared with the climbing
Up or down Of ladders, Now my guido
picked up glittering mass which h,
handed to me, as heavy as could lift
= it was eighty per cent, lead and twent,
of oHYa- dropped it quickly, and VI
went on descending once more to wher
J the miners were ut WORK, and then clam
befing on hands and knees-lucky if i
were not on face, too-pow upward owe
masses of rock and masses Of silver or
n that were no softer TO fall on than mean
er stones.
The silver vein varies from finger
- breadth to about foot in width. Som
. of the ore is richer in silver than what
= have mentioned, yielding as high as eight,
= per cent. of silver; but this is rare
= From this point we walked on a level
y it seemed for miles-through still narrow
- er wiudiugs. coming at last to the poin
- = for ascending. where the ladders, instea'
u y of going at an angle, as before, were per
- pendicuar. but none the easier for thai
y Here was plenty Of dripping water o.
10 around. and the steps of the ladders wer
J. muddy aud slippery with the feet g
v hundreds OF miners. who ever ascende
y and descended. No more wire ropes O
'f ratings. but the muddy steps must b
l' grasped firmly by the hand-with bot
Ia hands, too--for, if the foot slipped, ther
was little between us and China Yes
10 there wore rests as before. but the depth
y were something tremendous to which on
10 would fall in ease Of accident. Hard b
~ the ladders was machine, worked b
10 the pumps. by which the miners WEI
IN hoisied up by jerks, some ten feet at
A. time, by coutrivauce which | cannt
u here explain Enough for mo th'
" strangers are not permitted to venture @
~ it for fear Of accidents to ipexperienct
IT, persons. who have TO find their way bac
'e to day" hv pure bone and muscle worl
Another ullrva,ion of the toll OF Il
H. miners has been introduced by the use
H. horses to drag the ears Of ore through Il
DO galleries to the bottom Of the inclln,
place up which they are drawn to Il
'' surface. These unfortunate quadrupe
have been buried here two thousand ie
:, deep for some three years; and, so 10
!. they grow fat aud thrive in their subte
10 rauean stable did not see the po
NJ beasts, as their working day was end
Dr. and they were enjoying tho repose
~ their stalls
Is The upward journey was much mo
Ito iatguing than the descent, although t
rests were more frequent. Half way
Dy was deaiening noise OF waters in t
he darkness, not unlike the uproar with
100 the paddle box of great steamer.
ID the light OF our dimly burning lanterns
ne, looked in upon an immense water-wb,
Der of thirty feet in diameter, used for drivi
'ur the pumps employed in this part Of
ar works But this, too, we left behind a
er. below, continuing our tedious climb
NJ the Shiny ladder until at last, we emeI
ing ed into large place, and the guide d
leo aounoad that MO ware onaa moro af
ont surface. was glad to know it, and q
lis, that | had not attempted to 60 lower,
IN lnd least unless had longer time to devC
ne to the purpose. | had been some four
cu' five hours below ground, and now emel
'he ed into the starlight perhaps half m
from the starting point, although |
ked T. avels below must have extended o'
several miles, | was not sorry now
,s perform thorough abutions, for VIII
A. IL l.