Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-06-16

In reality there is no grcat depth OF water
there, but the imagination can play strange
tricks, assisted 10y the gloom, the sense OF
mystery, and the vague feeling of oppres-
sion that almost always s"lZt one wien
travelling for the first time underground.
through winding passages scarcely wider
than Il grave, or low, clvern-llke spaces
where the smoky lamp-light seems rather
to IKE the "dlrhne>s visible than dl>prl
| it. The roofs AMI sides of the galleries
| are dark No ylttering crystals reflect
the lamp-lght, and there Is nothing to
| sllcoest the idea of 4 salt -mne-nothlnT
like the splcnlor and sparkling magni-
ticence of the crystal salt-mlncs, where the
visitor might imagine himself To be i'll a
lIiamond-sprinkled cavern of some gorge
Gus tale of Arabian Imagination. Every
thing is sombre. dark. and mysterious.
At length the lake is safely crossed. and
soon afterward we come to Il wooden slide.
leading down into what appears 10 be :.
cavern of Unreasonable depth. On one
side is a stout rope for holding on bv.
Each visitor is furnished with a thick.
heavy glove. to keep the hand from suffer
inc by friction Then the guide sits down
on the slide. and lets himself slowly down
Il foot or two; the visitors follow suit.
Iranrinr themselves behind him, all hold
inc fast to the rope. the guide letting him
self down little by little until all have
taken their places. The word Is ther
given, the grasp on the rope is loosenei
and the tr,in of men AMI women shoot,
down the steep incline into the darkness
4 weird slide. Seen from below, the cttec
is extremely pic uresque. Nervous per
sons sometimes descend by the flight o
!, l,.,f t1,
f,tipulnr, and most visitors prefer the
quicker and more exciting method O
re,chjur the lower level The slide is Il
smooth as glass, AMI the inclination l
5 about 45 derreeS Another slide of til
. same kind must be descended before on
l reaches the main put of the mine. tn
e grea; pit. This is filled with water, which
l after being allowed to remain certain
: time. to become fully saturated with salt
: is drawn off by means OF Il system of tube
n and pumps, to be evaporatcd in the i'm
l. mense salt-works outside the mine.
l.. To get out of the mine the visitors ar
h seated astride of wooden 'horses mounte
n on four-wheelcd trucks running down
n gently inclined tramway, Il sufficient mum
I Der of trucks being fastened together
o accommodate the party Experience
It miners act as brakelnen to regulate TN
It speed of the train and 9 We timely notic'
:. of short curves. where it may be necc-sar
n to hold hard to keep from tumblin% OIL
o As soon as all are safely seated. the tral
o begins to move, slowly at first, bl
d gradually gathering considerable velocity
e until it shoots out into the open air. Tn
a tram way ride is less exciting. but NOR
e comfortable, it must be confessed, then tn
slides.
!, According to an old legend prevalen
r among the Berchtcsgaden peasantry, tn
n salt springs owed their discovery in yer
e early times to romantic incident, tn
= knowledge having been impaired to Il dl:
l. consolate youth whose suit has been II
= ;ectcd by the maiden he loved. lloweve
" this may have been, it is certain that tn
IL mine wa. known and worked in yer
It ancient times Owing to the scarcity {
|e fuel about Berchtesgaden, most of the brll
it from the mine to which we have just mao
an imaginary visit is conveyed in pipes
Reichenhall, about IL miles distant b
l. an ingenious system of pumps it Is carrie
"a over mountains nearly two thousand tee
=, high. \,
~ As we have already intimated, IL
ss Berchtesgaden mine does not possess Il
y attractions which make visit to cryst
IT. salt mines interesting. By the side OF tt
~ celebrated Wieliczka mines in Gallcla
seems Insignificant and mean The