Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-11-23
Delying After Wealth.

1t only takes five minutes. You step
into the cage, and the hand that guides
the Titan at the surface touches the rein
of the black monster, and you are
plunging into the gloom. In moment
the lights of earth go out; by the glare
of lanterns you know you are passing
dripping timbers; the sounds from
above grow fainter and cease; the va
pors rise from around you as from q
caldron; you hear now and then a rum
BILE in the depths, as though the dark
spirits below were complaining that
their treasures were being thus taken
away; you listen, expecting to hear the
muttering gnomes which guard the sa-
cred treasures; there comes a dance of
the cage under your feet; you know the
hand above has touched the burden
bearer, and then the cage stops and
you are than a quarter of a mile
below the busy city which you just a
few minutes before left; from the dusty
highway you have stepped in
to the worlds grandest treas
ure-house; you have passed from
the temperate to the tropical zone
in a mOment-vou are in a bonanza. 1t
takes but a little space to complete the
transition; it takes but a moment to
describe it; but the change is wonder
full, and to one of a thoughtful mind
the wonder increases with each returlf-
ing visit. 1t is no little thing TO work
a mine 1880 feet below the surface.
True, there are broad there;
broad timbers which, like Atlas, seem
competent to support 4 world upon
chow. hrrol boalr. %Io,o N No oprS,oo,.c
at work and ears running; but every
glimpse of a man there reveals the ex-
ertiOn necessary to keep this conflict
with the spirits which guard the buried
treasure below. The men are stripped
to the waist, those brawny delivers,
with perspiration bursting from every
pore and their bodies shining as it is
said the Spanish victims shone in the
sunlight when stretched upon the top Of
TeOcoia, ere the Aztec priests tore out
their hearts for a sacrifice. Those
white breast have another significance.
On the surface servile races may take
from the laoorer his bread; down in
that gloom there is no fear of cOmpeti-
ton. The palefaces there hold sway.
There the Caucasian race IS indispensa-
bic, for what is needed among gnOmes
is a steady brain, a quick, strong hand,
a ruling intelligence. Those strong
holds are not stormed until grappled
with by the worlds ruling races. 1t
looks pleasant down there in the mimic
streets and under the lanterns glare,
but before those streets were opened
there was in the sitting air a work per-
form ed which can not be calculated.
Picks were swung, drills we're struck,
powder was burned, men tainted and
fell in their places; but the work went
on. So it will proceed in the future,
until probably after another sixteen
years they will be worked 5000 feet be-
low the surface as u~nconcerned as they
now delve at the present levels. We
pass through a long drift, and suddenly
we find where the attacking column is
driving into the ore. The sight is mag
nificent, but for those in the East who
fancy that silver-mining is a light thing
to accomplish n visit here would dis
pei the illusion. A glimpse at the work,
a glance at the machinery, a few
thoughts of the study required to make
a successful battle against the rock, the
danger and gnomes, would suddenly
reveal to them how it is that a first
class miner has to be a first-class man,
and how, after he completes his educa-
ton below ground, he can seize upon
the ordinary %avocation of life as a Stu
dent after comprising algebra is never
more troubled by a problem in arith-
metic. But we are on the cage once
more, the bell up above signals that
there is precious freight on board, and
in five minutes more we are out of the
depths, the blessed sunlight comes to
US again, the summer strikes us with a
chill, we are out of the depths, and
have done the bonanza.-Beulder (Col.)
Courier.