Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-11-15
IN A BONANZA.
Fifteen Hundred Feet Under the
Ground, and What May be
Seen There,
From the Rnnlisr LCnll Courier,


II only takes five minutes. You
step into the cage. and the hand that
guides the Titan at the surface touch
es the rein Of the black monster. and
you are plunging into the gloom. In
a moment the lights of earth go out
by the glare of lanterns you know
you are passing dripping timbcrs;
the sounds from above grow fainter
and cease, the vapors rise around you
as from cauldron.you hear now and
then rumble in the deeps, rs though
the dark spirits below were COM
planning that their treasures were be-
ing thus taken away you listen, OK
pecting to hear the mutterings of the
gnomcs which guard the sacred
treasures there comes dance Of the
cage under your feet: vou know the
hand above has touched the bit of the
burdcn-bcarcr, and then the cage
stops. and you arc more than quar-
ter of mile below the busy city
which you just few moments before
left: from the dusty highway you
have stepped into the worlds
grandcst treasure house; you have
passed from the temperate to the
tropical zones in a momcnt-you are
in Bonanza. 1t takes but little
space to complete the, transition; it
takes but moment to describe it !:
but the change is wonderful, and to
one of thoughtful mind. the wonder
increases with each returning visit
1t is no little thing to work mine L.
$40 feet below the surface. True,
there are broad avenues there broad
timbers which like Atlas seem COM
petent to support the world upon
their broad backs: there are engin-
GERS at work and cars running +: but
excrtion necessary to keep this con-
flict with the spirits which guard the
buried treasure below. The men are
stripped to the waist, those brawny
delivers, with perspil alton bursting
from every pore, and their bodies
shining as it is said the Spanish vic
tins shone in the sunlight when
stretched upon the top of Tcocola,
ere the Aztec priests tore out their
hearts for sacrifice. Those white
breasts have another significance.
On the surface servile races may take
from the laborer his bread down
in that gloom there is no fear of com.
petition. The pale faces there hold
sway. There the Caucasian race is
indispensable, for what is needed
among gnomes is a steady brain, 9
quick, strong hand, and a ruling in.
telligence. Those strongholds arc
not stormed until grappled with by
the worlds ruling races. 1t look:
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 worl
performed which cannot be calcula
ted. Picks were swung, drills wer'
struck. powder was burned, mel
tainted and fell in their places, blu
the work went on. So it will proceed
in the future, and probably after an
other sixteen years, they will b.
working three thousand feet below
the surface, as unconcerned as the,
now delve at the present levels.
| We pass through long drift, ant
suddenly we find where the attacking
column is driving into the ore. TIL,
sight is magnificent; but for those il
the east who fancy that silver mining
is light thing to accomplish, ont
visit here would dispel the illusion
A glimpse at the work, a glance a
the machinery, few thoughts of til
study required to make successful
battle against the rock, the DANCE
and gnomes, would suddenly rcves
, to them how it is that a first-class mi
/ ner has to be first-class man, an
how, after he completes his educatio
below ground, he can seize upon til
ordinary avocations of life as stl
dent after comprising algebra is ne,
er more troubled by a problem j
!, arithmetic. But we are on the Gag
once more, the bell up above sigma
that there is precious freight Q
!. board, and in five minutes more "
are out of the depths the blessc
sunlight comes to lis again, the sun
mer strikes us with chill, we al
out of the depths, and have done ii
Bonanza.