The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-04-20
Down in a Silver Mine.


ceedingly chilly one, that [ wendell my
way to the hosting works of the Sierra
Nevada Silver Mining Company, sit
uated at Virginia City, New. Hoist
ing works are works built for. the
purpose of raising the ore and
debris from the mines hundreds of feet
beneath the earth's surface. The build
ings of the company are large, and in
fact the most convenient of all the MANY
hosting works in that vicinity, not ex-
cepting those of the big Bonanza
Nine itself. The machinery used is
simply awe-inspiring in itsvastness and
strength. There are three engines in
constant use; one, the giant, for hoist
ing the cars loaded with ore or debris;
one for pumping the water from the
mine, and one for COMPRISING air into
a strong and large boiler, whence pipes
convey it to the mines beneath, where
it is used in working little hand-drills
called Berley drills, from the name of
the inventor. A man with lantern in
hand and dressed in wooden through
out, with pants stuffed into muddy
boots, and SLOUGH hat dripping with
water as from rain, steps off the car, or
cage, just raised to the surface, and
walking toward me says: "Now, Mr..
-, if you will just step into the dress
ing-room of the private office, you will
find suit of clothes and all the con-
veniences necessary to fit you for de-
scent into the lower world" but
can l not go as l amp ask. 80 no;
YOU would almost die of heat, and ruin
your clothes besides" Heat, on this
cold day." thought /, as went to the
office. "If had little more would
feel better now" | also thought of how
greatly dress had changed the appear
ance of the sleek-looking Superintend-
ent whom | met yesterday, to the
rough-looking man with the lantern.
But few minutes sutficed to make me
look as rough as the next one. A COM
plete change of garments from head to
foot is necessary. And for the accom-
mediation of visitors, bath and dress
ing-room, containing several outfits, is
kept. At last, being ready, we step
upon the cage, which is a platform
large enough to hold several persons,
and begin to descend by means of the
unwinding of wide, flat wire cable,
strong enough to sustain several tons
weight. l had heard of careless engi-
neers, who, by not watching the indi-
Gator upon the dial plate, had allowed
the engine to run too long or too fast,
and by this means had either injured or
killed men while descending or ascend
ing As our cage went rushing down
with lightning speed into the apparent
ly unfathomless abyss of darkness, rem
dered more terrible by the increasing
heat and steamy vapor, began to think
that this engineer was another of the
careless ones, and that in moment we
should be dashed to pieces. But this
thought was wholly unnecessary, as al
the end of few seconds. seeming to me
Il very long time, the cage began to &C
slower and slower, until it came to a
full stop at one of the landings, called
stations. We step off. / look around
There, in little room, is a small en-
CINE pumping water. In various di
rections from the one large room il
which we stand branch off long pas
sages called drifts. These drifts are sup
ported by huge timbers, as in the Goa
and clay banks of Pennsylvania. Cars
loaded with ore, are constantly pushed
from the working end of the drift to thu
station, whence they are lifted to thu
surface ON the cages through the Ions
shaft down which we came. In thu
station-room and in these drifts are t.
be seen hundreds of men in a semi-nudt
state, working at their various tasks
The rushing noise of the descending
and ascending cages, the fitting to anC
fro of the numberless lights, the buzz o
the engine, the commands of thu
"bosses," the rafting of the cars, thu
sitting air, and suffocating heat of 12(
degrees Fahrenheit-al altogether presen
a scene and produce an impression no
soon to be forgotten.
After walking through one of thes'
drifts we come to where the men ar
drilling the rock with the little Berle,
drill before mentioned. This is a curl
Gus operation. The powerful it'll
giant is in shape like a small cylinder
At one end is rod, on the point o
which is fastened the drill. This ROT
passes back and forth into the cylinder
At the other end of the machine i
fastened the rubber pipe conveying tn
compressed air from the larger irol
pipes suspended along the roof of tn
drill. BY turning stop-cock the al
is let into one end of the machine, and
acting upon the same principle a
steam upon the piston-rod of a steam
engine, it forces the rod with its drill
back and forth with lightning speed
The operator holds the machine at
convenient distance from the rock, and
by means of turning sort of crank
causes the drill to lengthen as the hol
is made deeper. A very short tim,
sufiices to drill several holes, which ar
filled with blasting powder. Much of tn
hardest rock is thus in Il day reduced
to Jumps, which Jumps are loaded il
the cars and carried to the surface
where, if containing silver or gold, the,
are taken to the quartz mills ant
crushed; if not, they are dumped dow
the side of the hill for the purpose o
making land" The ore containin;
the precious metals looks like sand
stone in color, though much harder, an,
is streaked with the white bands Of sill
yer and gold. The gold being in les
quantity than the silver, and thor
oughly mingled with it, does not SHOW
its color at all, We pass into anothe