The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-12-12

exc NOW ready, and, Reader, il you are yer
much sverss to water and clay, mud and candl
grease, or are ct all scary" ct an explosion o
gunpowder and nitroglycerire, or IL your nsrve
are inclined to be shaky, would advise you I,
stop ON terra hrms, as there is little nervou
work to be done. We make the2frst 10 feet BY
an incliDe to the landing Of the man engine
Let me here say had about as clear concep-
ton OF q man engine as have OF the man in
the moon. but with word or two OF instruc-
ton after 1t begins TO move, boldly step op
/ and down, down, down we go ten feet at a step
until at the end OF near half hour we have
reached the 10th fathom, upward OF 1000 feet
below the surface, whore we step off, Dark
ness envelopes all save the small space dlmly
illuminated by our candles attached to our hats
by the clay biscuit" Amidst suppressed ex-
clamations OF unfegned wonder Illook about
me, and by the gentlemanly efforts OF Capt.
Bree am enabled to view the rugged, wonderful
and fascinating sights OF the mine, and enlght-
en- myself regarding 1t. Proceeding bat short
distance along this subter lanean passage and
by great number OF men upon the drill and
chisel, and sharp turn reveals them at the
other end of the level. To my inexperienced
mind, excited by the novelty and magnifcence
OF the place and surroundings, it took no stretch
Of imagination to seem that had been sud
denly transported to room in the kingdom Of
Pluto, and the men welding these hammers
wore demons, with fire issuing from their fore
heads; while the musical sound OF their ham
msrs echoing through the recesses, seeming
not unlike the mystic music Of an anvil chorus.
At one point the Capt. requested a miner to
hand me his hammer, with which In fact, as
well as appearance, became miner. l noticed,
however, that the holder seemed little ner-
vous during the striking; and aftsrward
mined specimen as souvenir of the visit, the
value Of which is doubly increased because Il
mined it myself" The practiced eye-and it
does not take very great practice ether-readi-
ly traces the copper veins and line OF separa-
ton from the rocks.
We continue our tour OF inspection. Two
hundred feet below us are miners above US
weshear the sound OF the drill; all around are
men at work Stopping for an occasional rest
wo find the air cool and dry peaceful tran
guilty pervades the place, with the ringing VI
the hammers on the drills and chlses echolpg
through the passages, and the occasional talk
ing and laughing OF the unseen miners, seem
ing to come from some unknown subterranean
region. In places are huge logs three to four
feet IN diameter and twenty to thirty long,
placed across the mine to prevent the miner
from the falling rock and debris. Occasionally
my guide stops and says, I" | always walk fast
through here and l notice that the cracked
and scanned rocks appear to be only waiting
some untImely jar to entrap an unlucky miner
in a sepulchre 30 solid that the sound Of Ga
briel's trump would hardly reach HIM. Pur-
SUNG our course, sometimes stooplng half
double, sometimes crawling on hands and knees
and then again sliding through some Ssh oot'
clinging TO rope to break our speed, again
waiting while blast is made, the sound re-
sembling a cannon, and The mine shiyering
through and through with the concussion,
while the air goes rushing by as il it were
living thing and dreaded giant powder, and
would escape the danger.
At last we Ihave reached the 200th fathom,
200 feet below where we lett the man engine
and 1900 feet from the surface. We have now
made the entire rleanderpgs OF the present
of the mine, and have seen the $50
miners, which form to-day's relief, at their va
rious mining labors. On examination we find
it is just ~ o'clock and the workmen are pre-
parlng to ascend and give place to another re-
lief. After perpendicular climb of 200 feet
we reach the man engine which we take and
are hoisted 1000 feet up TO terra frma, better,
wiser, and happier than when entered.
Winter has really set in" For three Gays
the snow has been slowly falling and is now
about six inches IN depth, with mild weather.
For twenty -four hours past the last boat OF
the season has been unloading at our dock.
Navigation has closed, G. W.