The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-07
AN UNDERGROUND OVEN.
The Savage Mine Almost as Hot as
Hades.
How Reporter Was Cooked in the Depths
Facts from the Lower Levels.
Virginia City Chronicle.l

\
Iviroinia Civ Chronicle
1870. - - 1T,o.,a,a :,
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~ .ranininn The srraat haa
Ia III u he issing from the Levels lately
drained Of hot water. While the party were
| waiting their turn to descend, q miner came
| up with nothing on but pair Of overalls,
shoes and hat, his skin looking rs though it
had been parboiled. The superintendent
inquired:
.'Oh, very well, Sir; hevry thing is hall
right. but hit Is very ct there now" answered
the man.
THE FIRST STATION. s.@
| In a. few minutes the party were rapidiy
descending tie shaft, which was So full Of hot
| steam as to produce at first feeling Of sufYo-
| cation. The shaft was q strong upcast, and
| has always been hot but is hotter now than
Ing volume. which increases In temperature
until the landing-place. 1900 feet from the sur
| face ia reached Here there Il still much
| visible steam. although The at1nosnhnre
| feels driver and hotter than any vet enco,In-
| tered a sensn IF horrible confinement. from
which there see,ns III he no e4cane and in
which there mI1st Ia 4 constant STRUGGLE to
keep from falling exhausted. seizcs the yisi-
| tor md la not dTsnelpd until hn enters the
conIinr- room whnre the month of an airnine
c"mina from ina surface strikes him as q
nrataf1,l HAST from the north mole, without
Retreats If this kind tia miners could not,
work Mt all They ara obliged TO remain
Innnar in the cooiinp-rnoros than at The nieIss
and shovels "a debiIitating ia any exertton
ii such d ternperature
Tr4E HEAT IN THE INCLINE.
After attaining n comfortable condition in
the cooinp-room the party entered the in
cline giraffe "a % to The 200 level. the part OF
the mine last drained. The heat Ia the incline
appeared half as great again as that encoun-
tered at the station. 1t felt dry. and was con-
sequently very hard to bear The iron sides
of The giraffe were 10 hot that they could
scarcely be touched without burning the
flesh. The heat seemed to come fairly out of
the rock on all sides. while q perceptib,e hot
draft proceeded from the bosom of Che incline
Each had n large piece of ice in his hand. to-
use on his pulse arms, neck, or to hold In
proximity to ria mouth whenever the hot air
annearad to hnrn Tia h1n1s when inhaled
Thus provided. the giraffe vas rung down.
III descended rapifIlv until within about fir
teen feet of the 2iOO level The hpnt increased
with every foot until the station was reached.
Here II wss "a intensn that mi felt thpnseIves
wobbiing when they rose to Get out OF the gi-
rafle. An air. pipe close 70 the landing place
furnished temporary relief, while bucket OF
ice-water near by was sought with greater
eagerness than ever prominent citizen did
the nearest bar-room alter nights spree
The way from the giraffe down to the 200
p1'oS~N&
themoving Cornish pump column on one side
and donkey pump on the other-za position
from which. II one fell, he must be either
killed outright or horribly mangled. The ice
which the party started with mad by this time
oil melted away In their hands.
TERRIBLY INTENSE HEAT.
Whom +ha laval wac reached a c+ratnno ~
naat was antarad smch IS ,inht eana fronn
hell itself The sensation was no longer that
OF general oppression, but OF the danger OF
being absolutely burnt; Instead OF the feel
Ing extending through the whole body, 1t was
confined to the skin and the lungs, which
seemed to be fairly scorching. When the
level was entered the breath 7as for an III
slant taken away. ne,tr, ,aed miner
who saw the party going in cried out, Don't
stay there minute. It's too dangerous"
His warning was unnecessary, for no sooner
had all entered than one began to make his
way Out: Inc others at once followed and
iost no tlme 10 getting TO the ar pipe and the
Ice water, few feet above IN the incline.
You thlnk TINS IS not, SAID miner who
had come there Tor breath, but you ought to
nave been mere before the blow pipe was put
IN.
COOLING OFF.
The exact temperature Of the heated por-
tions of the mines described has not been as
certained since the late increase of TEN pera-
ture, but the water Is said to be about 15O de-
grees Fahrenheit. The effect upon the visitor