The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-11

A visit 10 the Mine That Enriched
Two u. y. Senators.
Virginia city News Letter.

This last is situated in Gold Hill and
is the one which gave up its bullion to
Senators Jones and Sharon. As it is the
deepest, we attempt its descent. We en-
ter the office of the Company six in our
party, four gentlemen and two ladies'
We are given separate apartments, and
furnished with a blue woollfn suit, like
a "Vineyard' bathing costume; big
heavy brogans, woollen socks and an old
hat for which we are to exchange every
article of clothing we have on. A few
moments bring us together merry
crowd. A young gentleman gives us IAN
terms, a relative of Senator Sharon's, and
accompanies us into the great building
that contains the hosting machinery
over the shaft. High up i'll the heavy
timber above our heads, over large
wheel, passes Il steel band about six
inches wide and quarter of an inch
thick. This band coils at one end over Il
huge drum connected with the engines
and at the other end drops into hole
alb ut six inches square, and is lost in the
steam and vapor arising from this pit.
The young gentleman rings a bell, and
up comes the rope, seemingly endless. At
last the motion sackens, and hanging in
the air we see the "cage." Now, don't
imagine any gilt or wicker-work prison
for songsters, but picture an iron open
elevator, such as used in the wholesale
houses of your city. This cage is double,
one above the other Its base is like
grating made to fit the wheels of the cars
that bring up the ore. Two of these cars
are rolled off on their tracks to the
dumps, and we take their places. The
ladies, with two of the gentlemen, step
onto the grating, take firm hold of a
bar overhead, and shout Ready" Down
drops the cage six feet. Then we step
on over their heads. We pull a bell, and
begin to whistle. Down, down, down.
what a strange sensation!
The candle hickers, the walls around
us drip with water, the steam and hot air
rush up by us. for this shaft is an "up-
cast" We are wet TO the skin. The mo-
ton changes; we can feel the give of the
long rope. Like return ball hanging
on its rubber cord we sway upwards and
downwards, yet constantly realize we are
dropping. A few seconds, and we gently
stop. We have reached the eight hun
dred feet level.
There the surroundings are those Of a
large cellar, only the temperature is high.
Men are around us in their wooden cos
tunes, rolling the iron cars ia from long
tunnels. We take drink of ice-water,
and follow our leader out through one of
these side galleries about hall a mile.
Then we come to an open space where at
one side we see an iron box about six
feet long, three feet wide and three feet
deep.
This box rests on wheels on track that
extends we know not whittier. AT its
rear end huge iron band is fastened, and
before it the tracks slope into the dark
ness. They call this machine giraffe,
because it is so short and dumpy | sup
pose. We climb into him, and scat our
selves on boards placed like circus seats.
Off we 20. 1t seems as if our heads would
touch the roofing over us, but they don't.
The water trickles along the limbs or
drops on our hair. The heat becomes
more and more like the third room of a
Turkish bath. Here we fail by an open
ing into which our candle light throws a
glimmer. Now we catch a glimpse of
where former tunnels have been worked.
We sing a song, and think of John Whop-
per. We are getting settled, when the
box stops and we Chamber out to the six
teen hundred feet level.
More ice water, and a quarter of a
mile tramp in single file out through a
six foot hole, over pools of water, by
great props that keep the rocks from
burying us, till we get on board train No.
3, and slide down again. 'Tis jolly. 1t
beats college coastng. 1t grows warmer.
We are bathed in pcrspiration. We
watch the long motions Of the great iron
pumps beside us. We are approaching
the end. The sounds of the busy drill
reach our ears. The guide pulls tie rope
that has followed us all our course, and
with a gentle jump, the giraffe stops.
We alight. We have reached the bottom
of the deepest hole in the Union, two
thousand eight hundred feet perpendicu-
larly below daylight.
Here are the air condensers, the long
pipes bringing us life from above. Here
the men are stripped to simply pair OF
linen pants and heavy shoes. They fairly
drip with water. We eat freely of the
ice, which is consumed in immense guam
titles down in these depths. We walk
out into the tunnels, where the miner;
only work for four or five minutes, and
then rest for ten back in the cooling
chamber. They are chiefly at work pros
pecting, very little "pay rock' being
taken out. AL! are digging to find i
lower layer of the immense vein. Mos
of the money was taken out near th(
1900 foot level, and now immense SUM
are going into this lower work. W.
looked abont us for awhile, then entered
our car, and were rapidly hoisted up anC
up, till at last we stepped out into day
light, put on heavy coats and ran for tn,
dressing room.
These mining companies pride them
selves on the conveniences Of their toilet
rooms, and the office of the Belcher min
exceeds all others in its appointments