The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-01-13
'ne importance Of his mission, and breaking
some buttons off his vest.

WIN outIoHS o1 MS vest,
i"e PROFESSOR took off his hat in apparent
awe and the pilgrim Went on: Sand T have
concluded to write up the Alice mine so that
our nyriads of readers in the East NAV cain q
comprehensive idea of the business. I was
selected on account of my special adaptation
for the task"
LIE Professor made a low salaam and
huinply old the Eastern journalist to begin
his questioning. So he commenced thus:
"how far is it to the bottom of the we'll ?"
1.-The shaft, you mean," suggested the Pro-
1essor. cit is down about five hundyed
feet"
is not the soil very soft to enable Won
to bore down so far P"
"Ihere is no soil about it," replied the
Professor. "1ts hard country rock, every
foot of it,"
"What country is the rock from ?n queried
the journalist.
"Spain," returned the expert, exasperated
az the ignorance of the man; "mimng does
not pay in Spain, owing to the high prices
demanded for agricultural implements; so
Tie mines are sometimes bought and trans
'erred to this country, where they can be
developed much cheaper
The journalist carefully noted down these
facts on a piece Of paper as he replied, "They
are brought to this country in the same man
ner as the Egyptian ohelisks were transferred
TO London and New York, l suppose
'Exactly," said the Professor.
"And do you also import the wells, that Is
to say, the shafts, Or Go you make them in
this country?:'
ut depends altogether on circumstances"
said the Professor; elf they can be purchased
cheaply in Span, We usually prefer to import
them, as they can be exhausted OF air and
doubled up into a comparatively small pack
age. We sometimes receive tunnels in the
same way
The visitor carefully noted down this infor-
nation, and innocently inquired, "Why do
you need tunnel in a country where there
are no railroads."
ave sometimes run blind tunnels in orde,
to tap ledges.'
"Oh, l see" replied the intelligent pilgrim.
Il presume the lodges ooze out when they are
tapped, like a keg of beer?"
"Correct,' replied the Professor laconi-
cally.
"But why are they called blind tunnels?'
pursued the inquisitor.
"Because," said the Professor, " when you
get to the end of them you can't see any
further
The journalist carefully underlined this
important information and inquired:
"What are the essential differences between
a unnel and a shaft
ga tunnel is nothing more than a shaft in a
horizontal position, whereas a shaft is a per-
pendicular tunnel. That is, one is laying
down and the other standing up"
SIS there much ore in this mine?" asked
the Innocent Abroad.
"The largest fissure vein l ever saw out.
side of the ComstoGz,'' answered the gentle.
man.
"Is the Comstock accessible to visitors .? :
inquired the journalist, ''and would l have
time to go there and get back before dark ~
"Young man, see hern,' said the Professor
you evidently don't know me, and l don't
want to know you. You're what they call a
pilgrim in this country, and it seems to me
you'd be a pilgrim N almost any country
A man that don't know where the Comstock
is, don know enough to leave home without
the experimenting care Of his maternal
parent, and if you take my advice. you'll
label yourself with the proper address ant
start for your native heath without delay"