New-York tribune., 1883-06-08
AUSTRIAN SALT MINES.
A VISIT TO BERCHTEsGADEN.
fFroM An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRrRUN
BERCHTEsGADEY Austria May IA

trpou Az cclstoSAI CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRrBUNEl
BERcHTEsGADEN, Austria, May IA.
Except for its salt mines Berchtesgadcn would
only be known for its famous carvings IN wood,
ivory and bone A government school Is estapiisheu
here. where fifty lads of from fourteen to sixteen
are annually taught, free Of expense, the art OF
drawing aud carving. the course occupying from
two to four years. according to their industry ana
capacity On my arrival permission was obtained
at the mining office, on the payment of fee OF li2
marks (aboat 371a cents FOR each person in the
party. and we we're conducted TO c small building
where o registered our names and wore clad in the
qarb of miners An absurd and unnecessary regnla-
tion established by King Ludwig in 1903 and con-
timed TO this day We were then put IN charge oil
a guide who led the way and following In single
file along tho entrance shaft, cut some seven feet
high aud five feet broad through solid stone walls.
Each carrying a lighted candle encased IN a snall
lantern we were led and on through galleries OF
rock salt only little less hard than granite ana
along other passages where heavy timber Is used
for sustaining the roofs and sides. AS wo were leu
into the bowels of the mountain Tor more IMAM
mile we passed numerous galleries running on 10
the right and left, and in one instance mounted
wooden stairway of moro than one hundred steps.
There are many gargways, but VISITORS are only
admitted to the lowest one and to the worked-out
galleries of the second. We were ferriod over q
small lake. crossing perhaps an aero OF ground ana
hqhted around its margin by several hundred
miners lamps, and landed oppoe an Illuminated
and block of salt several feet square In
scribed with the German miners greeting OF " Guck
AuEv From the suDterTanean lake OF saltwater "e
ware conducted in n curious manner down steep
slide over a smooth wooden rail descending az
sbarp angle INTO huge and dmly-ghted cavern
made by throwing several galleries of rock sat on
above the other into Our guido seated hlksii
ma rail. with strong rope slipping
his arm to regulate the speed We sat close pehnu,
also astride like schoOl-boys on sled anu doWl
the decliyity of perhaps seventy feet we sped WIN
GREAT rapidity and were safely landed Mt the Uot.
tom. Here the official pointed out the manner oi
quarryng the salt which is similar TO that pursued
with granite or other rock. Having SATISFIED our
curiosty aud spent abOut an hour 10 the nine W,
| mounted a narrow car with tho guide In front ana
another man at the rear and ran AT , "a
speed down the descending track thrcngh the mio,
long or more gallery, and IN lew minutes iounu
ourselves oufrom the damp and chill ly air into the
welcome daylight and tho warm air OF "a DANNY
The salt mines OF Bcrchtesgadeu, which are the
property of the King of bavaria. are perhaps the
| we're known so the Celts. and that they were
worked by the Romans who conquered the trloe NV
| ing in their vicinity Fer ak hundred YEAR, t,leS
| have been constantly worked. During twenty
| wears previous 10 1881. moro than 200 miners
! were employed, but during tho past and present
year. the force has been decreased 70 aooul W.
thirds of that number. The exact number IN Iast
weeks payroll was III, and the amount OF WORK
salt for cattle qunrried $50, l.sOO tons In adj
dtion To the rock salt the extraction OF pure salt
| carried on from 10000 to 10000 tons per annnm
of table salt being produced. Previous to los2 u
amounted in some case TO az much as Su,oOV TONS
| Int recently tbe demand for both kinds has de-
| creased The method OF making the hnc salt Is by
letting IN fresh water from the hills where, aiteI
becoming imDregnated for some hve or six weeks ~
ia on 10 lower reservoir whence II is forced
| up 10 a place several hundred feet high. from
there it flows through iron pipes to Ilsang several
miles distant and Is a second time raised to still
| greater height and from this point IL flows on
descending scale TO Reichenhall, eighteen mile,
distant when il is evapOrated and the crystallzed
% ilu