Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-03-28

the shaft, by which the engineer is enabled to
control the movements OF the cars. There are
three signal stations along the line OF the shaft
each with an attendant, whose duty It Is to signal
the next station In case OF an accident or emer-
gency. Having enabled our readers TO grasp the
situation, as IL were, we will proceed to the
depths, where the
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MINE
Is In progress. Starting from the landing, we
probe along with staff In order to be sure OF
our footing, and proceed for some distance, when
we, or rather our head comes In contact with
portion OF the roof which has not been excavated
to height to admit Of n standing posture. and
rs our guide has never had any experience In
canal-boating, he fails to sing out Glow BRIDGE"
In consequence OF which we obtain (iteraliy)a
temporary view Of the firmamant which appar-
emily Is thickly studded with stars. During
our descent, the tedium Ia occp sionally dis
turbed by glimpse Of gang Of miners fitting
about here and there In the various recesses
some OF them drilling for the blast and others
removing. overhanging pieces Of ore which failed
to have been removed by the previous blast
Down, down, deeper and deeper we go, occa-
sinnally sliding where the foothold Is insecure un-
ill., just as we are coDgratulatlng ourselves on our
good fortune thus far, one leg suddenly shoots
off ut mile minute gait, and the other takes
most any given direction except that which we
had intended and we involuntarily sit down for
rest. As we do 20, lad accustomed to the
mines shoots by us In sitting posture upon the
smooth boards, which at this section of the shaft
skirt the track, and a new idea strikes us SO
seldom does this happen (the new idea) with us
that we at once conclude to adopt the expert
ment, and assuming as near as possible the posi-
ton OF the lad, we start down the incline. Start,
did we sayf Well, we haven't so much recnllec-
ton about the start as we have OF the frightful
velocity at which we were progressing towards
the bottom OF the shaft and with the uncer-
tainty as to the number aud nature Of the curves,
we were liable to disturb the foundations of the
mine, or slide into China; but we stopped--just
how, we haven't any distinct idea, but the seat OF
our pantaloons--its OF no particular conse-
| quence, they were not our property. Coming down
| to facts once more, one who has never explored
this mine can form no idea as to its richness In
copper ore. The further one goes the more alum
dant appears to be the precious metal. The veins
vary from three to fifteen feet in width and are
perfectly dscernible The ore or sulpburet Of
| copper Is associated more or LEES with sulphuret
| of iron, and Is encased In a mica schist, which
has to be separated from the copper ore before
/ the latter is marketable Having demonstrated
| the validity OF the plant beyond the shadow of a
| doubt In our own mir d, we mount the platform
| car which has been dispatched down the shaft
Tor our use, and slowly ascend to the landing
| the only mshap being a deraiment OF the car,
| which necessitated our spiling off. Having
emerged into daylight once more, we divest our
selves OF our habiliments, including pair OF
number nine boots 1--WE wear sevens), and indulg-
| ing In thorough ablutionary process, we pro-
| coed to inspect the
SMELLING DEPARTMENT.
Preparatory, We would however say that the ore
after 1t reaches the landing, Is conveyed by horse
power to the dressing department, where 1t Is
| broken up into small pieces by the spallers and
cobbers, as they are termed after which 1t passes
down shute into another car which conveys 1t
to he roasting beds several hundred feet distant
| By very simple continuance the loaded car Ii
made to draw the empty car up as 1t descends-
the empty car, by an ingenious arrangement,
laNpl ttgaI ntf ~. tIA Oh tuat l4
| the loaded car passes. The roasting beds are
| capable OF holding five hundred tons each, the
ore being thrown promscuon,ly upon a pile OF
wood, and covered by the sftings The wood
| is then fired, and 1t soon igntes the ore, which
burns, or rather shoulders, for period Of three
months, when it is loaded into cars again and
| transferred to the smelling house. This smelling
| house Is about seven hundred feet long, and CON
tains twenty-four furnaces, all of which are not
| however in use, as the mine is not being worke
| to its full capacity. Having been placed in the
furnace it soon melts and the ore, including the
| extraneous substances, runs down into hearth
| or mould, where the drOss slag runs off
| into huge iron po,s,-the copper, being the
| heavier metal, sinking to the bottom, from
whence it is drawn and formed into mats. The
mats are then broken up into pieces, and
taken 10 the roasting kilns. where it remains
for fortnight, and then returned to the fur
| mace again, where 1t goes through the same
process as before, but this time the copper is ia
died out into pig moulds, so called After It has
furnaces are controlled by continual blast from
a machine made for that purpose, and which is
operated by an engine of one hundred and twenty
five horse power The ore in its crude state, after
being dressed, assays on an average about seven
per cent, which is increased to an average of
ninety five per cent when ready for the market
The present working force comprises about three
hundred and fifty employees, the pay roll of which
averages Sl7, eco per month With this force
about one thousand tons of ore per month is
mined, bnt the company expects to enlarge the
force soon to the full capacity, which will swell
the pay roll up to about 500, 900 per month 1t is
then anticipated that about two thousand tons per
month can be mined, which, at the present mar
ket quotation OF fifteen cents per pound, would
yield a revenue of about $40 600 which, after set
ting aside certain SUN rs sinking fund, leaves
handsome margin for dividends.
TIKI EMPLOYEES,
as rule, appear to be satisfied with their condi-
ii IN, the wages paid them being fully up to the
average for that class. They are graded accord
ing to their knowledge and WORTH miners receiv-
ing an average of 81. 10 per diem, while such as
are not capable of performing the more intricate
labor incidental to the mining Of the ore, receive
81. 90 per diem, and so on down to the spallers
and cobbers, who receive from 81 to 81 20 per
diem. By a system recently adopted, the mining
or perhaps, more properly speaking, the sinking
ola shaft, drifting and stopping is let out to min
ers on contract The miners or stopers recev-
ing an average of $50 per running fahom or two
hundred and sixteen cubic feet Those engaged
in shafting receive from S18 to 500 for each foot
drive six by six, and the drift men from SID to
Sl6 per foot drive six by six. By this means
many are enabled to earn even more than 81 10
per day. The work Is measure each month by
the foreman, who reports the facts to the COM
pany. In order that our readers may understand
the matter more thoroughly, we would state that
a drift is an opening from shaft, while stopping
consists in the enlargement of the drift The EN-
ployes are sub-divided into day and night shifts,
each shift working ten hours. The company at
aud also own large number of tenement houses,
which are let to the miners upon reasonable terms.
Recently the company has taken control OF the
store, which was formerly conducted by an indi-
vidual firm The best grades Of goods OF all kinds
are kept. and the prices will vary but tIihe
from that OF the same quality elsewhere, and In
some instances the prices are considerably below
the average. There is school in the settlement,
and Tor the benefit Of those Juveniles who work In
,hs mines, an evening school has been estab-
lished. Taken as whole, the Inhabitants Of this
section are thrifty and contented.
CONCLUSION.
A great deal has been said not only through
the press, but by individuals whose knowledge Of
the affairs OF the company may be said to be
somewhat limited 1t is admitted by the officials
themselves that for some time prior to the trans
Ter of the property to other parties last spring
they were delinquent in their payments, caused
principally by the straitened circumstances in
which they were placed, although there were
"
measure were beyond their control. In May
last the entire pro- rty was transferred to Messrs
Ely Goddard and f. NJ. Cain, who Immediately
proceeded to organize a company known rs the
Vermont copper company They issued half a
million dollars In bonds, secured by mort gage
upon the property, Two hundred thousand dol
lars OF these bonds was intended for the payment
OF outstanding claims. and the balance placed in
the keeping Of the Mutual Trust company OF
New York. After endeavoring to settle with the
creditors Messrs. Goddard and Cain became in
volved in Il litigation, which resulted in the ar
rest OF Cain, and his incarceration In the Chel-
sea jail, but whether guilty of any fraudulent
action or not remains TO be proved. After yari-
Gus attempts to develop the mine to its full ex-
tent, the copper company transferred the prop
erty back again to the Vermont Copper Mining
Company in January last, since which time the
mine has been rapidly developed, and competent
judges are of the opinion that the mine presents
more iiittering prospects than at any time since
its discovery. The present company anticipate
issuing $500 900 in bonds for the purpose OF re-
deeming the bonds now held by several of Its
creditors, paying up all claims, and the balance
TO lie used AS working capital An attempt,
however, Is to be made by Cain to restrain this
action, az he suddenly turned up on Wednesday,
lAlarch 22) having procured bail, and secured an
Injunction restraining the present owners from
issuing the contemplated bonds. The present off,
GERS Of the Vermont Copper Mining Company are
rs follows: President Smith Ely; yice-president
Roswell Farnham directors Smith Ely RI swell
farnham, Y. X. Simpson; treasurer and clerk, g
Y. Sargent; superintendent, Daniel y. Long. In
reference to the name of the town, Ii would an