Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-11-29
earth nobody knows how deep. These


ed from the tops Of the mountains
downward until the whole face OF the
mountains, over large areas, has been
turned upside down. These tunnels
have been driven into the heart Of the
mountains, opening out upon the level
Of the valley, and shafts have been
sunk 100 feet in the valley, from which
tunnels lead off half mile under the
mountains. The skill Of the en-
gineer has struck the iron at
every point. There is not
minute in the day that the ore which
has slept in subterranean darkness for
centuries is not brought out into the
sunlight and started on its mission Of
service to man. The shout of the mule
driver echoes from the tunnels mouth,
and the next moment the Flooding ami
NAL tugs his car of ore out into day
light; a rattle up the mountain side,
and a car loaded with ore rushes down
an incline puff of steam from the EN-.
gine.house, and a whirr Of wheels aud
straining of wire-ropes as they are
coiled around the windlass, and
up comes from the sunken shaft
great carloads of the same rich,
brown dirt and heavy dark Jumps all
moving in one direction towards the
huge washer in the centre Of the valley.
Two high and heavy trestles of i'm.
mensely strong timbers cross the val
ley diagonally towards the washer, and
several mule-car railway tracks pass
underneath. One Of the trestles is
foored with heavy plank, and upon this
mules at that dangerous height draw
the cars Of ore from the top of the shaft
to where it is dumped into the washer
bins. The other trestle is laid with
railroad iron, and up this an engine
backs trains Of cars loaded with
ore to the same dumping place.
1t is received here into iron cars
which are drawn rapidly by machinery
up three inclines to the top of the wash
house and dumped in. Here powerful
Jets of water wash it into huge reyoly-
ing cylinders, where it is tossed about
and spurted upon until the dirt is
washed out and the clean ore is dropped
below, passed on moving table before
a double row of hand-pickers, who rap
idly pick out the rocks, and the ore In
Jumps, little and big, is tumbled into
cars waiting upon the side track below,
ready when filed to be hauled down
the valley to the furnace.
4. DOWN UNDER THE GROUND.
But to get at the true inwardneSs of
iron-getting you should take a seat with
me on a bench in an Ore-car at the top
of the shaft, and go down under the
mountain among the COLLINS, where
ray Of heavens light has not pierced
since the morning stars sang together.
All ready, the steam pufS, the wheels
60 round, and we go down, down into
the darkness; We give up the san AMI
look below to the little stars of the
miners lamps that work the bottom OF
the pit. A minute and we are there.
\ miner with lamp in his hand puts
lamp in ours, and boy with
a lamp hooks lamp to or
car and bitches mule with
a lamp hung to his collar to this car
and away we 90 on little railroad
across the valley and under the moul-
tain until we are told we have got %
the other side of the mountain. rhe
tunnel is timbered with heavy LOGS on
both sides and above from end to end.
In some places the water oozes through
and dripS upon us and the mule spla,he,
through pools that look black as ink.
The mule and his negro boy-driyer have
perfect understanding with each other
and we 20 briskly along, pausing nov
and then as our obliglng guide points
out the objects Of interest by the way,
chute from the works above
to let the ore down, branch !
tunnel, group of miners at
work, or to explain the working
of the ventilating- tubes along the sides
Of the tunnel. When we want to start
the driver says, Now, them" and the
good mule joys along. A miner with
a loose armful Of dynamite-cartrdges
stops close to Us to say something To
the guide, and when we see how close
his lamp is to the cartridges, and how
near two of them are falling, and hear
the thunder rolling through the cavern
that some of those same cartridges are
making away OFF in another part of the
mine, we grip the sides of the car very
tight and think how surprised Hunger
ford would be outside if he were to see
our head shooting up the shaft by
itself. But we pass on and leave
the dynamite-man, hoping to see
him no more while he keeps such
dangerous company. The ground is full
of men and mules. Some Of the men
we can see. but the most Of them are
out Of sight, working above and rolling
and shooting the ore down into our
tunnel or drift. or whatever you call 1t.
The cars are continually loading and
moving down to the mouth of the shaft
OF coming back for fresh loads, and so
it is all the way in and all the way
back. At the bottom Of the shaft "a
we 20 back we find stable away down
there in the bowels of the earth, where
the docile mules eat and sleep as heartily
and placidly as though they had been
born there, and when they were al
lowed to 60 out they stepped upon the
sdeless elevator and went quietly to
the top. Following the mules exam
pie, as a bystander remarked, we soon
reached terra Gotta above.
A MOVING MOUNTAIN.
The top and slopes Of the mountain,
which have been honeycombed with
tunnels, present singular appearance.
A great bulk of earth and ore having
been taken out during the years of OPP
erations there, large cavities have been
left extending the whole width of the
mountain. AS time passes by the
earth settles and falls into these cayi-
ties, and the consequence is the noun
tain is sinking and shifting towards the
east. The mountain was about 450
feet above the valley, but its height has
been considerably reduced by the foun-
dation giving way and sinking into the
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