The Republican journal., 1885-07-16
Sailing Over Summer Seas,

we Hau HO sooner landed on the Wharr at
Baddeck than guide, who had been engaged
in advance, came forward to meet the fisher
men. and there was much talk of flies, rods,
supplies, ETC., etc. Meanwhile Baddeck was
awaiting its coat Of red. Then, disappearing
for moment in a storehouse, the guide reap
peared with three rods of his own manufacture.
slender poles not more than ten or twelve feet
In length, but quite the approved thing for the
salmon fisher. Now the rods had to be dis
cussed while the few lights of the town were
one by one undergoing eclipse. Finally start
was made up the wharf, but a hail from the
captain caused us to retrace our steps to exam
inc freshly caught so pound salmon. 1t was
splendid fish, and how the fishermen gloated
over it, as the lantern light was reflected from
its silvery sides. For aught we know one of the
party is still hanging over that salmon. There
we left him and saw him no more. There were
now but three TO ''do" the town, and the hour
was late. The little hotel, for which Warner
has good word, was left on the starboard hand
as we mounted "a hill and passed few dark
ened dwellings, to arrive at a saloon as young
man was putting up the shutters. This was
not the place the doctor sought and we started
for the water side again, finally bringing up in
what resembed a country store, save that wet
goods predominated. and behind the counter
was portly dame who we concluded must be
''the Irishwoman." Here the fishermen's sup
plies were augmented by bottle of peat flavor
ed liquid, and then we rambed farther in the
semi-darkness, and it was midnight when we
returned to the Marion.
AT two O'Clock we were underway again, and
through inability to sleep the writer spent the
night in the forward cabin, looking out upon
the water and the picturesque shores. Soon
after leaving Baddeck the boat enters the Little
Bras dor, which is Eearly of uniform width
and resembles a river more than an arm of the
sea. Indeed, many have compared it 10 the
Hudson river. When daylight comes the sky
at the end of this long narrow strip of water
assumes IA roseae tint, and the wind rises with
the sun and the calm surface is ripped with
waves. As we near the ocean the scenery grows
less attractive, and when the sun goes behind
the clouds and the broad Atlantic stretches out
before US, beyond the rocky shores, the transi-
ton from the placid waters and peaceful scenes
we have left is very marked, A cluster of
buildings with tall chimneys and other struct-
ures is pointed out as the Sydney mines. These
are in sight for some time, but we finally round
the point on which they are situated and about
s ii. m. Wednesday June u land at North
Sydney, which is also ,aiied the Bar. A short
drive along the edge of the water-but high
above it, with pleasant residences on the land
ward side, and our destination is reached
1t was a cold. clustering day, but a warm
welcome and coal fires awaited us, the latter of
bitumnous coal which blazed cheerily in The
open CRATES. After four nights on board of
steamers it was thought the best uses to which
the day could be put were rest and sleep. This
lief. but single day for sight seeing. Fortu-
naiely Thursday was warm and pleasant, and
first i'll order was visit 10 the mines. | have
realized since how much might have learned
of interest at the works, but at the time was
unmindful of the duties of special correspon-
dent and was content with superficial view
of things. First we inspected the enormous
mass of coal on the dump, over which tempor-
airy tracks are laid for running out and empty
ing the cars as they are hoisted from tie
mine. Then we visited the shaft through which
the coal is brought to the surface from a depth
of 600 feet. While one platform is coming up
with a load, another is descending with the
empty cars. The platforms hold two cars each
and as these come up they are pushed off and
their numbers are taken and relorded. The
empty cars are run on the loaded ones 90 off
and in less than minute the coal is brought
from the bottom of the shaft and is on its way
to the dump. The miners work in pairs and
an account is kept of the ears they fill by their
numbers, from which Judge the miners are
paid for the amount of coal dug out The coal
for shipment is loaded directly upon ears of a
narrow guage railway which extends to North
Sydney, IA distance of six miles, but the two To-
comotives were undergoing repairs at the time
OF our visit and the road was not in operation.
There is system of screens by which the coal
is assorted. and the fine dust is used. with the
Stag, upon the roads. The pumping works
were not in operation, hut the machinery was
worth inspecting, and is of the most massive
character. There was fire in the mine last
winter and had not Mr.. Brown. the very capa
Bile manager, laid out the workings with par
tition dividing the mine into TWO parts the
whole works would now be idle. One half was
flooded and 1t will take from two to three years
to pump it out This mine, it should be stated.
extends far out under the sea, and on our way
to North Sydney in the steamer we passed over
the place where the miners are at work. The
present shaft is quite near the shore, and the
old one, farther inland, is used for ventating
purposes a steam engine keeping large fan in
constant motion over the mouth of the shaft.
Seventy horses are employed in the mine in
drawing trains of loaded cars from the work
ing points to the foot of the shaft and the
empty ones back. These ears run upon rails
and at certain distances there are recesses be-
side the tracks in which to take refuge as the
trains come along. Yet half an hour after our
visit two miners were killed by one of these
trains one dying instantly and the other living
but short time. Their death was the signal
for all hands to stop work, and in accordance
with miners custom no labor would be per-
formed until the men We're buried.
| saw map of Cape Breton while there and
all of this end of the island was colored black
to indicate the coal deposits; and local paper
stated that of the twenty coal mines in Cape
Breton seventeen were then in operation.
The miners employed in the mine visited are
furnished with quarters at nominal rent and
with a certain quantity of coal per month.
The supply of coal used to be unlimited, but it
was found that it was wasted by keeping up
great fires in the summer months and leaving
doors and windows open, and now it is sup
piled each month, so many loads to family.
The quarters are mainly long, one story add Il
half buildings, sub-divided, and are not located
together, but scattered as are the buildings in Il
country village. Occasionally detached cot
tage Is seen, and one in particular is not much
larger than good sized dry-goods box. The
| widows are pensioned by the company, receiv-
ing quarters and fuel and a certain amount in
provisions or money. The miners are mostly
Scotchmen or Welchmen. Formerly there We're
little garden plats in front of the cottages, but
during a strike the palings We're used for fuel
and have not been replaced. The vegetable
gardens in the rear are not neglected. however
The company recently established store for
supplying its employees 1t resembles one Of
our country stores, only it is on much larger
scale. 1t contains everything you can think of
from mOlasses to millinery and from pork TO