Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-07-19
STREAMS or MERCURY.

STREAMS or MERCURY.
How Quicksilver Is Produced from tho
Mines of California.
BY the advice of the gatekeeper we
first went upon the Hill They told
us that by the foot trail It was but 2
short distance. while by the wagon
trail it was about three miles. After
thirty minutes'up-h work we reached
what is called English Camp This is
a village of Cornish miners, and is q
colony as distinct and separate from
Its surrounding neighbors as if it were
planted ON an island in mid-ocean..
They have their church, school and
public hall.
From here we kept onward and up
ward to Spanish camp, which, as its
name indicates, is similar camp to
English camp, except that its popula-
tion is composed of Spaniards. We did
not tarry here long enough to make
much acquaintance with this village,
but passed ON by the old deserted
Washington shaft to the American
shaft, where we camped. The officer
in sharge of the American shaft took
charge of us and showed us through
his department. In this shaft the water
is four hundred feet deep, and they
keep a pump running day and night to
keep 1t to that level. By the kindness
of one of the employers those of the
party that were not too timid of being
under ground and wading in little
mud were favored with trip of five
hundred feet through an old deserted
tunnel 1t was in this dismal place
that cur guide told us an old legend OF
the early mining days.
As the story runs, youthful native
became enamored of a dusky, maiden,
but the cruel parents saw fit to frown
upon his suit, and the dutiful daughter
acquiesced in their decision and would
have no more of him. Out of revenge
for his sighted love he murdered the
parents and stole away the maiden,
and carried her to this deserted shaft,
where he had previously prepared a
strong room and plenty of provisions
for a. long siege. The friends, of the
kidnapped girl sought her far and wide,
but found no trace of her. He kept her
here for several weeks, until his fiend-
ish heart had tired of its revenge, when
he fed to unknown parts and has never
been heard from since. Before leav-
ing he hung an old skirt at the mouth
of the shaft with a note telling the
friends of the girl her place of con-
cealment, from which she was rescued
more dead than alive.
The entire mountain is honeycombed
with miles and miles of tunnels, cuts
and cross-cuts, there being upward of
thirty miles of underground work.
There are the Washington, Amer
lean, Buena Vista, ST. Isabel and Ran
dol shafts, all excepting the first being
connected by tunnels and underground
ways. Some of these shafts are over
1900 feet deep, and one of them is 500
feet below the sea level. In this the
temperature is very high, the miners
being compelled to work in almost a
nude condition, and to change shifts
very often. Of late some of the shafts
have been bothered with an accumula-
ton of gases that are. very unwhole-
some to the laborer, and it is feared
that it will seriously impede the work
ings of the mines.
The mining of quicksilver is, far from
being as profitable as in years past,
and it is only by the application of the
most improved methods that it is made
to pay at present prices. The reduc-
ton works are situated at the base OF
the hill and cover an immense area,
and there is enough here to consume
an entire day in sightseeing. All the
ore from the various shafts is wagon
ed to the brow of the HILL. and then Let
down to the works, by means of an in
clined cable railway, right into, the
upper story of the building, thereby
saving the hauling Of it a long
distance, and also the elevating. Of
it to the top of the works, where ii
begins its journey in the reduction
process. The furnaces are run day
and night, Sunday or Monday. Every
hour they dump in a, carload of ore at
the top, and take load Of rock from
the bottom. A small stream of pure
quicksilver is constantly running into
an iron basin, from which it is ladled
out into a, scoop balanced for ninety
pounds, from which it is funneled into
an iron flask and tightly sealed.
The novice is, very much surprised
after viewing the, white heat of the
furnace and seeing the, solid ore thrown
in, to go to the base. of the furnace and
see the melted silver stream running
out. to find that he can hold his hand
in the liquid without being burned.
Again he is surprised toesee his guide
drop heay iron bolt into the liquid
and find that the. solid iron floats like
cork. The most surprising thing to
the stranger is to- view all those shafts,
pumping-engine, hoisting-works, hun.
dreds of men employed In mining,
teams and cars used In mining and
/ transporting ore from the mines to the
furnaces, acres of furnaces and miles
of piping, and nothing to, show for this
great outlay-o of labor and capital but 8
tiny stream of bright silver that yor
would guess you could carry away in a
bucket at. night.-Sam Jose (Cdl.
Herald.
NEM' YORkS RODENTS.
How andsWhere the Cousatless Millions q
Gotham's Rats Live.
Manhattan Island,4 said a native
who is an infallfble authority oraal