News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-08-02
QUICKSILVER ON TAP.
The Tiny, GIittering Stream that
Pays For Working a Big Mine.
IFrom the San Jose HeraldI

From the San jose Herald.1
By the advice of the gatekeeper we
first went upon the Chill" They told
us that by the foot trail it was but q
short distance, while by the wagon trail
it was about three miles. After thirty
minutes up hill work we reached what
is called English camp. This is n village
of Cornish miners, and is q colony as
distinct and separate from its surround
ing neighbors as if it were planted upon
an island in mid-ocean. They have
their church, school and public hall.
Here the miners meet of Sunday or of
an evening to while away the hours in
reading, chatting and playing various
kinds of games.
From here we kept onward and up
ward to Spanish CGjnl:, which, as its
name indicates, IS : similar camp to
English Camp, except chat its popula-
ton 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 Washing
ton shaft to the American shaft, where
we camped. The officer in charge of the
American shaft took charge of us and
showed us through the department. In
this shaft the water is 400 feet deep and
they keep pump running day and
night to keep it to that level. BY the
kindness of one of the employees those
of the party that were not too timid of
being under ground and wading in q
little mud, were favored with a trip of
500 feet through an old deserted tun-
mel. 1t was in this dismal place that
our 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 moro 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 q strong
room and plenty of provisions for a
long siege The friends of the kid
mapped girl sought her far and wide,
but found no trace of her. He kept her
here for several weeks, until his fend-
ish heart had tired of its revenge, when
he fed to unknown parts and has never
been heard from since. Before leaving
he hung an old skirt at the mouth of the
shaft with q note telling the friends of
IIlo SII1 uSI plilC6 VI cOuC6a1u0QG, from
which she was rescued more dead than
alive.
The entire moutain is honeycombed
with miles and miles of tunnels, cuts
and crosscuts, there being upward of
30 miles of underground work.
There are the Washington, American,
Buena Vista, st. Isabel and Randol
shafts, all excepting the first being con-
nected 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 be-
ing compelled to work in almost nude
condition and to change shifts very Of
ten. OF late some of the shafts have
been bothered with an accumulation of
gases that are very unwholesome to the
laborer, and it is feared that it will seri-
ously impede the working of tue mines.
The mining of quicksilver is far from
being as profitable as IN past years, and
it is only by the application of the most
improved methods that it is made to pay
at present prices. The reduction works
are situated at the base of the hill and
cover an immense area, and there IS en-
Ough here to consume an entire day IN
sightseeing. All the ore from the vari-
Gus shafts is wagoned to the brow of the
hill and then let down to the works by
means of an inclined cable railway,
right into the upper story of the build
ing, thereby saving the hauling of it q
long distance and also the elevating of it
to the top of the works, where it begins
its journey in the reduction process.
The furnaces are run day and night,
Sunday or Monday. Every hour they
dump in n carload of ore at the top
and take a load of rock from the bottom.
A small stream of pure quicksilver is
constantly running into an iron basin,
from which it is Labeled out into scoop
balanced for ninety pounds, from which
it is funneled into an iron flask and
tightly sealed.
The novice is very much surprised af-
ter viewing the white heat of the fur
mace 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 to see his guide drop
heavy 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 these shafts, pumping engine,
hoisting works, hundreds of men en-
ployed 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 of labor and capital
but q tiny stream of bright silver that
you would guess you could carry away .
in bucket at night.