Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-06-22
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Ry the advice OF the gatekeeper We
first went up on the "iiill." They told
ms that by the foot-trail il was but q
abort distance, while by the waeon-trsil
h was about three miles After thirty
minutes uphill work we reached what
il called English Camp. This is village
OF Cornish miners, and is colony o. dls-
tinct and separate from It's surrounding
peighbors as IL II were planted upon an
island in mid-ocean. They have their
church, school, aud public hall. How
much they think of the two frs. this do
ponent saith not, but OF their ball they
are Justly proud. The auditorium is OF
good size, and the stage is large enough
10 accommodate good-sized troupe. 1t
is furn shed with plenty Of comfortable
chairs, card-tables, and splendid piano.
The walls are decorated with glowing
Autographs Of theatrical characters, In
tersptrsed with few noted politicians or
statesmen. Here the miners meet OF
Sunday or of aA' evening to while away
the hours IN reading, chatting, and play
ing various kinds OF games.
From here we kept onward and up
ward to Spanish Camp-whnch, as it's
name indicates, is similar camp to
English Camp, except that ITS population
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
70 the American shaft, where We camped.
The officer in charge OF the American
shaft took charge of us and showed us
through his department In this shalt
the water Is 400 feet deep, and they keep
a pump running day and night to keep
il 10 that level. BY the kindness of one
of the employers those Of the party that
were not too timld of being under ground
and wadipg in a little mud were favored
with trip of 500 feet through an old
deserted tunnel. It Was in this dismal
place that our guide told us an old le-
gend Of the early mining days.
As the story runs youthful native be-
came ensmored of dusky maiden, but
the cruel parents saw fit 10 frown upon
his suit. and tho dutllul daughter ac-
uuicsted in their decision and would
have no more of him. Out of revenge
fer his sighted love he murdered the
parents and stole away the maiden and
carried her to his deserted shaft, where
he had previously prepared a 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
Der here for several weeks, until his
fieudish heart had tired of its revenge,
when he hcd TO unknown parts, and has
never been heard from since. Before
leaving he hung an old sklrtat the month
of the shaft with note telling the
friends Of the girl her place of conceal
ment. from which she was rescued more
dead than alive.
The entire mountain is honeycombed
with miles aud miles of tunnels, cuts,
and cross cuts, there being upward OF
thirty miles of underground work.
There are the Washington, American,
Buena Vista. St Isabel, and Randall
shafts, all excepting the first being con-
nected by tunnels and underground
WAYS. Some Of these shafts are over
1000 feet deep, and ose Of them is 500
feet below the sea level. In this the tenn
perature is very high, the miners being
compelled TO work in almost nude con-
dtion and to change shifts very often.
OF late some of the shafts have been
bothered with an accumulation Of gases
that are very unwholcsome TO the labor
1 a -. i.
impede the WORKINGS of the mines.
The mining of quicksilver is tar from
being as profitable as in years past, and
it is only 10y 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
enough here to consume an entire day
in Sightseeing. All the ore from the
various 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 .he build
ing, thereby saving the hauling of it a
long distance aud also the elevatiug 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 car load of ore at the top and
take a carload of rock from the bottom.
A small stream of pure quicksilver Is
constantly running into an iron basin,
from which it is lsdled out into a scoop
balanced Tor 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 fur
mace and seeing the solid ore thrown in,
TO go to the base of the furnace and see
the melted silver stream running ont, 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 tho
liquid and find that the solid iron
floats like cork. The most sur
prising thing to the stranger is to view
all those shafts, pumping engine, hoist
jng-works, hundreds OF men employed
in mining, teams and cars used in mining
and transporting ore from the mines to
the furnaces. acres of furnaces aid miles
of piping, and nothing to show for this
great outlay of labor and capital but a
tiny stream of bright silver that you
would guess YOU could carry away IN
bucket at night.