Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-02
Oliver Optic Tells of His Young
Dreams and Later Experience.
THE SALT CAVERN OF WIELIczKA.
A Mine That Has Been Worked for Over
Six Hundred Years.
TRAVELLING WITH A LAKE OVERHEAD
WRITTEN FOR rH. D1srArcz.1

was DOy ike you, was picture OF y sceno
| in the salt mine whose Polish name is given
above. The text told a wonderful story Of
things long way underground, and
wished very much to wander about in the
bowels of the earth among the scenes de-
seribed in the text.
The picture represented a workman
doubled up in narrow place, digging out
great blocks of salt used to think he
must have the backache, as looked at him
year after year from that time to this, for I
have the book still. Since that time have
seen that man, and was inclined to present
him bottle of liniment, for believed that
/ he needed it.
We were told in the book that whole vii
lagos of people lived in the mine, and that
some of them never came out. All this was
| simply fiction, for no one lives in the mine;
butin spite of the big stories it did tell, the
cavern is vastly more wonderful than the
description After I had walked about
seven miles through these subterranean
galleries was sure that the half had not
been told. Wieliczka is about six miles
from Craeow, the ancient capital of Poland,
where one may look upon the cofins ofJohn
Sobieska, Poniatowski and Thaddeus Koscir
usko.
WORKED FOR CENTURIES,
Wieliczka is a town of 5000 people. The
earth under it is honeycombed with excava-
tions, beginning about 200 feet below the
surface, for three miles in one direction by
one mile in the other. The salt was discov-
cred $50 years ago, and the mine has been
worked all the time since. There are said to
be over 400 miles of galleries and tunnels dug
out; but did not measure them, though I
found no reason to doubt the statement. In
fact, when I got on the face of the earth
again felt as though had walked 200 OF
them, though I had really made but about
seven miles. These mines yield an annual
revenue of S1,0OO,0OO. Though pure white
salt is found there, most of the product is
mixed with a dark green. It is taken out
in pieces of the average size of ones head,
or football, and in this shape hauled to
Cracow in wagons.
Our party Of three were on the way from
st. Petersburg to Vienna, and we stopped to
see this wonder of our boyhood. The first
formality at the entrance of the mine was
to pay fee of about So, which covered all
expenses of the party. Our retInue con-
sisted of an official guide and four lamp
boys, and the stores consisted Of q large
supply of fireworks. We were provided
with full uniforms of green baize. The
lamps were open pans, with several wicks-
at the rims, held by three chains, 80 that
they could be dropped I'd the floor, 70 light
the way.
There are two methods of descent; f6a, l.
a windlass, the visitors being seated IN l..
slirgs, the other by staircase. We were
taken down the stairs. They consisted OF
seven steps down from one platform to an
other on each of which one turns around,
repeating the operation till the bottom is
reached. We went down $50 feet, but it
seemed to be about 1000 when we walked
up. Some say the latter is the actual depth
of the mine, but it is better to discount
about half the statement.
DOWN IN THE CAVERN.
The passages or galleries are very like the
corridors of a building. In places where
there was any looseness in the walls or cell
ing they were planked; but generally the
visitor sees nothing but walls of salt rock.
Near the foot of the staircase we were con-
Quoted to a chapel dedicated to the patron
saint of the mine. The apartment was
about 50x30. In a niche at the back of a
stage was life-size crucifx. At the ends
of the stage were a statue of the king Of
Poland and the saint. The latter was q
duchess, and on the spot they believe that
the mine was discovered by men searching
for the lady's wedding ring which she had
lost. There is another statue and some
ornamental work, all of which is carved out
of the solid rock of salt.
After looking at the chapel we took
very long walk through the gloomy vaults,
till we came to an immense cavern, in
which dozen city churches could be COM
fortably slowed. The boys touched off some
Roman candles and the place was brilliantly
illuminated. This is the point, or one Of
them, where it would be quite proper to 90
into ecstacies and "gush, I" for the cavern is
grand, and the idea of being hundreds Of
feet below ground is appalling; but there il
no danger that the thing will ''cave in"
We went into another tremendous vault
of the same kind, provided with wooden
galleries above for the passage of the miners
from one part to another. Then we walked
more miles, passing monuments statues, q
banquet hall, and following railroad miles
in length, with cars drawn by live horses,
buried as they were. In one Of these inn
mense excavations we came to lake At
feet deep. Moored to the shore was q fat
boat, big enough to seat 20 persons, on
which we embarked for a sail on these
Stygian waters. The craft was drawn by
wires, like many ferry-boats in the upper
regions.
UNDER A LAKE.
When we were halfway across the lake
boy let off a heavy cannon cracker, the
echoes of which resounded over and over
again through the awful cavern. We passed
under a gracefully turned arch into another
grotto, and then landed on the solid salt
again. A long walk down inclined planes
and an Occasional fight of stairs brought
us to the last lion Of the excavations, which
was ballroom, brilliantly lighted foDouR
reception. The Emperor Of Austria, after
whom it is named, has held court here. 1t
is provided with galleries and is lighted
with chandeliers made of salt. The drops
are of the whitest kind, and they sparkle
like diamonds.
At one point in our walk we were told
that the lake over which we had crossed
was directly over our heads; but the floor
was dry and there was no oozing overhead
The ascent of the stairs was exceedingly
trying after the long walk in the depths
below. The lightboys seemed to be not At
all fatigued. They were forbidden to ask
visitors for money, and the officials enforce
the rule; but the boys are continually
their hands very slyly into posi-
tions where few kreutzers could drop into
them unseen by the 1ncorruptible guide;
and it is very amusing to see them do this
at every opportunity.
At the head of the staircase certain per
sons are permitted to sell carvings, such az
books and toys in pure white salt, as souve-
Mrs of the visit. of which our party carried
off a full supply. had realized my dream
as a boy, and the book / brought away re-
minded me for years, till it melted, of the
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