The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-03-26
A WONDERFUL MINE.
1T is BURROWED THROUGH 1000
FEET OF SOLID ROCk.
The Descent Into the MIne-Its
Atmosphere Very Pure-Weird
Sights and Odd Sounds
Far Underground.

Frank Vincent in his book, "Around
and About South America" gives this
interesting description of the mine of
Moro Vellio, situated near Congonbas,
Brazil 1t is the greatest gold mine on
the Southern Continent, and one of the
most remarkable in the world.
A very remarkable and interesting ex-
perience was my descent into the mine.
At one of the neighboring Offices some
miners clothes were given me. Espe-
cially useful as a shield against falling
stones was hat made of very stout felt.
To the front of this candle was stuck
into small lump of soft clay. Two iron
cages, or cars, were run with wire ropes
by water power, and filled a vertical
shaft, bored, after the first hundred feet
or so, in the solid rock, to a depth of
1850 feet. One car ascends while the
other descends, carrying the miners, or,
ut other times the gold rock, in little
iron cars which are run in and out upon
rails. Not far from the point where the
gallery branches from the shaft, is the
original starting of the drift by the pres
ent company, the lode running toward
the east by an angle of forty-fve degrees.
This drift descends several hundred feet
ID large level space, then there is an
abrupt descent of perhaps fifty feet, and
another great level, another descent of
fifty feet and then smaller level, and
you arrive at the extreme bottom of the
mine. In reaching the bottom we de-
scended innumerable ladders of inter-
minable length. The roofs and sides of
the mine were everywhere supported by
the hardest woods of Brazil. Two feet
square was the average thickness of these
timbers, though I occasionally saw them
as much as three feet square. At the
bottom, such of the roof as could see
seemed supported by great wooden col
umns, between which was solid back
ing of heavy planking. Then some
twenty feet below this was a row of
enormous legs, placed about fifteen feet
apart. From the last stage the bottom
of the mine is reached by long wire
rope ladder, loosely hung against the
perpendicular wall. It is necessary to
have q ladder of this kind, for the fire.
quent blasts would soon destroy wooden
one. The lode, at the end, 5000 feet
below the surface, is about fifty feet in
width, and so itch that the dark gray
stone fairly glisters in the light of the
miners candles. Comparatively little
water is in the mine, the pump drawing
from shallow pool through long can
vas tube. AS fast as the gallery ad-
vances the huge timbers are placed just
below the roof, across it. 1t seems won
dcrfui how the men can get tree trunk
three feet square and nearly hundred
feet in length into such seemingly mac
!. TessibIe positions. It is done by means
!, + great chains and the assistance of q
steam engine.
All through the mine the visitor is
startled and alarmed by variety of con-
tinuous rumblings and reverbrations.
The calls of the men to each other and
the commands of the bosses have also an
ominous sound. These goblin noises,
penetrating through the murky darkness,
combine with the miners lights, which
dart about like so many vicious Jack O.
Lanterns, to surround one with pande-
monium. The air, however, is everywhere
remarkably pure, pleasantly disillusion-
ary fact, rather unusual, as no fresh air
is forced down from above. At the end
of the drift I found about a dozen men
drilling holes in the ore producing min
eral vein, and another dozen engaged in
putting in new timbers. From here you
can look straight up, along some thou
sands of feet to the beginning of the
drift, over the two platforms, and above
to the roof, 400 feet distant. The width
varies from fifty to hundred feet. 1t is
a most wonderful, awe-inspiring cavity.
No other mine in the world can boast of
greater.
While watching the men and standing
on the next highest platform, noises like
distant but heavy thunder would occasion
ally be heard. These, they told me, were
blasts in remote and smaller galleries.
Dynamite is used for these blasts, seventy
five pounds day being required. The
men at the end of our gallery next fired
seventeen charges, as we all stood under
what is regarded as the strongest wall,
for fear of horrible stone fakes falling,
though the drifts are blasted and cleared
so effectually that there is but very little
danger. The various reports of the ex-
plodiug charges were appalling. The
successive waves of air struck us with
powerful force. After the sharp crash, as
of the heaviest artillery, the ground
would violently shake beneath our feet,
while the whole mine appeared to be
rocking and tumbling for some seconds.
,, The revcrbcrating echoes were especially
sonorous.
The clattcr of the mills is beard night
and day, Sundays and holidays, week in
and week out. The mining works were
all shown me by the obligiug supcrin-
tendent, Mr.. Chalmers. A general view
of the place brings into prominence a
huge water course and iron siphon COM
inc down hill to the extreme left or
west. The driving power is water, in
troduccd in fumes, and this one is seven
miles in length. Then you see, at the
north, the quarter where the married
! laves reside, a ID, some dis tance above it
on the hillside, the abode of the bachelor
miners, appropriately styled "Timbuc-
too" The stamping mills, with their
! rock-crushcrs ana the strakcs, are in the
center, tucked in little valley; nearer