The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-10-19
UNDERGROUND In LOUISA.
FIVE HUNDRED FEET BELOW THE
SURFACE.

SUHFACE.
In the Midst Of y Giistsning Mass OF
Iron Pvrites-The Mother OF sulphuric
| Acid-A Natural Copper Factory-Com-
Portable Worhmen.
About fifty miles from Richmond you
may drop five hundred and seventy feet be-
low the surface OF the earth.
You drop in bucket and the hole is the
shaft Of the mine Of the Arminius copper
Mines Company, where is dug daily hun
dreds Of tons Of iron pyrites, from which IS
manufactured sulphuric acid.
Leaving Richmond by the afternoon tram
an saturday on the Chesapeake and ONO
railroad, you are landed after dark IN MIN
eral. City, old Tolersyille. Here captain
HIM. Bancroft, the genial superintendent
of the mines, hands you INTO wasom,
drawn by two determined mules. which VIII
be driven only by the crippled darky VINO
ia possessed Of anuntiriDg vocabulary. over
a pretty fair road ysu are trundled for TWO
miles. and finally stop in the midst OF
number Of lights twinkling among the
trees.
The party of four-I had forgotten to men,
tinn that three OF you started from hlch-
mond-are met by Mr.. w. Ii. Adams, the
manager, and he and Captain bancroft see
that all are properly refreshed. hlleI a
brief inspection OF the hoistinR anu seh'ii-
ating machinery, all rig themselves IN
miners suits of light duck, stick small,
omen lamp in the hat, and squeeze into the
bucket, which has capacity OF one ton OF
the heavy ore. Clang goes the signal Dell,
and down slides the bucket. The smart IS
slightly slOping and the bucket moves
slowly but easily on its four wheels INTO
the darkness. At intervals Of one hundred,
one hundred and fifty, two hundred, Two
hundred and fifty, three hundred ana MY,
| four hundred, four hundred ana MY, ana
five hundred, ore levels drifting into Diach-
ness. BY the time the bucket mas
passed the hundred feet level the shaft has
changed its walls to the natural ore, and
this wall remains OF the same material 10
| the bottom. Below the five hundred level
| the excavation has been continued seventy
| feet, and is carried on as rapidly as liine
and the filling Of contract orders VIII
permit. o.n ouo
pure spring OF water. ms Is con-
| Quoted by pipes TO the bottom OF tne smart
with spigots at east level. The result Is
that the miners have an abundant supply
| nj Z.
where bv powerful copper water. The drill
! ing is done by air This Is compressed al
the surface. Its temperature is reduced by
a series of pipes passing through cold water,
| and its escape from the drills Is sulhcient
| to keep the air IN the mine always sweet
| and fresh.
| Here in the bowels of the earth men work
night and day. except on sunday, ana tne
hiss of escaping air, the drip, drip drip Oh
| water, the rumble OF the hosting bucket
| and the thunder of heavy ore dropped inio
barrOws are almost unceasing. But ilttie
woodwork supports are found IN the lower
levels of the mine, as the drifts are cut
| through the solid ore. As said before, the
aim at present is largely TO develop the
mine. While this is gong on us history may
| be reviewed, and some interesting nSures
| NAV be given. The mine lies In the mineral
| ridge which extends irregularly from New
| York 10 Alabama, and here in Virginia
NAV be considered a sort OF sample treas
| ure house OF the underground wealth. vi iIhe
| Old Dominion, as here are found the helli,
tite ore, gold, lead, copper, sulphur, ana
| other minerals in more or less abundance
| For some years before the war iron ore
| was mined in the surface pits, but IN 1850 IL
! was discovered that beneath these PITS
were beds of ore containing copper.
| 4 company purchased the mines ana
| worked it until 1873, when shaft 2lO ieet
deep had reached cOpper-bearlng VEN
| twentv-seven feet wide. The fall In the
| value of copper caused work 10 cease i)r
| the time until 1888, when the pres
ent company was organized. lhey oega',
| work upon most scientific principles starter
| .haft number three and on the one hundred
and ffty level connected it with the old
| shaft. which they reopened so as to give a
\ free drought for air and 10 permit means
| of escape for the miners in case OF accident
| at the shaft-head. Shaft number two was
| also opened several hundred feet tentatlVei!
| bnt work ceased on that because OF the
| difficulty at that time Of getting the ore 10
the railroad.
| So heavily charged with iron and copper
| salts are these waters and the western
| part Of the river that the company mas es-
| tabished regular natural copper factory
Oh the drift connecting shafts one ana
| three. Here in slump are piled All I'M
| Elements of metals which have become
| otherwise useless, and in very snort
| while the water, acting on the metal,
changes il 10 valuable copper &C.
| ment. which is gathered IN heaVy
daEes, and barreled for shipment.
Recently branch railroad has been Dullt
| to Mineral City, and is kept busy Trans
porting the one thousand tons OF pyrltes
| ore winch are ilVhi wy
each week. This ore is shipped TO Rlch-
mond. Va, Savannah, Ga, Cleveland, ",
Baltimore. Md, and points in Connecticut,
| and as there are less than hall dozen sdcn
mines in operation in this country, some
idea of the value of the metal may be mad
| Here are some estimates Of Mr.. W. IL.
Adams, the manager:
! A ton Of our average ores will produce
| lilo tons OF commercial sulphuric -
acid worth To-day at SIS. ......~..sl9 80
| we can produce the above acid. and
| s,ntntion Tor s,..'.....,,.,......... l1.SO
leaving n profit of....................... SS. 90
| rhis Is tie profit on each gross ton OF
| mine ore, without calculating copper
| values.
| Again: 0l. ions Of our average mine
| ore will produce identically the same
amount Of suphuric acid as one ton
| OF birthstone, or will produce AZ TONS
| OF sulphuric acid, suitable for fertl-
| lzers.
Az IONS sulphuric acid, 4s deg b. cost
ut al So. ....... .................'elo on
| i tons phosphate rock. cost us, at IS. 5000
- tons nller, cost US, at 81. w
Nanufocturine expenses ........ ..... IL so
costs M. '''..'. ',............ .... .s67. 90
ar one ton costs us.....,................ $40
The sale price OF this product Is from
| $40 sl4 per ton, according 10 lOca-
lion of the plant from which sale is
made
say, 10 tons acid phosphate. standard
quality, at So.
| Iess cost as above .. 81 90
| Leaves net proft............ ........s33. 90
This profit of s33 being the product OF
"a tons Of mine ore, IL follows that
each ton OF mine ore Is worth, by the
process of manufacture into acid
| phosphate, the sum OF S1OoO
But the whistle blows everybody to bed,
for it is Saturday night, and an inspection
Of the surface must be deferred until day
light.
Sunday morning, bright and clear, opens
with perfect quiet reigning about the mine
property. In their neat homes among the
trees, the miners are enjoying their day OF
rest, and hardly a human figure is seen