Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-24

and it is about as umpromising looking place
one would wish to see. Down IN gulch at the
foot Of the hill stands the STAMP mill" where
the party were taken first, and there they
found MIR. Archer, formerly superintendent Of
the works, now in charge of the White Hall
mines in Virginia, both ready and able to
answer all of his queries with regard to the
workings of the mill
The building is set at the foot Of hill so
that the top floor is in direct communication
with the mines by means of a tramway, and the
ore is brought down and dumped here to be
fed into the jaws of a great crusher which feeds
on quartz; the facility with which this machine
chews up the solid rock and spits it out in small
pieces would make a dentists heart ache.
The ore after being put through this is carried
down through chute to the stamps, which are
ten in number and work something ON the
principle of pile driver, striking about 700
blows per minute and reducing the rock to a
fine powder. in which state it is carried down
over an endless rubber belt coated with quick
silver, through various cradles and shaking
precious load are deposited at the end Of the
machine.
"PANNINa."
The members of the institute seemed much
interested in the work and several .cleaned
up" PAINFUL Of the products and investigated
them closely with pocket glasses. To be in the
swim the reporter hustled around, got o pan, q
shovel full of dirt, and got his arms wet up to
the elbow in his endeavOrs to flop the water out
OF the pan and leave some of the dirt behind;
however, he tried to look thoroughly at home
and as though he we're in the habit OF squatting
on the bank of a stream and 'panning" for
twelve hours a day. just as he had finished,
that Is when he had decided that if he did it
any more there would be no more dirt in the
pan, one OF the employees stepped up and in
formed him that he working the tailings
langlice, refuse) and he might wash them for
forty-elght hours and never get a color. The
STAR reporter went in the character of an iuno-
cent spectator after that. After every one had
satisfied himself as to the workings of the
stamp mill the party proceeded to the office,
where fine assortment of ores was laid out for
inspection. Here the whole character of the
vein was shown up in all its varieties and the
reporter gazed with envy on fragments Of white
quartz holding the precious metal and nuggets
of solid gold; one in particular, a 81 ounce
piece, worth about $50, commanding particular
admiration. The engineers seemed to be skep-
tical about the mine. and there was a general
tendency toward the idea that perhaps things
were viewed bit too enthusiastically by those
concerned. There was another ore sitting over
by itself on desk, fanked by pitcher Of
water and two glasses, and after every one had
taken a sample as a souvenir and pronounced
1t "A carat tine lunch was announced This was
served In the Senator's house and was presided
over by Mrs. Walker, his daughter After a
bounteous repast, which was made doubly ac-
cePtable to every one by the long drive through
the cold air, the visitors lighted cigars and,
under charge OF DIR. Kempster, a partner with
the Senator, started for the mine itself.
THE MINE.
There is one shaft about 160 feet deep giving
off three drifts on the vein. The shaft house
is a little white washed building containing the
mouth of the shaft, tool room and a forty
horsepower hosting engine The reporter
M mn nd kaH gin h.
opening and came to the conclusion that it was
q very unpromising sort of a place, ANYHOW:
thought about going over and asking the engi-
neer If the rope was perfectly safe and il the
bucket ever fell off before it got to the top, but
MIR. Archer solved the difficulty by handing him
a candle and informing him that they were to
go down by the air hole; did not know exactly
what an air hole was, but concluded it was no
worse than that big black hole with the slender
cable dangling like long wire snake down the
middle.
The visitors went outside and down the side
of hill until they came to a little square box,
which looked like man hole in q sewer There
Mr.. Archer showed aside the top and lighting
his candle babe the party follow. As the ex-
superintendent head disappeared the reporter
sent up small prayer, wondering il his acct
dent policy was in good working order and
then set foot on a long line of ladders set I'D
like the wind in Paddy's hurricane, which blew
straight up and down.
DOWN THE SHAFT.
Down and down they went, some one stepped
on some one else's hat and howl of anguish
went up. Then the bottom man received a
tribute Of hot candle grease down the back of
his neck and quoted the 18th Psalm at the one
above him. The timbers became damp and
water dripped from walls and ceiling on any
one who was in range. They squeezed through
small holes between muddy timbers and then
as they recolected that they had on their
Sunday toys" thought how poor McGinty
must have felt when he went down dressed.
&C." One hundred and sixty feet from sun
light, and there was the drift stretching out
ahead, a dull CLEAN beyond showing where the
two miners are working in the heading. The
quartz shows out plainly now and in some
out in little shining points. This is the .'day
shift at work. They go on at am. and
work until pm, when the might shift" take
their places. Two men In each heading and
others to carry out the ore to the shaft and
load constitute the underground gang DIR.
kempster said the mine was a very dry one.
Well, perhaps it is, but when we have days as
dry as that mine almost every one carries an
umbrella. The vein varies from to 81 feet
in width and extends clear to the surface
where 1t crops out in several places, running
nearly northeast and southwest.
BACK TO DAYLIGHT
After seeing everything below the visitors
Aotoihco W suo VI VIC sudlL anu IOunQ
the bucket waiting for them-rather a primi-
tive elevator, but, as it was at least quicker
than the ladders, they got up on the edge and
were hoisted rapidly to the land of light again.
little more time was spent in looking around
and then, after bidding the Senator, Mr. Russ
and DIR. Kempster goodbye. the party climbed
once more into their stages and started back
for the city, where they arrived about s pm,
convinced that the gold mines Of Maryland
were Of more Importance than they had sup
posed.
GOLD MINING IN MARYLAND.
Gold was first discovered in Maryland during
the war by W. A. Clesry, an old 4ser, then q
sutler in company stationed at Great Falls
He came back after the war, started company
and worked the mines, but, presumably through
the dishonesty of some one, no gold was ever
found. There is a story Of one lump OF quartz
| taken ont weighing ABOUT 2,250 pounds and
! supposed to contain some 81, 900. This mystic
rionsiy disappeared and the company broke up
| and another was formed to work on the Mont
| gomery place, which was afterward bought
out by Kirk and sold by him to its present
| owner. Seven thousand two hundred and twenty
one dollars vas received at the United
States mint last year from Maryland and that
amount came entirely from two mines near
Rockville, those belonging to Senator Sawyer