New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-04

pure salt would employ three times the NUMBER
Of men in the whole mine. The material Is so
solid as TO require 10 framework of any Hlhd'
The pts are all rectangular with nat cehl"es,
and some Of them large enough 10 contain
pood-sizcd house, notably the most extensive WHICH
saw and which is the one where the salt Sche'
10 me the whltest and puiest. once Il lof'hIeh''
| was told, the pits are surveyed ana the miners
are paid for what they have done, DN cuolc
measure The method Of working consists in
deepening. from the walls inward, ana IN extend
Ing the length Of the pit the cutting being always
begun along the rectangular lines when hhht
:hc space The light used is very Imperfect,
each miner carrying n common iron oii-ahhp,
swinging on long spike, Of the kind generally
used throughout Europe in railway tnhheiiihg'
The administration il o: course complicated. We
are in Italy. and it could not be otherwise Even
in the deepest parts of the mine there are ell
poyes everywhere, seated on blocks OF salt, pencil
and paper in hand, jotting down by the leeoie
lieht Of an oil lantern the weights shouted onc
10 them by the laden poreis a. they pass
Every one knows that salt mine is government
monopoly in Italy. and the precautions taken 10
prevent the miners from carrying away tIle SHALL
est crystal are without end. As sald before,
thcr. are rot more than $50 men at work. Ger
fdi'N nov less IMAM IlIA OlltidlS hlt 'i"P'"''
in watching them. who would be- far better
occupied in handling the picks themselves
The average quantity of salt raised to the
surface daily is about 900 Quintals, or Ninety
tons. 1t will hardly be believed that ak the
salt is still cartcd a distance of many miles
in one direction to the railway, and in the
other 10 tlr Mediterranean coast. though in the
first instance the road leafs through gently
uudulatiug country. over which IL would bc IA
matter of little expense % build a light railway.
Altogether. where great natural wealth exists,
it seems az though everything were done to
hinder il from becoming easG available.
And this appears - be generally the trouble
in Italy. The theory is good, but there is too
much of il. The practice is imperfect ana
nothing j. done 10 improve II. Hence tbs
apparent and real contradiction in opinion con-
corning Tire present and future of the beautiful
land Few, indeed have not felt thrill of
enthusiasm in reading the history Of lta9in
Inity-but few have not felt a chill OF dis
appointment and regret in contemplating the
present results Of the great Eru9"ie for inde-
Icndencr | remember. when little boy, that
was made Ia stand upon chair and join IN
a cheer for President Lincoln and Victor
Emmanuel just thirty-two years ago. And now
within few days | lave wa@ed grass grown
streets Of rootc>s ami windowlc>s unfinished
residence houses just by the walls of Rome, and
have trayerscd New-Nork in all IFS length and
breadth, and | have seen what thirty-two years
have done And 10 make the contrast wider,
within few months | have seen the wild,
unciyilized Albanian Of Cahbra at work in biz
salt mine aud driving goats among his Jagged
hills. ana have seen Calabrians by the hundred
~ tine same generation Of men and OF the same
age in the precincts of Mulberry-st., certainly
more than half civilized and most evidently
tending 10 we'll being AMI prosperity. Perhaps
there j. no particular moral 10 be drawn from
the comparison Of two brothers living in diff
f"rcnt places.
Did you ever read Amy the Meancst Man i'll
Sprlue Comfy" I'm going to be Wholesale
man said Xury. aged about sixteen ycars-and
he kept bis word, with very good results. ours
+, a wholesale country, BAT italy-bcautiiul,
passionate. patriotic uncomfortable ltaly-be-
nc,rs in retail +. MARION CRAWFORD.