The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-02-20
THE MECHANICS, LECTURES.
Mir. George F. Kunz of New York Spoke on the UraI Mountains-The Mines-Pecu- Iiarities of the Country.

I 1 Iiarities of the Country.
 The second lecture in the Mechanics course was delivered last evening at North Sheffield han on "The Ural Noun tains'' by MT. George F. Kunz of New York. Mir. Kunz is an expert on pre- cious stones and the mining of the same, and is with Tiffany 6 Go. of New York. | MT. Kunz began his lecture with de scription of a trip up the Ural river, along which he says the towns are nam ed from different landings, wharves, etc., much the same as they are on the Mississippi river, only in another lam | guage. The river towns are composed of low wooden buildings, thatched with straw, and it is usually the case that all the other buildings In these towns are not worth as much as the church, The | troilSa, the Russian vehicle known the l world over, was described. It is usu- ally drawn by three horses, those on each side being trained to hold their heads to the right and left respectively, while the middle horse holds his head up high and ooks straight ahead. These conveyances often make ten miles an hour on an average during the day. The horses always go at gallop. The soil of the Ural region is quite fertile and through this section runs the great road to Siberia. The Russian roads are generally good and on the average much better than those in the United States. The Ural region. extends north and south about 700 miles and divides Europe from Asia. The noun tains are not extremely high, however, the highest peak only being 5,540 feet in altitude. This region is divided into sections-on the north Great Russia south of this the Turgees and still far ther south the famous Cossacks, who compose the best section of the Russian army. Nearly all the platinum used in the world IS obtained in this region, about quarters as much gold year. ly as is produced in the United States, and vast amounts of iron. A picture was shown which gave a vivid idea of the manner in which the platinum is washed from the earth which is brought up with it. The pits from which this is dug up are seventy or eighty feet apart and not very deep. The material is hoisted up by primitive windlassesl
 In the production of iron no ore or substance which does not contain 60 per cent of pure iron is used, and from this pure iron Is made the famous Rus sian iron. A rigid law is In force in the mining region which fixes the limit of a days work to eight hours. One hour is allowed for breakfast between 8 and 9 o'clock, two hours for dinner between 12 and ? o'clock, and one hour for sup per from 4 to 5.
 Some copper mines have been worked for over one hundred years and are yet yielding rich ore. All the best copper mines are on the European side of the range.
 A revenue from all mines goes to the crown, and in addition to this there is 8 per cent. tax to the crown on gold.
 55OO0O tons of copper ware, cooking vessels, laying dishes and other dishes are made yearly, and the most of these go to the Orient, where they are taken by caravans.
 The products, from farms and other wise, are weighed on the old fashioned scale balance, and no native will sell anything to be weighed unless on the other side are placed the towr weights which range from one to forty pounds These weights are large chunks of iron, with handles much like flatiron handles. In each village is master of weights, whose duty 1t is to super intend all weighing.
 The tents used by the inhabitants of this region, who are to great ex- tent nomadic, MT Kunz says, are the strongest structures of the kind he ever saw.
 Of late years an insect has been working among the pine forests in the mountainous sections of the Urals and many of the tracts of timber are now nearly totally destroyed.
 There are in this region many de- posits of gems, and some of the finest emeralds of the world have been found there.
 No one who is working in any of the mines is allowed to go elsewhere to work unless he has a permit from the chief of police of his district. The women are the water carriers and in fact they carry all heavy burdens and do much of the hard work
 MT. Kunz is connected with the firm of Tiffany & Co. of New York and had charge of their exhibit in Paris in 1889, and at Chicago in 1893. He is we'll known as an expert on gems and has travelled extensively in search of precious stones. His lecture gave the of keen observer.