The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-27

truly marvellous. He has planted him
self firm, his legs widely apart. and his
motion, as he strikes, brings every
| muscle of the body into play. His body
moves in unison with his arms. and the
blow is delivered with all the force he
can command The oersDiration oours
down his copper-colored skin in
streams and baJnes him from head TO
foot, but still ne strikes with undimin-
ished vigor until il is time for his mate
TO relieve him. The time varies from
one 10 two hours. The drill holder
meantime revOives the drill every time
the blow is delivered, TO prevent il from
| sticking, and takes his chances of haV-
| ing his hands crushed to a Jelly with
wonderful equanimity. Accidents of
| this kind are very rare, as nothing hu-
man is truer to the mark than the blow
OF a Mexican striker. For drilling holes
| the men are paid by measurements, and
the rate is such as TO enable ''parada"
to make from SIS to IS per day. When
the holes are finished. they
are charged with black powder
or dynamite and a fuse inserted with a
highly explosive cap at the end. In this
operation accidents are not infrequent.
In fixing the cap at the end of the fuse
they usually put it in their mouths so
as TO clinch the edges of the cap to the
fuse, al the great risk of blowing their
heads off. AT other times in tamping
the charge when in the hole they strike
too hard, and cause a premature ex-
ploSion, which either kills them out
right or mutilates them for life. Some
times 1t happens that the tamping bar.
IN scraplng against the rock. strikes a
shark. causing the ignition of the
powder, with the same terrible results.
1--ese examples DO not make them
more careful. Prudence TO them is
much akin TO fear and they want 10
demonstrate that they are fearless by
taking extraordinary risks. After the
explosion is made, the poems work
commences. 1t is some time before the
spot can be reached. owing to the
smoke, but as soon as this has cleared
OF sufficiently the poems are sent in to
carry of the debris. For this purpose
they are provided with "surrones."
sacks made Of rawhides. which can
held about 100 pounds of rock. These
they Ill with their hands and load on
their backs, where they are further
held by a broad hand, which presses
against the forehead. BY bending their
backs the load is balanced, and their
hands are free With all their load
they scud along the gallery levels, go
up and down ladders with a freedom
that is remarkable. The loads are taken
10 the nearest tunnel or level which
the cars which are run to the outside.
These poems are paid from 75c to 81
per. day, according to the supply and
demand. AS rule they are scarce. as
are the miners. Their needs are few,
and they do not care TO work longer
than the time necessary to supply
them. Their diet is composed princi-
pally of corn. ''tortillas' and beans,
with meat occasionally. Coffee is also
part of their diet when circumstances
will permit.
A great number of the old mines have
numerous and extensive workings of an
irregular character, where il is not
possible to communicate by rail with
the surface. in others the nature OF
the mine itself causes the irregularity,
such as the famous pocket mines of the
BatOpilas district, in the state of
Chihuahua, where large deposits OF
silver may be found one day and no
traces left on the next TO follow up.