Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-01-11

liberated ore falls and IS loaded into
cars in the tunnel. The lessees pay
the mining company for hosting the
ore, and the CoWenhoven Tunnel 60.
receive 40 cents for each car hauled
through their tunnel to the shipping
bins. The ore cars will hold about
two tons of ordinary ore. These pro-
,specting drifts are very narrow and
the rock is not supported by timbers.
The ones we entered ), we're half filed
with waste, and we were obliged to get
down on our knees in order to enter.
It wasn't a. pleasant thought when one
was burrowed into one of these sutfo-
eating little holes to think that there
was at least 1900 feet of solid rock be-
tween one self and Gods sunlight.
Yet these miners will do nothing else.
After they once have become miners
they stick to the mines, and continue
the work as long as they are able.
What they have to contend with in the
sampling, assaying and treatment of
their ore we will attempt to describe
in future article. The farmers of
Minnesota have trouble in the grading
and wei Ching of their chief products
to their satisfaction, and many feat
ures of their work are disagreeable
and laborious, but in our estimation
their lot is enviable compared with
that of an average miner.
A very simple contrivance is used
to encourage the circulation Of fresh
air into these shifts frolp~@ the tunnel.
A pipe is raised up and a lighted
candle placed at it's lower end.
The giant powder used for lblasting
comes in sticks about the size of an
ordinary candle. It will not easily
explode unless it is warmed. The
miner places what he will need on the
bottom of an inverted tinpail with
lighted candle on the under side. In
this way he ''thaws' it to fit it for use.
My guide, while explaining this, held
stick Of 1t so near his lighted candle
that it made me feel quite uncomfort-
able.
We left the tunnel of level 13 and
were hoisted up to the top of the shaft,
seated on the upper edge of a loaded
ore car, with our bodies bent down as
far as possible. Gaining the main
tunnel again, we proceeded on our
way farther into the mountains.
About a quarter of a mile further on
we care to the siding which led to the
Bushwhacker mine. This was also
an inclined shaft, although the shape
and equipment differed somewhat
from the one into which we had just
descended. AS all the mines along
this tunnel are worked about in the
same manner, we did not descend into
any more of them. Still further in we
encountered the Park Region mine,
where we were not allowed to ascend
the steps into the upper engine room.
The hoist of this property is run by
steam, the boilers being located on
the outside of the mountain. The next
mine was the Pontiac where a new
shaft is being sunk. We might have
Continued farther in and visited seve-
raj more mines, but concluded that it
was time to retrace our steps out of
the murky Cowenhoven.
After turning the last curve, the
bright daylight was seen at the distant
end of the tunnel, and it was a well
come sight after having been in the
dark passages for nearly three hours.
A stiff cold breeze was blowing into
the tunnel. My guide said in summer
time, the air enters through the upper
shafts and blows out through the tun-
mel.
We visited the upper workings Of
some of the exclusive rich corpora
tion mines in the vicinity after we
came out, but as we expect to descend
into them on some future occasion,
we will not attempt any description of
what we saw there at this time.
V. f. l..