The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-04-30

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aqueous precipice, running down TO the
bottom OF the lake.
STRUGGLES WITH THE WAVES.
| Again ana again, I'm spite OF the most
! careful engineering The cribwork was
washed away. One who has never be
| come intimately acquainted with this
I great body OF water, the largest body OF
| fresh water on the globe. can have no
I conception OF the enormous power OF the
storms that sometimes sweep up against
| these northern shores.
| After working month, Is hours out OF
| the =. nearly lS0o feet OF crbbing had
| been constructed. bolted together IA
| strong fashion and hlled I'm with huge
| rocks, tho cribbing being some thirteen
| feet deep and of enormous weight On
I August &c. 1870. 200 feet OF this cribwork
was torn away like bits OF dolls house
| by a gale from the southwest.
Mining was already in progress, how
| ever. and over 100000 worth Of silver was
| taken but while the preliminary cribworlS
| was being put in. A short time after the
mining operations stopped for the winter
! huge piece or the breakwater was torn
away by the waves, and 5000 tons OF rock
4 tossed out into the lake.
When spring came the lake resumed its
onslaughts. On March sea after sea
came rushing in. bearing great cakes OF
| Ice and hurllng them upon the cribwork.
| They battered down the great timbers
| like so many reeds.
During the month $1,000 feet OF timber
| and 6oU tons OF rock were torn away
| from the reef, as though some mighty
| giant were trying TO see how much in
| jury he could inrict. The mine was left a
mass OF ruins by these storms.
But still stronger breakwaters and
cribs were put In place, and notwith-
standing the delays and storms and the
incompleteness or the mine. nearly $1,000 :
900 I'm ore was taken out during the sum-
mer.
So rich was the lode that not more than
twenty miners were at work at any one
time. Tie next year $500 900 worth OF ore
was taken out, and the next year s426. 900
worth came up the narrow throat Of the
mine
All this time the shaft was being sunk
deeper and deeper under the waters of
the great lake. 1t ran I'm a somewhat
slanting direction out under the water,
and In late October. 1873. the shaft was
nearly 300 feet deep. Here for the first
time water was encountered, and IL at
once began TO tight the miners.
vein opened into n crevice from the
lake, and the miners had 10 flee for
their lives. The shaft began 10 hll at the
rate OF about ten feet per hour To add
w ti4t ttbtldi misfortune a neaNY sou
wester set In, followed I'm a few days later
by another, doing $4,000 worth OF dam
age.
RICHNESS OF THE ORE.
Notwithstanding all the disaster and
disbursement. the mine was worked
With even greater zeal. The ore for the
first two or three years was full OF the
packing type, rich enough 10 be ship
ped away I'm stacks and barrels for smelt-
Ing. Some OF this ore yielded $1,000 per
ton Frequently nuggets OF pure silver
were taken out.
In addition there were fully 10000 tons
Of rock to be crushed In a stamp mill
worth from $40 20 $50 per ton Nearly
$550.0oo I'm silver was taken out I'm lsTS
About 100000 was expended I'm erecting
and fitting out stamp mill which in less
than year turned out 1925, 900
The mine shaft now ran out under the
lake nearly 1900 feet. There were occa-
sional levels leading away from the main
smart. Some turned out poorly. and there
were discouraging waits and fears that
the mine was exhausted: again there
would be bonanza stroke. and the ore
would come out I'm startling abundance
The mine, which had been named the
Silver Isles, had now become famous the
world over. II was looked upon as a mar
vel In modern mining, from ats curious To-
history
and because within a short period the
one slender shaft below the waves. under
conditions of peculiar discouragement.
had yielded s3.5o00O0 worth of silver.
IL was strange mixture of races
among the miners. Among them were
many Cornishmen, who looked rather
disdainfully upon the other foreigners.
ana many We're the battles between
them.
The Dominion riot act was read bv the
superintendent on three occasions There
was no place where liquor could be bought
within - miles. Some ventureson,e nod
dlers, however. were selling a wretrhed
brand of stun to the ministers on the
sly. bringing in their supplies by stealth
on occasional boats.
To do away with this form of traffic
the company decided TO open a saloon
itself. IL was a curious experiment
Each man was allowed three drinks
OF whlskey per day. no two at the same
time. library and reading room had
been fitted up in one OF the larger build
ings and i'm one end or this room a bar
was set up--liquor and library. a unique
The bar was made so high and broad
that not even the most agile miner could
scale the hattlements for the settlement
with the bartender OF any real or fam
cied injury. Back Of the bar was large
blackboard. divided into small numbered
souares. Each miner was given num-
ber
Whenever he wanted n drink he went
TO the bar, gave his number. and got
his whiskey. chalk mark was made
In his square on the blackboard. and
when three marks were made against
him the incident was closed for the
day.
OLD SCORES STILL STAND.
This identical board still stands back |
cf the dust-covered bar at the end OF the
silent dreary reading room. and the |
chalk marks of over a quarter Of ccn-
iury are still upon IT,
At the lower end of the reef stands the |
search house. a building through |
which all the miners were compelled 20 |
pass on coming from their work |
SO much Of the silver came ont in tho |
form OF nuggets, IL was an easy matter |
for dishonest miner 20 carry off far 1
more than his wages. and all were |
searched every day. Near the search |
house were large buildings where such |
Of the miners boarded as did not care |
10 live on the mainland.
The power house and shafthouse were /