Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1901-11-14
THE SOUTHS COPPER FIELDS.
Interesting Account of the Various Pro.
CessesilnvOvediin the Manufacture
of Copper.

OF Copper
} Ducktown definite is a struggling
town on the A., X, q n. Railroad, ab
solutely unattractivs and uninviting.
Ducktown indefinite is tract Of land
about ten miles square, and includes
the mining towns and works operated
by the Ducktown sulphur Copper and
Iron Company and the Tennessee Cop.
per Company.
The first view of Ducktown is start
ling-nothing but hills-not tree or
other sign of vegetable life for miles
around.
AT Mary Mines there are two shafts
opened, a new one and an old and two
hosting engines
The old shaft is sunk to three levels
or floors and it is on the 2O-fathom bent
that one gets the best idea of cop
per miners life underground.
The building covering the shaft CON
tains the engine for running the lift
and near by is the time keepers office
and supply house
Before stepping on the cage as the
men call the elevator it is we'll to put
on macintosh and pull the cap, to
which is attached the little mining
lamp, we'll over your head. The signal
is given and the lift drops swiftly down,
the air grows cooler each second and
the 20-fathom level is reached and
utter darkness.
About the mouth of the shaft for
fifteen feet is a flooring of iron slabs
and from this the drifts lead north,
south and west.
Until the eyes get accustomed to tie
blackness nothing can be seen but the
lamps of the miners moving to and fro
Gradually your sight comes to you and
the wonders grow.
The drifts are narrow roadways lead
ing to the chant bers and slopes. Along
the drifts are laid the tracks for the
tram cars which convey the ore to the
shaft In some places of the drifts the
ceilings are oyer seventy feet high, in
others not six. Here heavy timbers
form the roofing and there tho earth
itself.
After whatsecmed long walk in the
darkness, which makes walking any
thing but safe pleasure, chamber is
reached from which comes the thud,
thud of drill at work The machine
is run by compressed air and operated
by two men, the machinst who gets
SLIGO per day and a chucker, his helper,
who gets Is cents less. 1t is these men
who do the blasting. After the hole is
is drilled fuse fitted with silver full
inmate cap of 60 pounds pressure and
30 per cent nitro .glycerine The
cap is dropped in the excavation, the
fuse lighted and the men with warn
ing shout to other, retire to a safe dis
tance and wait In strained expectancy
for the report. 1t comes, deafening
roar, rolling up and down the drifts and
reverberating from slope to slope
Then the men gather to see the result
The aspect of the chamber is changed;
huge pieces of copper weighing 800 tons,
some more, some less have been
thrown in all in all directions and the
chamber is by many feet deeper and
wider
Now comes the work of the blockers
who take out the ore and earn 81. so a
day and the muckers who hammer it up
at $l.25. Next the trammers load the
cars which hold a ton and push them
out to the shaft and turn them over to
the landers, whose name explains their
work. They are paid 81. go a day.
There are contract trammers who are
paid nine cents car and company tram
mers who can make by the day SL25.
The company trammers have the best
of it as one man can run from twelve to
thirty cars in the ten hours constituting
the days work
~ VIZ lhluOlL lCfGl lut W hbtE udu
become troublesome, and one of the
men put in pump VIII ch is a puzzle to
to the miners and question to the en-
gineers. Beginning at the surface of
the 2O-fathom level is 3J9inch pipe ex-
/. tending down 80 feet. BY the side of it
is 1-iDch air pipe which turns at the
bottom and runs up feet in the larger
pipe and forces the water to the 2O-fa-
thom level. In the 45-fathom level the
pipes are % feet under water This
was all lucidly explained by Mr.. Ep.
person, shift foreman, and Mr.. Jacobs
time keeper, but not so clearly under
stood by the listener
Mr.. Epperson has been mining fol
eight years and in all that time ha.
only had one week Of daylight
But after all underground work hal
its compensations. Il is cool in sum