The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-19
WONDERS VIEWED
 IN A SALT MINE Pictures Presented Are Those
 of Another Planet
HE AIR IS tXHILARATlNG
Salt Miners Are Consumed by un- quenchable Thirst and Spend Most of Their Nights in
 Riotous Debauchery.

Herbert Vivian in Strand Magazine.
 There are four salt mines in Roumania.
 two quite close to one another. at Slanic and Doftana. One of the mines at Slanic
 dates back to the time of the Romans,
 whose methods were not so scientific as those of their modern successors. They
 made bottle-shaped excavations quite
 close to one another, with the result that the wedge of earth between bottles cons
 stantly threatened to subside Indeed, the
 other day an enormous mass, weighing
 em afraid to say how many tons came
 down with crash. and the old mine had
 to be abandoned.
 1 Modern methods avoid any such danger. i Instead of burrowing down agaiA into a new mine you cut horizontal galleries into
 the rock huge pillars of salt are left
 standing to support the earth and fresh
 caverns are hollowed out. Thus, without | any extra amount of labor 1t is possible 1 to extend the mine almost indefinitely
 and the pillars serve to confirm the ec-
 clesiastical effect of the great sIhter- ranean basilica.
 saw the old Roman mine from one of
 the upper galleries. which was reached l by strange, almost endless, tunnels, illu-
 minated with gay Chinese lanterns A | little verdure alone was needed to Alad- din. The impressions afforded by the view from this gallery were so unique
 and so marvellous that I hesitate to att tempt to describe them.
 Reminded of Dores Pictures. Some minutes were necessary to grow accustomed to the twilight A few bra
 ziers containing shavings soaked in pe- troleum were f1aring up in feverish
 manner and as I looked over into the | darkness of the abyss I was reminded of
 Dores version of Dante looking Into the
 uttermost depths of hell.
 What struck me most was the insecur- ity of my position. There was. of course. no danger whatever, and the ledge on
 which I stood was fairly broad But 1t possessed no parapet. and in order to look down 1t was necessary to come very near to the brink What added most to the
 sense of insecurity was kind of pier or
 commencement of bridge which project- ed over the abyss.
 I do not know whether it dated back to | the days of the Romans, but at any rate it was almost prehistoric in aspect. did not reed the advice of my compan- i ions to discourage any attempt at walk l ing the plank along this road to deStruc-
 tion, but I have seen few places capable | of affording more temptation to those | with suicidal inclnatiohs. l Suddenly signal was given and enor- | nous bonfires were cast down from the | roof of the mine. Several long seconds elapsed before they fizzled out In the , pond of salt water hundreds of feet be- | low. The effect was extraordinary. First | the gray walls were illuminated as the | hue molten mass blazed past then; then
 they were overcast with fieeting ghostly
 shadows. and at last plunged once more | into darkness which was only empha-
 sized by the flickering lights above.
 Tub Covered With Drlppings.
 Perhaps the prettiest object in this old
 placed some years ago upon the ledge to
 receive the drippings of salt water. I
 tasted this water and found it so salt | that it almost bit and solidifed my | tongue. As the drops fell the greater | part of them immediately crystalized
 with incredible rapldity.
 | The original tub was no longer to be seen. If had been covered up entirely
 with glistening encrustations, which gave
 1t the appearance of a huge snow foun- | tain adorned with the most exquisitely 1 artistic designs. It was now about six l feet high and several feet in thickness.
 while piece of string which had been
 suspended above 1t had now become a
 rope of molten pearls.
 Returning along the tunnel we passed