Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-04
CROESUS' MINES
WORKING AGAIN
Swiss Engineer Sends From
Asia Minor Account of Fam
Gus Remains of Antiquity

Zurich, Switzerland.-Croes IA
nous lead mines at Balia (Maden),
in Asia Minor, from which he is re-
puted to have drawn his fabulously
enormous wealth, are now working
again. A Swiss engineer engaged
there has sent home a remarkably
interesting, account of these famous
remains of antiquity.
''It is very rare and wonderful
mine," he says, this ancient mine OF
Balia MAIDEN. Already in the days of
Alexander. the Great it was in opera
ton, and Croesus obtained his great
treasures from it, The same entry
into the mines, consisting OF $50
marble steps, constructed all those
centuries ago, leads to vast vault
in the solid rock which makes one
wonder how the ancients could have
tunneled through the hard granite
without the aid of gunpowder or
dynamite. Colossal caves were eX-
cavated and the walls were covered
with peculiar figures and hlerogly-
phics. The proverbial wealth of the
time of Croesus can be readily be-
lieved when one sees these immense
subterranean halls and passages with
dwellings for hundreds of slaves.
To-day, in consequence OF the
disappearance of the forests, the
meteorological, neurological and geo.
logical conditions have all changed.
The grass has dried up, the roots
have lost their binding power, the
scant hold on the ground has been
loosened, and the torrential rains,
like veritable water spouts, which
come in January and February every
year, find little resistance. They
sweep away turf and soil, dig rivulets
a yard deep; everything is carried
away, often the whole surface soil
taken off, and the rocks, once over
grown and hidden by their enemies
the plants, appear again triumphant
on the surface of the earth.
Even the rocks, however, cam
not withstand the eternally trans
forming forces of the water. 1t eX-
tracts from the earth carbonic-acid
and afterwards sulphur from the
pyritic veins of lead; with carbonic
and sulphuric acids mingled together
the water literally eats away the
rock, which breaks off in blocks 2s
large as houses, and then is crushed
into fragments. In winter these are
swept together by great masses of
water and further demolished. In
summer again these fragments of
rock, soaked with water and car
comic acid. lie for months in the
burning heat of the sun; the watery
parts become heated and begin to
steam, the stone expands, but the
power of expansion is greater than
the adhesion of the molecules, and
the rock which has endured for hum
dreds of thousands of years is burst
asunder; it crumbles into sand and
dust, and lie blown away by the
winds.
what. therefore, the winter in
our climate accomplishes through
the cold, is done here by the sum.
mer heat. But even all this action OF
carbonic and sulphuric acids, water
and heat is not enough. Once more
the waters come and seize the Nigh
ty powders, saving and scratching
and dashing them together, using
them as tools to cut through the
rocky walls and form the bed of the
river. Precipitous channels are cut
through great ranges of mountains
and so the secrets of the interior are
brought to the light of day. The
ores. lead, manganese, chromium,
copper, tin and boraX are found
here. From an inextricable laby-
rinth of mine galleries, the ore is
carried. day and night, to the sur
face. 1t contains from 40 per cent.
to 10 per cent. of lead, the re-
mainder including quartz, chalcites,
pyrites (sulphur crystaD and mag
nesia. on one side of the >moun-
1dlIlS an OTe-"dSIlIS pldul Has bttIl
constructed in a building of several
stories. which is operated by four
colossal Diesel motors made in
Switzerland. At the side is a cable
railway for bringing up the ore.
This is dumped into a stone-break-
er and then into a crushing ma
chine. finally reaching the washing
troughs where it is thoroughly
cIeansed and sorted. Then it is sent
to the surfaces and melted into bars
of 100 pounds each. Even now it Is
not ready, for it contains both gold
and silver. From n ton of lead are
extracted nearly six pounds of sill
yer. and half pound of gold This
is done in a refinery.
"The director of these famous
mines is n remarkable man. He is a
Greek. but is an italian subject, and
is married to a Viennese. He speaks
and writes perfectly English. French,
Italian. German. Greek and Turk
ish: is n mining expert, geologist
and mineralogist. and one of the
greatest living authorities on min
ing affairs and electrical engineering.
He works untiring from morning TO
night, and is friendly and accessible
10 everybody. For thirty years he
has worked in these mines. still TAX
ing out the treasures of Croesus."