Year: 1879

DOWN IN A SILVER NINE.


The Terrific Heat that was E1periencedin in
tho Savage Mine, near Virginia City
New, by a Party,


Mr.. E. R. Cleveland, Of Bodie, New,
and Virginia City CHRONICLE reporter
accompanied Superintendent Gilletteinto
the Savage mine to examine the great
heat issuing from the levels lately drained
of hot water. While the party were
waiting their turn to descend miner
came up with nothing on but a pair OF
overalls, shoes and hat, his skin looking
as though it had been parboiied. The
superintendent inquired:


"How are things getting on belowp"


"Oh, very well, sir hevry thing is hall
right, but hit is very 'ot there now," an
swered the man.


In few minutes the party were rapid
ly descending the shaft, which was so
full of hot steam as to produce at first a
feeling of suffocation. The steam comes
up in binding volume, which increases
in ter, peratrre until the landing place,
1900 feet from the surface, is reached.
Here there is still much visible steam,
although the atmosphere feels dryer and
hotter than any yet encountered. A sense
of horrible confinement from which there
seems to be no escape and in which there
must be constant struggle to keep from
falling exhausted seiZes the visitor and is
not dispelled until he enters the cooling
room, where the mouth of an air-pipe
coming from the surface strikes him as a
grateful blast from the North Pole.
Without retreats of this kind the miners
could not work at all. They are obliged
to remain longer in the cooling-room
than at the picks and shovels, so debili-
tating is any exertion in such tenn
perature.


After attaining a comfortable condi-
ton in the cooling room the party entered
the incline giraffe to 60 to the 2, 100 level,
the part of the mine last drained. The
iron sides of the giraffe were SO hot that
they could scarcely be touched without
burning the flesh. The heat seemed to
come fairly out of the rock on all sides,
while perceptible hot draft proceeded
from the bottom of the incline. Each
had large piece of ice in his hand to
use on his pulse. arms, neck or to hold
in proximity to his mouth whenever the
hot air appeared to burn the lungs when
inhaled. Thus provided the giraffe was
rung down. It descended rapidly until
within about fifteen feet of the 2,l0O
level. The heat increased with every
foot until the station was reached. Here
it was 80 intense that all felt themselves
wobbling when they rose to get out of
the giraffe. An air-pipe close to the
landing place furnished temporary relief,
while bucket Of ice-water near by was
sought with greater eagerness than ever
a prominent citizen did the nearest bar
room after a nights spree. The way
from the giraffe down to the 2, 100 level
was by a narrow ladder placed between
the moving Cornish pump column on
one side and donkey pump on the other
"A position from which, if one fell, he
must be either killed outright or horri-
bly, mapgled. The ice which the party
started with had by this time all melted
away in their hands.


When the level was reached n stratum
of heat was entered such as might come
from hades itself. The sensation was no
longer that of general oppression. but of
the danger of being absolutely burnt;
instead Of the feeling extending through
the whole body it was confined to the
skin and the lungs, which seemed to be
fairly scorching. When the level was
entered the breath for an instant was
taken away. A nearly naked miner who
saw the party going in cried out: Don't
stay there minute. It's too dangerous. !"
His warning was unnecessary, for no
sooner had all entered than one began to
make his way out. The other at once
followed and lost no time in getting to
the air-pipe and the ice-water few feet
above in the incline.


"You think this is hot" said miner
who had come there for breath, "but
you ought 10 have been here before the
blow-pipe was put in"


The drift connecting with the Hale &
Norcross on this ltvel displays an inter-
esting phenomenon about midway be-
tween the two mines. The drift connects
with the lightning DRIFT. running to the
Combination shaft. at the Hale & Nor
cross incline. There is strong current
of cool air coming from the Combination
slaft, which meets the hot air Of the
Savage at the point mentioned. The re-
suit is to convert the hot air into visible
steam, which fills the drift for about fifty
feet. The point of contact of the two
currents is as clearly marked as it would
be in the case of opposite colors joined
together. The temperature is equally
distinct. In a distance oftwenty feet one
passes out of an oppressive hot atmos.
phere to comfortably cool one, or vice
versa.


The exact temperature of the heated
portions of the mines described has not
been ascertained since the late increase Of
temperature, but the water is said to be
about $50 degrees Fahrenheit. The effect
upon the visitor is to 80 thoroughly heat
him that when he reaches the surface,
where before he descended he was sweat
ing in the heat of the day, he feels
as though he had suddenly been trans
ported to the regions of frost and snow.
Cold shower after shower is scarcely
sufficient to cool the body. It takes at
least half an hour and the application of
floods of cold water to reduce the temper
ature to normal condition, after which,
however, one feels more vigorous than
before.