Year: 1879

can feel the give of the long rope.
Like return ball hanging on its rub
ber cord we sway upward and down
ward, yet constantly realize we are
dropping. A few seconds, and we
gently stop. We have reached the


EIGHT HUNDRED-FOoT LEVEL.


There the surroundings are those of
large cellar, only the temperature is
high. Men are around us in their
woolen costumes, rolling the iron cars
in from long tunnels. We take
drink Of ice-water, and follow our
leader out through one of these side
galleries about half a mile. Then we
come to an open space where at our
side we see an iron box about six feet
long, three feet wide and three feet
deep.


This box rests on wheels on track
that extends we know not whittier.
At its rear end huge iron band is
fastened, and before it the tracks
slope into the darkness. They call
this machine a giraffe, because it is so
short and dumpy, | suppose. We
climb into him, and seat ourselves ON
boards placed like circus seats. Of
we go. 1t seems as If our heads
would touch the roofing over us, but
they don't. The water trickles along
the limbs or drops on our hair. The
heat becomes more and more like the
third room of Turkish bath. Here
we fall by an opening into which our
candle light throws a glimmer. Now
we catch glimpse Of where former
tunnels have been worked. We sing
a song, and think of John Whopper.
We are getting settled, when the box
stops and we Chamber out into the


SIXTEEN HUNDRED FOOT LEVEL.


More ice water, and quarter of a
mile tramp in single file out through
a six foot hole, over pools of water, by
great props that keep the rocks from
burying us, till we get on board train
No. 3, and slide down again. 'Tis
Jolly. 1t beats college coasting. 1t
grows warmer. We are bathed in
perspiration. We watch the long
motions Of the great iron pumps be-
side us. We are approaching the end
The sounds of the busy drill reach
our ears. The guide pulls the rope
that has followed us all our course,
and with a gentle jump the giraffe
stops. We alight We have reached
| the bottom of the deepest hole in the
Union, 280O feet perpendicularly be-
low daylight.


Here are the air condensers, the
long pipe bringing us life from above.
Here the men are stripped to simply a
pair of linen pants and heavy shoes.
They fairly dip with water. We eat
freely of the ice, which is consumed
in immense quantities down in these
depths. We walk out into the tun-
nels, where the miners work only four
or five minutes, and then rest for ten
back in the cooling chamber. They
are chiefly at work prospecting, very
little pay rock" being taken out. All
are digging to find lower layer of the
immense vein. Most of the money
] was taken out near the sixteen hun
dred-foot level, and now immense
sums are going into this lower work.
We looked about us for while, then
entered our car, and were rapidly
hoisted up and up, till at last we
stepped out into daylight, put on
heavy coats and ran for the dressing
room.


These mining companies pride them
selves on the convenience of their
toilet-rooms, and the Office of the
Belcher mine excels all others in its
appointments. We bathed in hot
water, and warm water and cold water.
took the different shower baths, and
after thorough scrubbing, stepped
out in our citizens dress, feeling
brighter and frisker.


This mine is fair specimen of
them livery few are now digging
out much paying ore. All are doing
this deep and expensive prospecting.
Undoubtedly these mountains are so
full OF silver as to give permanence to
the cities, but the fuctuating nature
of the finds" will naturally cause a
floating and feverish population.


Most OF the moneys now made by
the immense corporations are coined
in the stock-rooms of San Francisco.
rather than lifted from the middle of
the earth, Nearly all small operators
meet with failure because they can
neither control the market nor stand
the expenses of prospecting. From
even a short visit to the top and bot
tom of this city one is satisfied that
solid wealth comes as easily in Boston
as among the mines; that small per
centage with business honesty pays
better than these enormous gambling
operations.


One also is apt to question the wis
dom Of making such an abundant
commodity as silver medium of ex
change ordered by nation.