Year: 1877

4 vaslt % the Great OphlF SlDveI
Nane-l, ,ooo Feet U0Acr
Ground.


Editor Adeertiscr:-Thinking that


short description Of the Ophir mine
Of this city would he of interest to


part Of your readers. I will give the


facts as they occurred last Saturday


July eth.


A company Of four. two of us be-


longing to the pedagogue persuasion,


having obtained pass from Superin-
tendent Curtis, proceeded to the mine.
Arriving at that place and presenting


our pass to the Foreman, we were
taken into a room where we were


each supplied with WOODEN shirt. a
light pair Of pants, a pair of heavy


shoes and a rubber hat. After throw
ing off our own garments and COM
pleting our toilet with those sfore-


mentioned, we were marched with each


lighted lantern to the shaft. Here


We stepped into an empty cage which


was attached to- large wire cable


above and which WAS lowered and


raised by this cable unwinding and


winding around large wheel. We


were hardly fixed when the Foreman


rang the bell and We began to descend


Down, down, we went into the earth


for the space Of a minute and half,


when the cage was stopped and We


were informed that we were fourteen
hundred and siAty-fve feet from the
surface. Here were miners waiting
to run the cars Of ore into the cages
to be elevated. We examined the ore
which was in cars all round us, then
following our guide went four or five
hundred feet into tunnel where
were many branches. Here we were
put into the care Of = shift Boss"
We were now conducted to the place
where the miners were ut work, pick
in hand, wearing away the walls Of
solid quartz. Those at work had ON
no clothing except shoes, pants and
skull-cap. This cap is made Of mus
lin and simply to protect the head
from the particles of dirt and rock
that sift down from above the work
men. The miners candlestick is
quite curiosity. do not know how
better to describe 1t than by compar-
ing it to n husking peg used by farru-
ers in gathering corn. The candle is
placed IN the socket about rs the fin
ger is placed in the loop Of the husk-
ing peg. These sticks are made Of iron
or steel about eight inches long and
are kept very sharp at one end so that
slight thrust by the miner will fasten
them into the timber. Large timbers are
always near, for AS soon ~ the quartz
IL removed the space il filled nearly
solid with sixteen-inch pieces Of wood.
The ore in this place was said to assay
from two hundred to Ave thousand
dollars per ton. We were allowed to
take all the specimens We wished.
Having examined. as long we desired,
several Of these quartz walls where
work was going on, we returned to
the perpendicular shaft. The Fore
man led us around among the ma
chinery until we came to fight Of
stairs which descended over four hun
dred feet at an angle of thirty-five de-
grees with the perpendicular. These
steps we descended until we came to
the sixteen hundred foot level. Here
We wandered around for short time
and then descended q hundred feet
further. We were then seventeen
hundred feet underground, and the
began to get pefceptlbly
warmer. We followed our guide in
to q prospect drift three or four hum
dred feet, dripping every step with
perspiratiOn. One of our party, an
insurance agent by the way, after en-
during about one hundred and thirty
five degrees Of heat, remarked that 1t
seemed like nearing his final home,
only the air WAS pure in the drift. We
were told that we could have 1t as
rs much hotter as We wished by con-
tinuing farther into the drift. but be-
ing 80 far from the surface we con-
cluded that our cremation would not
be appreciated by scientists and so
thought it best to return and wait for
a better opportunity to immortalize
our names. When we reached the in
cline again the Foreman told us that
we would ascend now as there was
nothing new to be seen. We insisted
on seeing the bottom which was only
two hundred feet, but he was incorri-
gible. He stopped the Giraffe, as the
large car on the incline is called, and
we were soon seated In it and whirled
up to the base Of the perpendicular
shaft. Changing cars we were lifted
to the surface almost 1T . bound of the
cage. We were soon divested Of our
borrowed clothing and plunged our
selves into some large vats filled with
warm water. After satisfying our
selves with this sort Of amusement
and getting into our clothes, we, with
simple "thanks, gentlemen" left,
wondering at the great power which
man exercises over nature.


Yours truly, ]. A. CAsEBEER.


Virginia City, New, July 9th, ~.


For the ADVERTISER.


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