Year: 1875

it sufficiently to permit of the resump-


ton OF mining operations. So rapid


and constant is the infiltration of water,


up to the present time, that an eight


horse power steam engine is kept at


work, day and night, running the
pumps In this and new mines, vet in


one part Of the old mine the flood is six
feet in depth, and sometimes increases to
ten.


To enter the old mine, one descends


by rugged and treacherous path into O
pit some thirty feet in depth, and not
less than eighty feet in diameter at the
top. In the side of this pit toward the
mountain opens the mine. 1t seems an
enormous cavern. The sides are hun
dred feet apart, the roof thirty feet in
height, and the length of this great ex-
cayatlon something more than fourteen
hundred feet. Huge columns of ore and
rock are left to support the roof. The
dropping and plashing of water, the slow
and regular creakipg of the rude pump
ing machinery, the hollow echoes of
voices afar in the depths, all have
mournful effect. The gloom of tie dis
tance is fecked by the little red lights of
the miners lamps, fitting to and fro,
not seemingly larger than glowworms,
and as uncertain in their illumination.
AT certain hours blasts are fred, and the
echoes are like rapidly repeated thunder,
or the successive discharges of number
Of large cannon. The air is cold and
damp, but pure, having nothing of the
closeness pertaining to such mines as are
worked by shafts, drifts and galleries.
| coal or silver mine for instance.


All the men working here are convicts.
but one cannot but be impressed, at
sight of them and of their fellows in the
mills, with the idea that such labor as
that in which they are here employed
has had subtle effect in elevating them
In the scale Of manhood. It has hard
ened their muscles, imbued them with a
consciousness Of masculinity, taught
them by their conflict with the sullen
inertia OF natures resistance to mans
efforts much more self-reliance and
earnestness Of honest, vigorous purpose
than all their previous lives had known.
As you meet them, they look you
squarely in the eye, not furtively
glancing at you with the lurking. sneak
ing, evil look which you will encounter
at every step in the Sing Sing laundry
and among the idle villains at Auburn.
There can be no doubt that it improves
mems morals to become strong by honest
toll, even if that gain of strength be
upon compulsion.


The ore as taken from the mines is
first roasted in three huge kilns, thence
is passed through an eighteen-s stamp
mill, separated by water from the rock,
and when dry is melted in charcoal fur
naces, hammered into blooms beneath
huge trip-hammer, and finally shaped as
desired by the rolls. From sixty to
eighty men are constantly employed in
these mills and reduction works in gangs
OF that number, each of which works
twelve hours and then gives place to
others. There is also q large machine
shop in another department., employing
from twenty to forty men, wherein all
the machinery in use about the prison is
made or repaired as occasion demands.


Out behind the main mill building is
a huge pile of charcoal, hauled in here
from the twenty eight kilns in which it
has been burned in the forest. The
keepers say that on the night of Novem-
Der Z. 1874, this enormous pile of char
coal-or one equally large, in the same
location took fire accidentally from
sparks emitted by the mill smoke stacks.
The fire ragged furiously, sweeping away
two sides of the enclosure and burning
down one of the guard posts, which was
not deserted by its heroic occupant un-
til it began to sink under his feet, and
to save his life he bad to spring outside
the line. To save the prison from that
total destruction which at one time
seemed imminent, one hundred and
sixty convicts were let ont OF their cells,
and called to assist in checking the
flames. The night was dark, the excite
mont great, the keepers few in number,
and the barrier hitherto confining them
was in great part destroyed, yet when
all danger was past and the men were
called to return to their cells not one was
missing, not one had availed himself of
the extraordinary opportunities for es-
cape. They were even heard conversing
together, while fighting the fire, and
saying to each other: "Well, he'd be o
mean fellow who would take advantage
of time like this to run away" Yet
among these conyicts were some con-
demned for life-there are thirty such
in the prison-and many incarcerated
upon long sentences. Some of the very
men who resisted the temptations to
since made desperate attempts to gain
their liberty, when all chances seemed
against them, but when they had the ex-
element of matching their cunning and
courage against their keepers.


The preservation of that hedious and
depressing silence which is 80 important
an element Of The discipline of the Al
bany penitentiary is not even attempted
here. To enforce it would be almost, if |
not quite, impossible, unless there were
as many keepers as there are oonvicts. |
While the men on "tours of labor in |
the mill are waiting for the smelling of |
tho ore, the serving of the hammer or |
the rolls, or in the various mining pro- |