The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 24, 1901, Page 5

THE SUNDAY CALL. DESCENDING INTO THE MmiNeE was then that years more of derful resources of ealed to the world. s were employed in delving for the 1 the original Almaden neling, deep horizontal 23 the trend of the quartz — A GHAF T ROUSE ABOVE THE MINES run the from tr summit into the mountain. In traversing ese steep sublerranean inciines the na- ve miners used for ladders long timbers atNinterv for foot- instead of ore cars heavy known as ceroons and of the rting es hewn Likewis nnjers the back employed in tra the upper world miners the q were rtz to In 1864, however, the New Almaden was scld for $1,700.000 to a eccmpany of Ameri- who proceeded to develop the prop- urder 2 more modern system and th, short time ame celebrated as the great- The work performed on the prop nothing short of amazing. From the highest point in the ledge, which itude of 1723 feet, four shafis unk. one of which reaches a ' feet, the bottom being 730 sea level. Leading off from is an Intrleate maze of i tunnels penetrating to w such bec success in a ver producer in existence. is ies at ar rave been below th shafts the many sections of the mine where the cinna Fas been located. The distance represented by these underground pas- sages aggrezates a total of elghty-six miles, r y every foot af which has been hewn through the solid rock. Durirg = recent visit to this mine, the writer, accompanted by one of the super- intendents, made an extended tour of its labyrinthine dep The descent was ac- compiished by means of the double-decked electric cage, which at the first dizzying drop through the black, grews ths yme shaft tuted us to the T00-foot level. Upon quitting the car at this point we found curselves in a spacious subterranean ante- chamber. at interva's in the walls of which appeared the low timbered porta of the various tunnels radiating to divers parts of the mine. Entering one of these we followed its tortuous course for ghe a:stance of a - mile, when we suddenly came out upon an immense rock-roofed fissure extending at a sharp angle across our way. Turning into this strange ap- perture, we took the upward course and after a short, brisk climb came upon a large crew of miners at work with picks and Grills getting out the ore. A casual examination of a specimen of this pay- rock, which my companion pronounced the average run, revealed the presence of cinnabar in layers and veins of vivid red. Occasionally, where the ore Is unusualiy rich, It presents a rich vermilion color throughout and in weight s heavier than lead. The main ore body is from fifteen to thirty feet wide and usually runs in an oblique direction from the apex of the mountatn, which results in the vast slant- ing chamvers known as stopes or labors. The men employed throughout the mine are exposed to constant risks of saliva- tion from continually handling the mer- curial ore. The native mineral is volatile at any temperature above 40 degrees and its absorption into the system produces rheumatic pains, causes the teeth to be- come loose and leaves the constitution in a most deplorable plight generally. To obviate this as much as possible, when the ore is ex edingly rich the men are worked in short shifts, relieving each other every few hours. Having inspected the principal sources of the mineral charged rock my guide preposed a visit to the lower levels, long since worked out and abandoned. To reach this portion of the mine my com- panion led the way to a narrow aperture whence a yet steeper declivity reached away into the depths of the mountain. This he explained to me was a “winze,” or in other words a rapid transit, time saving connection penetrating the 100-foot divisicn between two levels, the use of which obviated the necessity of retracing the mile or more of stopes and tunnels to the nearest elevator shaft. For my own rart, however, as I gazed into the black- ness of that all but perpendicular corri- dor 1 inwardly owned my thorough will- ingness to undergo the fatigue and other inconvenience of the more circuitous route. But my cheerful convoy evidently forgot to inquire as to any possible preterence I might entertain. Laying hold on the bight of a slick, greasy looking rope made fast at the entrance to the cavern, he bade me do likewise, and a mo- n.ent later vanished into the darkness ahead. As there seemed no other respecg- able way out of it 1 took a firm grip on the liue and followed. Jt was perhaps well that my conductor shouted back the injunction to “keep my head and my hold, whether I Kept my feet or mot,” for it scemed to me I had but little use for the latter during the progress of that brief but eventful passage. However, I pres- ently brought up at the nethermost ex- tremity of this veritable short cut, and what 1 beheld by the fitful flame of my companion's reignited torch more than compensated for the sundry bruises and abrasions 1 had sustained en transit. We were on the threshold of a mighty cham- ber, the vaguely distinguishaile roof and environing walls of which seemed gar- nished with silvery stars, where the flick- ering light was reflected from the glisten- ing points of innumerable stalactites with which the interior was hung. We reveled but briefly in this truly enchanting scene, however, for my companion was plainly bent_on showing me just as many of those eighty-six miles of devious burrowings as could possfbly be crowded Into the space of two short hours. The most interesting feature of this long deserted level was a wide chamber rear the foot of an old ynused shaft, called the “chapel.” At one end of this awesome apartment were the remnants of a shrine before which, in the old days, the pative miners each morning upon de- scending to their work were wont to per- fornf“their devotions. Nor is this the only reminder of the time when Spanish usages prevailed. For to this day every shaft, drift and chamber throughout the entire mine Is designated by a Spanish name, while at least two-thirds of the present force of miners are of the same origin. Our tour of the lower galleries com- pleted, my guide conducted me, this time by way of the elevator, back to the level wherce we had last descended. Here we entered a long straight tunnel, at the further end of which a shining white disk appcared. As we proceeded onward this gleaming patch resolved Itself into an \V open portal, and presently we emerged from the side of the mountain 70 feet be- low where we had previously entered. A number of these tunnels have been run from the various levels of the mine, straight out to the tlope of the mountain, to facilitate the removal of the ore, which is accomplished through the medium of tram cars. At the mouth of each tunnel is a large open shed, called a planilla, where the ore is screened and assorted. From these points tramways extend for a distance of three miles down the moun- tain to the brink of a steep incline, down which the ore is carried by means of grav- ity cars to the great distilling works be- low. The reduction plant at New Almaden is without exception the largest and most modern in the world. The works consist mainly of six immense furnaces, each pro- vided with a series of from four to six condensers. The process of extracting the quickilver is at once simple and unique. The tep of each furnace is fitted with a THE GRAVITY ROAD TO TAE FURNACES huge hopper, into which upward of 20,000 pounds of ore are emptied each twenty- four hours. These furnaces are kept at a perpetual white heat, and as the ore be- comes roasted the quicksilver passes, to- gether with the smoke, in a thin trans- parent vapor into the adjoining con- densers. These latter are kept at a me- dium low temperature by the constant foreing of cold water through numerous intersecting pipes. As the mercurtal vapor comes In contact with ‘the cooling element it resumes it former consisteney and falls to the bot- tom of the condensers, whence It is car- ried off in its refined molten state to the weighing department. The great subtil- ty with which the minerai-laden vapor pentrates the most minute apertures is remarkable, It forces itself through im- perceptible cracks and pores of the reduc- ing plants and becomes so densely im- bedded in the brick and wood work of the various structures that the latter have to be destroyed at Intervals in order to se- cure the escamed metal When several the old intermittent furnaces the ground beneath them five feet was worked of the stray metal years ago were removed, to a denth of t over and 153.000 pound recevered. Few men continue long at the redueing worl re exhibiting the disastrous effects of abscrbing the fumes into their system. Cen- risks, t mercurial sidering th e pay Is inordinate- ly small. the men rarely receiving over $1 50 per day for their work. After reflne- ment the quicksilver is carefully weighed into metal ks, each holding seventy-six and a half pounds, and in this shape is shipped to the general n San Francisco. The present output of the New Alm: mines aggregates about 153 to which about tormer There still sufficient medium-grade ore in_sight. however, keep the great reduction works employed for many ye: rage vaults n ns per year, ath of its is only yiela one- s to come. While e of quicksilver enters largely Into’ various phases of medicine, arts and sclence the world over, by far the greater bulk of the pr " s ex- ported to China. There, oddly enough, it is extensively resalved into its chlet original element—the exquisite vermilion, for which the Celestials ha famous, and which ery in America Quger Wedding Qustoms. # IRLS who send out wedding invi- { ¢ tations to 500 friends, and who &% have a“small fortune expénded on the florist. the engraver, the cater- e, the bridesmaids and the ushers. to say nothing of the payment to the fash- fonable officiating clergyman, these giris have one kind of a wedding Fhe girl who slips off after the day has done, meets her intended and rides on a stfeet car as near to the Little Church Around ‘the Corner as the car will take Per. joins hands with her partner in the study the assistant rector, and with never a present a congratulation, this #irl has another kind of wedding. But -the girl who lives in Trivandrum, under. the dictatorship of the Maharajah of Travancore. has yet a different and istinct _experfence. Sir Rama Varma was a notability. Not only was he en- titled to t e suffix of the letters “G. S. I.” but he was also known far and wide as the Maharajah. He has pussed on to the Nirvana of all good Brahmins, but his tribe Increases. The four grand- daughters of Sir Rama have been envied of the rest of Travancore. Before they were married, the services of the most expert astrologers in the land were called in to forcast the day mest auspicious for the ceremonies. The date being agreed upon, the grandmother of the girls set about the selection of four eligibles. When such a quartet has been picked ong been discov- o trom the local swells, the astrologers were agaiu called upon, this time to ap- prove or disapprove the choice. There was a great consulting of horoscopes— and the wise men gave their consent. Finally, the State erected a gorgeous pavilion, and in this the four couples were married, the actual ceremony consisting in the tying of a necklace around the neck of the bride by the groom, in the pres- ence of the Brahmin priest and relatives, after which there was a four days' cele- bration and procession of the newly mated—a procession alded as to spectac- ular effect by the presence of an elephant guard and white clad Nair girls. The ages of the brides of this occasion ranged from 6 to 10 years. h