26 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



the same direction by the name First Mountain, ex- 

 tending under this appellation from Newark, where 

 the stone is of a sort like granite, as far as Pluckamin, 

 about 28 English miles, a country richly supplied with 

 copper. Van Horn's mine has more than once been 

 profitably worked. The ore is red (Ziegelerz), flecked 

 with grey, and often contains fibres of pure copper. 

 Duely worked and refined this ore yields, it is claimed, 

 from 60 to 65 Ib. the cwt. of the finest copper. The 

 veins run up from the southeast, (i. e. from the coast 

 inwards), to the mountains, and continue there rising 

 and falling, wave-fashion like most superficial veins ; 

 but far on in the mountain the veins suddenly plunge 

 and are lost in water, so that these mines cannot in 

 the future be worked without low stopings. After 

 getting through the grey rock, in which the ore lies, a 

 red stone is encountered which extends to unexplorable 

 depths. 



In the year 1772 the smelter near this mine was be- 

 gun, but on account of various difficulties, lack of a 

 suitable stone for the smelting-furnace and the proper 

 alloy, it was not until 1774 that work could be under- 

 taken with a reasonable hope of success. The owners 

 of the land and of the mine agreed to bear all expense 

 until the business should be self-sustaining at a clear 

 profit ; on the other hand, the condition was that the 

 managers, Messrs. Mosengail and Riibsaamen, should 

 take two thirds the income for their trouble in estab- 

 lishing and keeping up the smelter. Later the owners 

 ran short of money and credit, and the work was for 

 some time interrupted, but by a new arrangement was 

 again vigorously prosecuted. Then the need of skilled 

 workmen was felt, the raw copper not being saleable in 



