Quartz Lodes 73 
occurring in the solid undecomposed quartz, and not the 
loose grains contained in the fissures and cavities. 
The lodes of Santo Domingo are worked by means of 
levels driven from near the bottoms of the valleys that 
intersect them. When these levels have entered sufficiently 
far into the hills, shafts are driven upwards from them to the 
surface, and other levels driven sixty feet higher than the 
first. This process is continued until the lode lying above 
the lowest level has been divided off into horizontal bands, 
each about sixty feet in depth. The quartz is then excavated 
above the topmost level, and thrown down the shafts to the 
lowest, where it is received into waggons and conveyed to 
the reduction works. As both the ore and the enclosing 
rocks are greatly decomposed and very soft, the whole of the 
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Tramway to ) Stamps 
SECTION OF GOLD MINE 
Diagram showing method of excavating ore at Santo Domingo Mines. 
A, Levels; B, Rise, down which the ore is thrown; D, Stopes; C. Stopes 
refilled with clay and barren rock. 
ground has to be securely timbered as the work proceeds. 
The levels are timbered with “ nispera,” a wood of great 
durability and strength, but the excavated portions between 
them are only temporarily secured with common soft wood, 
and at the end of every fortnight filled up with clay and 
barren rock. The mining is entirely executed by native 
workmen, principally Mestizos from the border lands of 
Honduras and Nicaragua, where they have been engaged in 
silver-mining. They are paid according to the amount of 
ground excavated, and are very industrious when poor; but 
when they accumulate a little money, they take fits of idle- 
ness and dissipation until it is spent. 
The ore is taken down to the reduction works in waggons 
that run down by gravitation, and are drawn up by mules. 
It is then stamped to powder by iron beaters, each of which 
