﻿IRON MINES. 



269 



frightful was the prospect. About half way down, we met a bucket 

 ascending, with three girls in it, who manifested no fears whatever." 



The length of these pits, adding them 

 1 together, is about eight hundred feet ; the 

 breadth varies from three to twelve, and the 

 greatest depth six hundred feet. This mine 

 furnishes iron in high repute, as being the 

 finest in the world. The ore is dug in sum- 

 mer, and laid in heaps ; in winter it is re- 

 moved, on sledges, to the forges. The 

 richest ore yields seventy parts in a hun- 

 dred pure iron ; the poorest not half as 

 much. 



The operation of smelting is performed 

 here much as in other places. One remark - 

 ii:\ able particular, recorded by another travel- 

 ler, is the manner of obtaining the ore out 

 of the rock. It is not dug out, as is com- 

 monly the case, but blown out by gunpow- 

 der. This operation takes place every day 

 at twelve o'clock, and is a most tremen- 

 dous business. The explosion reverberates 

 amonof the hollow windings of the mine like subterraneous thunders. 



o w 



The stones are thrown up, as by a volcano, to a great height in the 

 air; and the concussion shakes the earth all around. 



This traveller descended also into the mine by the same sort of 

 dangerous conveyance as the one just mentioned ; and he owns that 

 he shuddered, and half repented his curiosity; for in him it was 

 nothing better. He was nine minutes in a state of suspension before 

 he reached the bottom. The view of the mine he describes as 

 awfully grand. Daylight was very faint at these depths : into many 

 parts it could not penetrate ; and they were obliged to use flambeaux. 

 Frames of wood were stretched from side to side of the rock in some 

 places ; and in these, men were sitting astride at great heights, bor- 

 ing holes for the next blasting. Though the weather was warm at 

 the surface of the earth, yet amid these dark brown caves it was cold. 

 In one of these caverns under the rock was a charcoal fire, around 



Descent to Presbey Klines. 



