98 
THE  MERCURY  OF  NEW  ALMADEN. 
This  mine  was  discovered  in  1843  or  4  by  a  Mexican,  Capt. 
Oastellero,  of  Santa  Clara.  The  Indians  were  in  the  habit  of 
painting  their  persons  bright  red  ;  the  source  of  this  pigment  they 
kept  secret,  but  the  Captain  stealthily  followed  an  Indian  to  it, 
and  thus  it  became  known.    Such  is  the  story. 
The  working  of  the  mine  was  began  in  the  year  1846  or  j , 
by  an  English  Company,  but  from  some  reasons,  was  not  profit- 
able. In  1849  or  50,  it  fell  into  American  hands,  and  now  yields 
about  30,000  flasks  annually. 
The  present  entrance  of  the  mine  is  by  a  horizontal  shaft, 
(drift)  which,  with  a  rail  way,  penetrates  the  hill  1,200  feet. 
From  this  several  passages,  some  seven  or  eight  feet  in  diameter, 
made  by  removing  the  cinnabar,  dip  ;  the  greatest  depth  from 
the  surface  at  present  attained  is  said  to  be  400  feet. 
The  ore  is  freed  from  its  natural  position  by  blasting,  and  by 
pick  and  shovel.  The  miners,  native  Mexicans,  carry  the  ore 
in  hide  sacks  on  their  backs,  to  the  railway,  by  which  it  is  brought 
into  the  open  air,  where  it  is  assorted.  The  rich  compact  ore, 
in  masses  of  from  three  to  twenty  pounds  weight,  is  separated 
from  the  small  fragments  found  mingled  with  what  resembles 
common  yellowish  earth  or  clay.  The  several  kinds  are  packed 
in  coarse  hempen  sacks,  which  are  conveyed  in  four  horse 
wagons,  a  mile  and  a  quarter  down  the  steep  hill,  to  the  smelt- 
ing works. 
The  yellowish  clay-like  matter  is  converted  into  oblong  masses, 
resembling  large  bricks  in  form,  by  the  addition  of  water,  and 
dried  in  the  sun.  The  object  of  making  these  "  adobe's"  will  be 
understood  presently. 
The  apparatus  for  smelting  the  ore  is  simple.  A  kind  of  re- 
verberatory  furnace  three  feet  by  five,  is  arranged  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  a  series  of  chambers  of  nearly,  if  not  exactly  of  the 
same  dimensions,  namely,  seven  feet  long,  four  wide,  and  five 
high.  There  are  eight  or  ten  of  these  chambers  in  each  series  : 
they  are  built  of  brick,  plastered  inside,  and  secured  by  iron  rods, 
armed  at  the  ends  with  screws  and  nuts,  as  a  protection  against 
the  expansion  by  heat.  The  tops  are  of  boiler  iron,  luted  with 
ashes  and  salt. 
The  first  chamber  is  for  a  wood-fire.  The  second  is  the  ore 
chamber,  which  is  separated  from  the  first  by  a  net-work  parti- 
tion of  brick.    The  flame  of  the  fire  passes  through  the  square 
