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BOOK IV.

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XXVIIIShape of a Meer.

Now we call that part of the vein which is first discovered and mined,the head-meer, because all the other meers run from it, just as the nervesfrom the head. The Bergmeister begins his measurements from it, and thereason why he apportions a larger area to the head-meer than to the others, isthat he may give a suitable reward to the one who first found the veinand may encourage others to search for veins. Since meers often reachto a torrent, or river, or stream, if the last meer cannot be completedit is called a fraction 3 . If it is the size of a double measure, the Bergmeistergrants the right of mining it to him who makes the first application, but ifit is the size of a single measure or a little over, he divides it between thenearest meers on either side of it. It is the custom among miners thatthe first meer beyond a stream on that part of the vein on the oppositeside is a new head-meer, and they call it the “ opposite,” 4 while theother meers beyond are only ordinary meers. Formerly every head-meerwas composed of three double measures and one single one, that is, it wasforty-nine fathoms long and seven wide, and so if we multiply these twotogether we have three hundred and forty-three square fathoms, whichtotal gives us the area of an ancient head-meer.

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Shape of an ancient Head-Meer.

Every ancient meer was formed of a single measure, that is to say, itwas seven fathoms in length and width, and was therefore square. Inmemory of which miners even now call the width of every meer which islocated on a vena -profunda a “ square ” 5 . The following was formerly the

s Subcisivum —“ Remainder.” German Glossary, Ueberschar. The term used in Mendipand Derbyshire was primgap or primegap. It did not, however, in this case belong to adjacentmines, but to the landlord.

tAdversum. Glossary, gegendrumb. The Bergwerk Lexicon, Chemnitz, 1743, givesgegendrom or gegeniramm, and defines it as the masse or lease next beyond a stream.

h Quadratum. Glossary, vierung. The vierung in old Saxon title meant a definitezone on either side of the vein, 3! lachter (lachter = 5ft. 7.5 inches) into the hanging-walland the same into the footwall, the length of one vierung being 7 lachter along the strike. It

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