4 54
a portion of land and fome ground in the town. The (hares in 1790 were worth at lead;icoo rix-dollars each. The net produce of each (hare was 30 rix-dollars ; the expenceof working the mine is 6000 rix-dollars, which added to 6000 (that of the foundry)and 480c, the net fum (hared among the proprietors, makes ,6,800 rix-dollars, exclu-five of the King’s tenth, the Hilaries of the officers, the charges for the maintenance ofthe works, as well external as internal, and the machinery, which may amount to 7 or8oco rix-dollars more, the mine having yielded in 1790, 3000 marks of filver. This mine,worked from time immemorial, was formerly much more rich ; it has produced 24,000marks; but the richeft galleries have fallen in ; there is, notwithftanding, ore met within one part now worked, which yields * 30 loths of filver per quintal, but this vein it isfeared will quickly be exhaufted. The mine at its firft bottom is from one hundredand fix, to one hundred and nine, fathoms deep, at its extremity one hundred andfifty.
The works of this mine are highly deferving of notice and wonderful. You de-fcend by a mouth called Queen Chrillina’s, the opening which is twenty-nine feet bynineteen; .this leads to the firft gallery : the manner of going down in buckets is un-pleafant to many, yet what may tend to give courage to the adventurer, no exampleever was known of the cord breaking; and if any accidents ever happen, which occa-fionally do to the number of two or three in the year, it is uniformly owing to impru-dence and careleffnefs. A fingular prejudice prevails herewith refpefl: to women: theworkmen pretending that as often as any one enters the mine fome misfortune will in-evitably follow. A woman going down a few years ago, a workman within two daysafterwards committed fuicide, which has no ways contributed to diminifli this preju-dice : the workmen confequently look with an evil eye on any woman who may at-tempt to go down, a matter which rarely happens.
The bucket in which you defcend is fattened by three chains of iron to a rope, which ischanged every ten months, and which afterwards ferves to draw up the ore. As manyas five may go down in the bucket, but generally no more than three or four defcend ata time. We were fix minutes in going down, and fix and a half in afcending, on ac-count of the movement leflening as the bucket approaches the furface : as one bucketafcends another goes down for the ore j the bucket for the defcent of the men is alwaysthe fame, and both thofe for the ore and th'e men are conftantly in motion day andnight. As you go down you provide yourfelf with torches in order to fee the galleriesworked in the (haft, as well as to diredl the bucket and prevent its (iriking againft theprojecting parts of the rock. One cannot help feeling a little frightened at experiencingnow and then a fomewhat fenfible (hock, and which alarm is augmented by one’s cri-tical fituation: this (hock is occafioned by the rope in turning round, the cylinder fome-times rolling over its own coils; and after fome turns, upon its unwinding, it caufes avibration which is communicated through the whole length of the cord, and even tothe bucket itfelf. The two wheels which draw up the bucket are double, and area&ed upon by water ; they are adapted fo as to bear being turned one way or the other,and increafe or diminiffi their velocity, by means of fiood gates, which are raifed moreor lefs; they are alfo (lopped at pleafure: this wholly depends on the man employed in thedirection of the ropes, and who is admonifhed by a call from the top of the mine; hisbufinefs requires the niceft attention, for any imprudence or forgetfulnefs might havethe mod difaftrous confequences. Thefe two wheels are forty feet in diameter, as wellas the two employed for the pumps. The water which works the different machinery
flow*
* Fifteen Ounces, Avoirdupois weight.