IX. Striking scene in the Great Cavern. CHAP. hurried us along, through regions of " thickribbed ice" and darkness, into a vaulted level, through which we were to pass into the principal chamber of the mine. The noise of countless hammers, all in vehement action, increased as we crept along this level; until at length, subduing every other sound, we could no longer hear each other speak, notwithstanding our utmost efforts. At this moment we were ushered into a prodigious cavern, whence the sounds proceeded; and here, amidst falling waters, tumbling rocks, steam, ice, and gunpowder, about fifty miners were in the very height of their employment. The magnitude of the cavern, over all parts of which their labours were going on, was alone sufficient to prove that the iron-ore is not deposited in veins, but in beds. Above, below, on every side, and in every nook of this fearful dungeon, glimmering tapers disclosed the grim and anxious countenances of the miners. They were now driving bolts of iron into the rocks, to bore cavities for the gunpowder, for blasting. Scarcely had we recovered from the stupefaction occasioned by our first introduction into this Pandemonium, when we beheld, close to us, hags more horrible than perhaps it is possible for any other female figures to exhibit, holding their dim quivering tapers to our faces, and IX. bellowing in our ears. One of the same sister- CHAP. hood, snatching a lighted splinter of deal, darted to the spot where we stood, with eyes inflamed and distilling rheum, her hair clotted with mud, dugs naked and pendulous; and such a face, and such hideous yells, as it is impossible to describe :- Black it stood, as Night-fierce as ten Furies- If we could have heard what she said, we should not have comprehended a syllable: but as several other Parca, equally Gorgonian in their aspect, passed swiftly by us, hastening tumultuously towards the entrance, we began to perceive, that if we remained longer in our present situation, Atropos might indeed cut short the threads of our existence; for the noise of the hammers had now ceased, and a tremendous blast was near the point of its explosion. We had scarcely retraced with all speed our steps along the level, and were beginning to ascend the ladders, when the full volume of the thunder reached us, as if roaring with greater vehemence because pent amongst the crashing rocks, whence, being reverberated over all the mine, it seemed to shake the earth itself with its terrible vibrations. СНАР. Imbedded state of the Ore. We were afterwards conducted into other cavities of the Persberg works. The whole hill of Persberg may be considered as a vast deposit of iron-ore; the ore lying in separate beds. The miners work in spacious caverns, like those of our salt-mines, at Sandbach, in Cheshire; excepting that the interior of our salt-mines, containing neither glaciers nor cataracts, nor dreadful precipices to be scaled by means of rotten ladders', nor filthy wretched females doomed to do the work of men, are rather pleasing than intimidating in their appearance. The ore of the Persberg mines consists of magnetic iron-oxide, either in fine or in coarse grains. Those mines which we saw, and in which, working with our own hands, we obtained specimens of the ore, exhibited this oxide in a state of very remarkable association with garnet; insomuch, that garnet may be considered here, not only as a leader to the ore, but as the ore itself; many of the specimens wrought for the iron they contain being masses of garnet. The whole district is of primitive formation; the rocks being of gneiss or of granite, containing more or less of hornblende, (1) The descent into the Cheshire salt-mines is by means of buckets, in which ladies may be conveyed into the mine, and back again, with the utmost safety and cleanliness. and, in some places, beds of primitive lime- CHAP. stones. As soon as we had concluded our examination of the Persberg mines, we went to the Inspector's house, where we packed up our minerals. Afterwards, returning to the inn at Onshytta, we set off for Saxån. The whole of this part of Wermeland is throughout perforated by mines. IX. shytta. About nine English miles from Onshytta, at a Långban place called Långbanshytta, there is an exceeding rich mine of iron ore, of which the principal part is the per-oxide called hæmatite: it lies to the north of the road leading towards Saxån; but we could not bestow time enough for visiting this mine. The mineralogical traveller will however be wise, if he do not follow our example in this respect. He will find few mines (2) "Montana est" (observes the author of the Amanitates Regnorum Suecia, with reference to this province,) "et sylvestris. Metalli fodinas, et nuper admodum ditissimam cupri venam inventam habet." (Deliciæ, sive Aman. Regn. Suec. tom. I. p. 442. L. Bat. 1706.) "The whole of Vermeland,” says Thomson, “with the exception of a small track on the borders of the Vener, is primitive, and may be said to consist entirely of gneiss rocks, similar to those which constitute the neighbourhood of Gotteburg. Here and there occur beds of mica-slate, limestone, primitive grünstone, &c.; but none of them, as far as I could learn, are of any great extent. It is to the mines which abound in this province that it owes its chief value." Thomson's Trav. in Sweden, p. 374. Lond. 1813. IX. CHAP. richer in interesting minerals'. He should also be aware, that at the distance of ten English miles and a half from Philipstad, there are the iron-mines of Normark, in which the minerals are neither so curious nor so varied and abundant as at Långbanshytta; but the mines themselves (1) It has been wrought upwards of three hundred years. It is near a lake called Långban. According to Dr. Thomson, (Trav. in Sweden, p. 378,) it lies in a limestone rock. The minerals found in this mine are: 1. Sub-varieties of hæmatite. 2. Magnetic iron-oxide, granular, fibrous, and crystallized. Also micaceous iron and specular iron ore, similar to that from Elba, yet attracted by the magnet. 3. Sulphuret of iron. 4. White manganese spar, globular and radiated. 5. Iron spar. 6. Ferruginous scintillating sulphate of lime. 7. Sparry carbonate of lime. 8. Red and brown jasper, according to Engeström. According to Thompson, this is iron flint. 9. Garnets, red and yellow; containing from 15 to 21 per cent. of iron. (Thomson.)- Dr. Thomson mentions a garnet found here, containing, besides 26 per cent. of oxide of iron, above 8 per cent. of oxide of manganese, lime, carbonic acid, and soda: the silica amounting to 35.20. 10. Pycnite. 11. Tourmaline. 12. Green and yellow serpentine. 13. Mountain-leather, mountain-cork, and other varieties of asbestus and amianthus. 14. White-clay. 15. Black massive hornblende. 16. Epidote. 17. Sahlite. 18. Petroleum, and glance-coal. 19. Red silicate of manganese. |