BOOK afcending bucket, in order to prevent our bucket from fwerving
X. . ,
. againft them, which mull have infallibly overfet us.
While I hung fulpended in mid air, and lo giddy, that I could
not venture to look down, I obferved three girls Handing on the
edge of the afcending bucket, and knitting, with as much unconcern
as if they had been on terra lirma j fuch is the effedt of
cuftom! We were about five minutes in defcending; and the
depth which we reached, before I ftepped out of my aerial leat,
was 500 feet. Not being a mineralogift, my curioiity was foon
fatisfied; I again got into the bucket, and was drawn up in the
fame manner.
In this fituation I clofed my eyes, and converfed in Latin
with the infpedtor. He informed me, that the richell ore yields
70 per cent, of iron, the pooreft 30 ; that, upon an average,
the colledtive tnafs gives one-third of pure mineral ; that about
12,000 tons are annually drawn from the mines, which yield
about 4,000 tons of bar-iron.
'The mafs of ore occupies a finall compafs. The length of
the pits confidered as one is 760 feet, and the breadth from
three to twelve. The ore . runs in veins from eall: to well. The
richell ore is near 500 feet in depth; arid the Storoe Grube is
not yet fathomed. The matrix of the ore, being a calcareous
earth, confequently contains but little fulphur, which is perhaps
the reafon of its fuperior quality.
The mines of Danemora, fo renowned for yielding the finell
iron
iron in the world, the greatell part of which is fent to England c h a p .
for the ufe of our lleel manufadtures, were difcovered in 1488. - -
They confift of twelve pits...
The mines belong to thirteen proprietors; of whom Baron
Geer poffelfes more than one-third. The proprietors work
each pit feparately, defray the expences, and divide the profits
according to their refpedtive proportions.
The ore, which is dug in the fummer, is laid out in heaps,
and divided in the winter months, from November to March,
when it can be conveyed on fledges. Each, of the proprietors
fend it to their refpedtive forges, or fell it on the fpot.
Near three hundred perfons are employed in mining and in
tranfporting the ore. The miners are paid by the work, and can
gain at moll 1 s. 3 I d. per day, the others can earn u . id.
The water is drawn out of the pits by means of pumps worked
by water. Thefe pumps are of great length, and occafion con-
fiderable expence for repairs. A lleam-engine was once employed
for this purpofe, but obliged to be laid afide on account
of the fcarcity and dearnefs of charcoal.
From Danemora we continued our journey to Upfala and
Stockholm; and after a few days proceeded towards Ruflia,
acrofs the gulph of Finland, by the paffage from Grifleham to
Abo.,
The numerous Ihoals and rocky iflands render this paflage
extremely dangerous at all feafons of the year, whenever the
wind.