Description of a visit to Llanberis Copper mine in 1837 by Francis Horace.
Having cooled ourselves during this delicious row across the water, which brought us to the foot of Snowdon, we again landed in order to genetrate into the remote reaches of the Copper mine.
This mine which appears very productive of ore was opened in 1791 and since that time has continued to yield an abundant harvest to those engaged in its working. It consists of several long narrow, horizontal tunnels or galleries driven in to the side of Snowdon, along the bottom of these passages a small railway is constructed and the metal after having been blasted from the solid rocks is placed in final casts and pushed along by two ... it is then shot out of the mouth of the mine, broken into final pieces and taken on to Caernarfon.
Not withstanding the many warnings we had received and the friendly admonitions not to enter the Copper mine, unless we wished heart and soul for a thorough and complete cold. The next morning my brother and myself determined to brave all the dangers and difficulties and accordingly leaving the lady of our party at the entrance of this long and dismal looking tunnel and our guide having procured a miner and some candles to light us on our chilly expedition, we proceeded to penetrate the deep gloom before us.
Each of us held a small candle in his hand and the guides going before, pointed the various curiosities visible in the rocks on either side, the first hundred feet we accomplished very well receiving some portion of light from the entrance to the mine, after this however the passage took a turn and left us to grope our way aided only by our dimply burning tapers.
We now became fully ... of the unpleasant and disagreeable nature of our situation, the path on which we trod was filled with ore, mud and water which dripped down from the rocks over our heads and gave us a regular wetting, the whole distance which together with the delightful state of uncertainty as to where we were proceeding, the cold and chilling hollow of the atmosphere, the gloomy darkness that prevailed all around not withstanding the candles we carried. The low and narrow structure of this rocky tunnel so that in many places we had to stoop in order to avoid a concussion of the head and the rumbling of distant explosions as they reverberated in ...peals through the mountain excavations, produced an effect at once strange and disagreeable and we where glad to commence our return from these dripping rocks and watery pathways to the regions of light and sunshine. This we soon accomplished and were glad to breathe again the pure air of heaven.
The sudden transition from the warmth and heat of a summers day to the cold dampness of the mine is certainly likely to give a person a very severe cold. This we fortunately escaped and felt not the ... effects from this expedition.
After accomplishing this laborious undertaking having gone more than 600 feet into the mountain we returned to the boat and rowed along the edge of the lake to the landing place which afforded us the opportunity of drying our wet clothes.
Unfortunately not very descriptive of the workings themselves but still sheds a light as to how far along things where as early as 1837.
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