DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44973#0099
82 A Journey srom Vienna into Styria,Carinthia3Carniola3Friuli^
for fuel necessary in the service of them ; and to this end there is an
handsome work of Piles made slopeing a-thwart the River, safter the
same manner as I observed at Neivfol in upper Hungary cross the River
Gran) to slop the Trees which are cut down and call into the River
above this place.
What is chiessy considerable in this Town are the Quick-silver Mines,
very well known to the neighbouring parts, and exceeding useful to
many at greater distance.
The entrance into these Mines is not high or upon an Hill, but in
the Town it self, whereby they are somewhat the more troubled with
water, against which they are provided with many excellent Engines
and Devices, as at other deep Mines ; the deepest part of the Mine
from the entrance is between one hundred and twenty, and one hun-
dred and thirty fathoms.
Of the Quick-filver of this Mine they have two sorts, the one call-
ed Jungsraw, that is virgin Quick-silver, the other plain Quick-silver,
virgin Mercury they call that which diseovers it self without the help
of fire, and is either plainly to be seen in the Earth or Ore, or falls
down in little drops in the Mine, and sometimes streams out in good
quantity ; as about seven years ago it ran out of the Earth at firlf in a
stream as small as a thred, and afterwards as big as a Pack-thred, but
ceas’d in three or four days.
That also is accounted virgin Quick- silver, which having no need to
pass the fire, is separated by water first in a Sieve, and afterwards in a
long Trough, having very small holes at one end, so that there is in a
manner two sorts os Virgin Mercury ; the one running out and dis-
covering it self without labour, the other requiring some way of extra-
ction and separation, though not so high an one as by fire.
Plain Quick-silver they name that which is not at first perceived by
the eye, or falls from the Ore, but is forced out by fire, and this they
obtain out of the Ore, or out of the natural Cinnabar of Mercury
which they dig out of this Mine. The Ore is of a dark colour mixed
with red,but the best is a hard Stone which they commit not presentlyto
the fire, but powder it grossy and work it by the sieve, that so if any
Virgin Quick-silver be found in it, it may be separated in this manner,
and what doth not pass the sieve,may be separated by fire in Iron Fur-
naces, fifty of them in a fire.
The Quick-silver-Ore of this Mine is therichest’of all Ores I have
yet seen, for ordinarily it contains in it half Quick-silver, and in two
parts of Ore one part of Quick-silver, and sometimes in three parts of
Ore, two parts of Quick-silver.
I went into the Mine by the Pit of St. Agatha, and came up again
by that of St. Barbara, deseending and aseending by LaddersI amen-
ded at one of six hundred and thirty nine staves, or eighty nine fa-
thoms. Sijerus in Kirchers Mundus fabterraneus makes such a dread-
ful description of this Mine,that it might diseourage any from attempt-
ing the deseent, which makes me doubt, whether he had been in any
other Mine, especially where the deseent is made by Ladders.
In a Laboratory,where the Quick-silver is separated by fire, I saw
an heap of sixteen thousand retorts of Iron, every one of which costs
a Crown at the best hand from the Iron Furnaces in Carinthia: here-
in are also at one time eight hundred retorts, and as many recipients
employed
for fuel necessary in the service of them ; and to this end there is an
handsome work of Piles made slopeing a-thwart the River, safter the
same manner as I observed at Neivfol in upper Hungary cross the River
Gran) to slop the Trees which are cut down and call into the River
above this place.
What is chiessy considerable in this Town are the Quick-silver Mines,
very well known to the neighbouring parts, and exceeding useful to
many at greater distance.
The entrance into these Mines is not high or upon an Hill, but in
the Town it self, whereby they are somewhat the more troubled with
water, against which they are provided with many excellent Engines
and Devices, as at other deep Mines ; the deepest part of the Mine
from the entrance is between one hundred and twenty, and one hun-
dred and thirty fathoms.
Of the Quick-filver of this Mine they have two sorts, the one call-
ed Jungsraw, that is virgin Quick-silver, the other plain Quick-silver,
virgin Mercury they call that which diseovers it self without the help
of fire, and is either plainly to be seen in the Earth or Ore, or falls
down in little drops in the Mine, and sometimes streams out in good
quantity ; as about seven years ago it ran out of the Earth at firlf in a
stream as small as a thred, and afterwards as big as a Pack-thred, but
ceas’d in three or four days.
That also is accounted virgin Quick- silver, which having no need to
pass the fire, is separated by water first in a Sieve, and afterwards in a
long Trough, having very small holes at one end, so that there is in a
manner two sorts os Virgin Mercury ; the one running out and dis-
covering it self without labour, the other requiring some way of extra-
ction and separation, though not so high an one as by fire.
Plain Quick-silver they name that which is not at first perceived by
the eye, or falls from the Ore, but is forced out by fire, and this they
obtain out of the Ore, or out of the natural Cinnabar of Mercury
which they dig out of this Mine. The Ore is of a dark colour mixed
with red,but the best is a hard Stone which they commit not presentlyto
the fire, but powder it grossy and work it by the sieve, that so if any
Virgin Quick-silver be found in it, it may be separated in this manner,
and what doth not pass the sieve,may be separated by fire in Iron Fur-
naces, fifty of them in a fire.
The Quick-silver-Ore of this Mine is therichest’of all Ores I have
yet seen, for ordinarily it contains in it half Quick-silver, and in two
parts of Ore one part of Quick-silver, and sometimes in three parts of
Ore, two parts of Quick-silver.
I went into the Mine by the Pit of St. Agatha, and came up again
by that of St. Barbara, deseending and aseending by LaddersI amen-
ded at one of six hundred and thirty nine staves, or eighty nine fa-
thoms. Sijerus in Kirchers Mundus fabterraneus makes such a dread-
ful description of this Mine,that it might diseourage any from attempt-
ing the deseent, which makes me doubt, whether he had been in any
other Mine, especially where the deseent is made by Ladders.
In a Laboratory,where the Quick-silver is separated by fire, I saw
an heap of sixteen thousand retorts of Iron, every one of which costs
a Crown at the best hand from the Iron Furnaces in Carinthia: here-
in are also at one time eight hundred retorts, and as many recipients
employed