Adrianna's Dragon

Chapter 23 Steam

"You both look beautiful!" James said as they sat for breakfast.

"So you like the short dresses?" Adrianna teased.

"Very much, I'm glad you chose to wear sandals today."

"You said it was rocky around the mine. Are you really taking us down the mine?" Gemma asked.

"A little over a third mile down."

"Will it be cold, and what about light?" Adrianna asked.

"It's an open face mine, almost a mile wide and very deep."

"Did you get your steam engine running?"

"I've had it running for several days now and most of the water is out. The mine is now operational. I just want you to see it." They arrived at the mine and they sat in a small mine carriage that was pulled by two ponies. The ponies began the decent along a narrow ledge.

"I can see the bottom way down there!" Gemma said.

"I'm thankful we are riding on rails, we could fall off the edge," Adrianna added.

"The rails only have a one percent grade and all the carts have a good set of brakes. Safety is everything in a mine."

"Can those little ponies handle a fully loaded ore cart?" Adrianna asked.

"They are very strong, and handle it with ease."

"What are you mining here?"

"Mostly silver, but we are finding some copper and gold."

They reached a much wider ledge about halfway down. The huge steam engine was running. "It runs so slow," Gemma said as she watched the piston rod slowly move up and down. "What's that big wooden thing?" she said pointing.

"The transverse rod. It needs to be very heavy and transfers the pistons movement to the pumps and a second transfer rod turns a wheel."

"Do you run the pump all the time?" Adrianna asked.

"We have been, but I will shut them down today as everything is dry. If we get a little rain here or up in the mountains along the coast it will start to fill again." James took a small pointed hammer laying on the ledge and struck at a black shiny rock and broke off a section. Then he handed it to Adrianna. "Pyrargyrite, ruby silver, what do you think?" She took the rock and looked at it confused.

"It's black?"

"Hold it up to the light Addie."

"I can almost see through it!"

"It's translucent."

"It is a ruby red."

"What's those little flecks I see in it?" Gemma asked.

"Silver, perhaps a little gold and copper."

"How much is this rock worth?" Adrianna asked.

"That piece, not much. We remove tons a day."

"We need about five of ten pounds of this," Adrianna said.

"I'll fill a bag for you then, let's go back up, I want to show you more." They got in the carriage and began the long assent. As they passed workers they were greeted. James appeared to know everyone by name. Some of them walking short distances along with their cart to talk. James asked about their families and listened.

"Do you know everyone who works for you?" Adrianna asked.

"Most everyone. I sort of grew up here and in the Dexter area. My father preferred it here to the Imperial city. I traveled back and forth."