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in the face of these accidents and the danger attaching to mining operations conducted when modern appliances and engineering skill were as yet unknown, the works should have been proceeded with,—says something for the perseverance of the local Japanese, but probably their greed for gain induced them to overstep the bounds of prudence, and the very ignorance of the miners of the common laws on which engineering is based possibly made them underrate the dangers to which they were exposed.
Of late years the water has been gradually accumulating to such an extent as effectually to obstruct the working of the mines, and in some shafts, we were told, the water had attained a depth of 15 feet. With a view, therefore, to freeing the mines from this obstruction, a survey of them has been instituted, and the necessary plans and estimates are being prepared. The cost of removing this obstacle will it is said be very great, as it is calculated that it will take quite five years to get the mines into good working order, but it is also equally the general opinion that unless the requisite measures to this end are speedily put into execution the mines will eventually have to be abandoned, as they cannot otherwise be worked to advantage.
There is, however, a large quantity of ore on hand, enough, it is stated, to occupy two years in smelting. The new smelting works, which have only recently been completed, will thus come in very useful.
The tramway which was laid down three years ago for the conveyance of the ore from the mines to the town is still in existence, but the tramway system was not found to work well. Owing to the carelessness and ignorance of those in charge of the tramways, accidents were of constant occurrence, and moreover, labour being so cheap, it was found to be just as economical to employ manual labour. Another consideration which probably had some weight is that the conveyance of the ore in the old way from the mines gave occupation to a considerable number of people, and for this reason alone the tramways were very likely unpopular. Women are chiefly employed in the trans-
