In some places, the mineral crops up above the surface of the ground, and all that is necessary is to blast it away and cart it off. In other places, it appears in veins which are always very thick, and in a slanting position; they rest upon beds of mica-schist, and are covered with a layer of indurated clay, mingled with nodules of iron ore. The ore contains sixty-four per cent. of pure iron; the annual exportation is about half a million tons, and sometimes exceeds that amount. The profit, clear and clean after deducting every thing, is about half a million dollars, or one dollar on each ton of ore taken out. The owners of the mine have a valuable property, and are not inclined to sell it, or to take in partners.
There are other iron mines in Algeria, but none of them are so large or so profitable as the one I have just described. The labor is performed partly by Arab workmen, and partly by Frenchmen. The Arabs are very largely employed, and are quite industrious and reliable. The Kabyles are considered the best and can generally command a trifle more wages than the men of the other tribes for the same work. They come to the cities in search of employment, and after accumulating a certain sum of money, return home contented. Their wants are few, and they live very cheaply.
While I was in Algeria, I made a journey south to the Desert of Sahara. In the desert proper no mines of iron, gold, or silver are to be found, but there are some curious mines of salt, which have been known to the Arabs for thousands of years.
One day the guide called the attention of my companion and myself to a mountain of a peculiar bluish appearance, unlike those that surrounded it. Like all the other mountains in the desert, it had not a particle of vegetation upon it, and we could see no difference between that and the rest, except in its color. I asked what it was.
“It is the famous mountain of salt,” said the guide.
HOW THE ARABS OBTAIN THEIR SALT.
This information caused us to look again, and more intently. Herodotus, the Greek historian, who flourished more than two thousand years ago, traveled through this country, and describes five mountains of salt. This which was before us was one of the five.
As we came nearer, we could see that it presented a rough and broken surface, and had evidently been thrown up by some violent convulsion of the earth. That it is the result of an upheaval, is shown by the presence, at the top, of certain layers of sand and marine shells which are found lower down in the plain.
The salt stands in pillars and columns, and in great masses many tons in weight. Salt enough to pickle all the beef in the world could be obtained from this mountain, and then there would be enough left for the preservation of the mutton, pork, and other meats that need the aid of strong brine to keep them properly, and even then there would be a great deal of salt to spare.