[Footnote 6: Hungary and Transylvania, 1839.]
[Footnote 7: 'Geographical Aspect of the Eastern Question,' Fortnightly
Review, January 1877.]
[Footnote 8: Transylvania: its Products and People.]
CHAPTER V.
Paraffine-works in Oravicza--Gold mine--Coal mines at
Auima-Steirdorf--Geology--States Railway Company's mines--Bribery.
The old copper and silver mines of Oravicza are now abandoned, but the
industrial activity of the place is kept up by the working of coal
mines, which have their depot here. The States Railway Company are the
great owners of mines in this district. They confine their attention to
iron and coal. There are extensive paraffine-works in Oravicza; the
crude oil is distilled from the black shale of the Steirdorf coal,
yielding five per cent of petroleum. At Moldova, where we were recently,
the same company have large sulphuric acid works, employing as material
the iron pyrites of the old mines. Moldova had formerly the reputation
of producing the best copper in Europe, but the mines fell out of work,
I believe, in 1848.
An English gentleman is working a gold mine near Oravicza with some
success. Subsequent to my visit his people came upon what I think the
miners call a "pocket" of free gold. Bismuth is also raised, though not
in large quantities.
Wishing to see the coal mines at Steirdorf, I rode over the hills in
about four hours. As I left Oravicza in the early morning the view
appeared very striking.
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