The doorway of this storehouse lies in the side of a hill. It is twice
as wide as the great barn-door where the hay-carts are driven in; and
two railroad-tracks run out at it, side by side, with a little foot-path
between them. The entrance is light, because it opens so wide; but we
can see that the floor slopes downward, and the way looks dark and
narrow before us. We shall need a guide; and here comes one,--a rough-
looking man, with smutty clothes, and an odd little lamp covered with
wire gauze, fastened to the front of his cap. He is one of the workmen
employed to bring the treasures out of this dark storehouse; and he will
show us, by the light of his lamp, some of the wonders of the place.
Walk down the sloping foot-path now, and be careful to keep out of the
way of the little cars that are coming and going on each side of you,
loaded on one side, and empty on the other, and seeming to run up and
down by themselves. But you will find that they are really pulled and
pushed by an engine that stands outside the doorway and reaches them by
long chains. At last we reach the foot of the slope; and, as our eyes
become accustomed to the faint light, we can see passages leading to the
right and the left, and square chambers cut out in the solid hill. So
this great green hill, upon which you might run or play, is inside like
what I think some of those large anthills must be,--traversed by
galleries, and full of rooms and long passages. All about we see men
like our guide, working by the light of their little lamps.
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