MINES DU PUY-DE-DÔME. Letter on the letterhead of the HOUILL - Lot 537

MINES DU PUY-DE-DÔME. Letter on the letterhead of the HOUILLIÈRES de CELLE et COMBELLE, commune of AUZAT-SUR-ALLIER (Puy-de-Dôme) addressed to Mr MEYNIER Managing Director of the BRASSAC Mines. (BRASSAC-LES-MINES, Puy-de-Dôme), La Combelle May 16, 1849, concerning the purchase of new cables to descend the mines. "...the shaft being 200 meters deep, the cables must be at least 250 meters long. Monsieur Jusserand was of the opinion that we should immediately ask the local ropemakers for a hemp rope, but apart from the fact that it would be more expensive and of shorter duration. I think that a wire rope, made and sent to the Roulage accéléré in Paris, will reach us before we have had time to make one here. The water had gone down to 144 meters, so there's a 24-meter margin until it's back up in the air galleries. In the meantime, Mr. Louis has decided to have the galleries restored to good condition by going down the small shafts, and to have coal drawn so that we won't be obliged to buy any more when the exhaustion resumes. Last night we also had a broken cable at La Combelle, without any accident or damage. We're going to repair it with a remnant of an old cable, but that won't inspire much confidence or get us very far. The new cable I've asked for won't be delivered until July 1st, and will only equip us on one side. It's time to ask for another one if we don't want to be caught unprepared. Mr. Louis was planning to enlarge the masonry air duct in the gallery across the bench, and to vault the end of this gallery where the 4 paths cross. This would be the moment while we are poorly mounted on cables..." 2 empty envelopes are enclosed.