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| A brief history of the mines at Sainte-Marie-Aux-Mines |
by Pierre FLUCK
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The photographs illustrating this article come from the book of Jean-Luc HOHL : MINERAUX ET MINES DU MASSIF VOSGIEN
published in the "Editions du Rhin" and are reproduced here with the authorization of the author
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The mineral content of these seams was different ; they were composed of argentiferous copper. In order to substantially minimise the time spent drilling the copper-laden parts of these seams, metallurgists added lead from the Altenberg using a revolutionary technique called liquation( ?). The Bonhomme seigneurial foundries which were built in 1551 and excavated in 1995 and 1996 were the first seams in which this method was used in contemporary France. Around 1585, a certain Schura wrote a popular account of the discovery of the Neuenberg network, which brought about a renewal of interest in the mines of Sainte-Marie. Thereafter, mining began to extend towards the upper valley, thus attracting settlers and stimulating the growth of the village of Echery.
The production of silver reached its all time high ( 3.5 per year) during this period, largely thanks to the contribution of Alsace's richest ever mine, the Saint-Guillaume-aux Bois de Saint-Pierremont, located on the side of the valley that belonged to the Dukes of Lorraine.
The situation began to deteriorate again in 1575, due to a combination of stifling factors, namely an unhealthy social climate which was heightening tension around the recently-created frontier that surrounded the Sainte-Marie district, runaway inflation caused by the initiation of mineral extraction on a massive scale at the Potosi in South America and, most importantly, the lack of commitment of shareholders, whose interest in the mines was in stark contrast to the enthusiasm shown by their predecessors. Their listlessness stemmed from an expensive extraction process that yielded little or no profit. The output of the seams was already inconsistent and, in accordance with well-known geological fact, inevitably became even more meagre the further down miners went.
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Click on the picture for a larger image
Crystal of sphalerite
Sainte-Marie-Aux-Mines (Mines de zinc)
5 mm
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Also, as licencees could no longer guarantee regular payment, continuation of extraction was encouraged by renting out the mining sites.
The Lenhauer would pay their own workers but would keep the profits for themselves from any ore that they sold. Consequently, the mines were no longer being worked in the traditional sense. This was the final straw which catapulted the mines into a steady decline. Therefore, even the miraculous discovery in 1581 of a 592 kg block of silver was, in the words of Camus Hengelmann, only "a flicker of light in a long night". Nevertheless, the lords enthusiastically continued mining for several decades for two reasons : firstly, because of the prestige associated with the ownership of silver mines and secondly, because of the occasional "amazing find" that gave the Sainte-Marie mines their fairytale reputation.
However, technological innovation did not suffer from the mines' decline- notable examples are hydraulic ventilation machinery, truly mindboggling technology and the introduction of gunpowder in the eighteenth century which would completely overhaul drilling methods.
Although popular myth has always considered the mines to have died in a blaze of glory during the Thirty Years' War, their death was in fact excruciatingly slow, since the mines were still being exploited in 1634. However, as of October of the same year, the money that paid the miners' salaries dried up. In January 1635, the Inspector-General of Mines of the former states was summoned and ordered a series of utterly utopian statutes in order to rectify the situation. However, the social climate very rapidly deteriorated, with gangs stealing from and attacking travellers. On 7th May 1635, the chief engineer fled, water began to flow to the depths of the mines and, within nine months, the Erbstollen had collapsed, thus speeding up the reflux that completely flooded all work-stations. However, it was not until 30th September 1637 that the Verderben was finally destroyed. This event is described in an intensely dramatic way in an exceptional corpus of archival documents which also describes how half of the populace died of starvation and the other half of destitution. After which, nothing further was recorded. |
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| Last update : 06.19.2007 |
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