The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-08-21
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE.
From our Regular Correspondent
THE COPPER REGION.
La PoIsrE, LAKE SUPERIOR,

| [From our Regular Correspondent
THE COPPER REGION
La PoMrE, LAKE SupEmoR,
| July %, l645.
| In nv last brief letter from this place, had no
| time to notice many things which desired TO de-
scribe. have now examined the whole coast
the southern shore OF Lake Superior, extending
from the Sault Ste. Marie to La Ponte, including
visit to the Anse, and the doubling of Keweena
point. During the trip, as stated previously, We
! had camped Out twenty-one nights. examined the
mines worked by the Piltsburg company at Copper
harbor, and those worked by the Boston company
at Eagle river, well picked up all the nforma
ton could about other portions of the mineral dis
trict, both off and on shore. The object had in
view when visiting il, TO find out, as near as
could, the naked facts in relation to it. The dis
lance of the lake-shore traversed by my party to
| La Pointe was about five hundred mlles-consu-
ming near four weeks time to traverse 1t. have
still before me journey of three or four hundred
miles before l reach the Mississippi river by the
way of the Brule and st. Croix rivers. know the
public mind has been recently much excited in rea-
ton TO the mineral region of country OF Lake Su-
perior, and that great many stories are IN circua.
ton about it. ! know, Also that what IS said ana
published about it, will be read with more or less
interest, especially by parties who have embarked
in any of the specuations which have been got up
| about it, Ii is due to truth and candor, however,
for me TO declare it my opinion, that the whole
country has been overrated That copper Is found
scattered over the country equal in extent to the
trap-rock hills and conglomerate lodges, either IN
its native state or in the form of black oxide as
green siiicaie, and, perhaps in some other forms,
cannot be dened;- but the difficulty, SO far. seems
to be that the copper too much dlfiused,
and that no veins such as biologists would term per-
naneni have yet positively been discovered.
The richest copper ore yet found Is that raised
from vein Of black oxide, at Copper harbor, work
ed by the Pittsburg company, which yields about
| seventy per cent. OF pure copper. But tins con-
gomerate cementation of trap-rock, flint, pebbles,
DC, and sand, brought together in fused black
mass (as is supposed, by the overfowngs Of the
trap, of which the hills are composed near this
place) is exceedingly hard and difficult to blast An
opinion seems TO prevail among many respectable
biologists, that metallic veins found in conglomer-
ate are never thought to be very permanent.
Doctor Petit however, informed me that he had
traced the vein for near a mile through the con-
gomerate, and into the hill of trap, across a
small lake in the rear Of Fort Wilkins. The di-
rection of the vein is from northwest to southeast
through the congomerate, while the course of the
lake-shore and hills at this place varies little from
north and south. Should the doctor succeed in
opening permanent vein in the hill of trap oppo-
site, of which he is sanguine, it is probable this
mine will turn out to be exceedingly valuable. As
TO these Matters however, time alone, with further
explorations, must determine. The doctor assured
me that he was at present paying his way, in merely
otCI tHt vein u
operations; which he considered circumstance ia
vorable to the mine, as this is not of common oc-
currence
The mines at Copper harbor and Eagle river are
the only two yet sufficiently broached to enable
one to form any tolerably accurate opinion as to
their value or prospects.
Other companies are about commencing opera
tons, or talk of doing so-such as New York, or
rather Albany company, calling themselves " The
.Nsac York and Lake Superior Mining Company" under
the direction of Mr. Larned, of Albany, in whose
service DR.. Euhts has been employed as geologist
They have made locations at various poiDts--at
Dead river, Agate harbor, and at Montreal river.
believe they have commenced mining to some ex-
tent at Agate harbor.
One or two other Boston companies, besides that
operating at Eagle river have been formed with the
design of operating at other points. Mr. Bernard,
formerly of ST. Louis is at the head of one of them.
Besides these, there is kind of Detroit company,
organized, 1t is said, for operating the Ontonagon
river. 1t has its head, believe Detroit, and its
| tail almost everywhere. have not heard of their
success in digging, thus far; though they say they
have found some valuable mines. Time must de-
termne that. wish it may be so.
From Copper harbor, paid visit to Eagle river
small stream inaccessible to any craft larger than
a moderate-sized Mackinac boat. There is only
the open lake for roadstead of MS mouth, and no
harbor nearer than Eagle harbor, some few miles TO
the east of il. In passing west from Copper harbor
along the northern shore Of Kewccna point the
coast, almost from the extremity of Keweena point,
to Eagle river, is an iron-bound coast present.
ing huge, longitudinal, black, rregular-shaped mass
es of rap-conglomerate, often rising up ten or IF
teen feet high above water, at some distance from
| the main shore, leaving small sounds behind them,
with bays to which there are entrances through
broken continuities of the advanced breakwaer-
like lodges. Copper harbor is thus formed by
Porter's island, on which the agency has been so
injudciously placed and which is nothing but a
congomerate island of this character; with It's sides
next the lake raised by Nature, so as to afford
barrier against the waves that beat against 1t from
without. The surface of the island over the con-
gomerate is made up Of a mass Of pebbles and frag
mentary rock, mixed with a small portion ofearh,
wholly or quite incapable of cultivation. Fort
Wilkins is located about two miles from the agency,
on the main land, between which and the fort COM
munication in winter is difficult, if not impossible
OF the inexcusable blunder made in putting this
garrison its present badly-selected site, shall
have occasion to speak hereafter.
In travelling up the from Sault St. Marie, the
first so 100 miles, the shore of Lake Superior
exhibits, for much of the distance, white sandy
beach, with growth of pines, silver fir birch, &C.,
in the rear. This beach is strewed in places with
| much whened and abraded drift-wood, thrown
high on the banks by heavy waves in storms, and
the action of ice in winter This drif-wood is met
with places, from end of the lake TO the other,
which we found very convenient for hre-wood at
our encampmentg The sand on the southern shore
terminates, IN measure at Iranu oapes, Whlcn are
| immense naked pure sand-his, rising in an almost
perpendicular form next to the lake, Of from 200 to
300 feet high. Passing this section, we come to
| white sandstone in the Pictured Rocks. Leaving
| these, we make the red sandstone cliffs of Grand
Island and red sandstone promontories and shore,
at various points from this section to the extreme
end Of the lake. 1t afterwards wholly disap-
pears. Between promontories of red stone head
lands &c, standing out often in long, high irregu-
lar cliffs, with trayerses of from g. Z, TO miles
from to the other, while kind Of rounded bay
stretches away inland, having often a sandy beach
at its base, with pines growing in the forest in the
rear Into these bays small rivers, nearly or quite
shut in summer with sand, enter the lake.
] The first trap-rock we met with, Dead
river, and at some few points west fit. We then
saw more Of il Immediately on the coast ill we
made the southern shore of Keweena point All
around the coast by the Anse, around Keweona
bay, we found nothing but alterations Of sand
beaches and sandstone cliffs and points. The in
land, distant, and high hills about Huron river, no
| a IL ,,.I., Isf. J.