Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1847-08-14
Cliff Mine.

Horace GreeIy IN one oil his inter-
esting letters, gives the following de-
scription of the celebrated Cliff Mine:
:" Now let me give one glance al the
bright side of the picture. have
seen Developments Of masses of near
ly pure copper not optional and
isolated, but habitual and continuous
during my observations Of the last
week, which no man can really com
lprehend and credit without having
seen them. will speak Of the ia
nous Cliff Nine Of the Pittsburgh
Company, not as richer and more
wonderful than any other, Tor do
not so consider tt think have ex-
amined two others nearly or quite az
good but because have no shadow Of
interest in that mine, whatever,
and lis reputation is so established and
30 worldwide that there can be no con-
ceivable motive for characterzing II IN
terms Of cxaggeration. A few words
then. OF the celebrated Cliff Nine
"For miles southwest of the mouth
Eagle River, go miles west Of Copper
Harbor, and 300 west Of the Saul Ste
Marie, you stand AZ the base Of steep,
rocky bluff or cliff of trap-rock, facing
southerly towards the stream which
runs eastward some half mile from
its base until il finds passage through
the range and turns southerly to reach
the Lake-by . succession Of FALLS
The base of the cliff is probably 500,
its summit 500 feet above the surface
Of the Lake, and its face is th:nly COW
cred, whenever the rocky q aos will
permit it, with moderate growth Of
white birch or poplar. Down the
face OF the cliff. nearly midway Of its
length, runs n shallow ravinc or occa-
sional water course; under this lies the
Cliff vein or mine, on which four
drifts have been run into the cliff, one
at the level of the base; two at inter
walls Of thirty or forty feet above, and
one below, at depth of one hundred
and len feet from the surface, or con-
sderaby below the bed Of the stream.
| understand that the highest shaft has
yielded nothing of moment. and that
all the others run against cross
course of green stone after penetra-
ting The clil about quarter Of mile,
by which the vein is killed, and that
all attempts TO trace il farther have
thus Tar proved unavailing. ! may
have been misnformcd on these
points
Approaching the mouth Of this
mine, the visiter finds himself con-
fronted by great piles Of shining native
metal in the rock, some parts OF which
the workmen are engaged inlpounding
as free frem dead rock as possible and
barreling it for shipment. Junks Of
pure shapeless copper, from the size
of an egg to that Of milk-psn, are
proiusely scattered aroundr But your
gaze Of wonder is speedily withdrawn
from these by the spectacle Of great
black masses OF native metal, mainly
pure copper, with occasional interpo.
iations Of spar, of uncouth shape and
unwieldly size, weighing from one to
two tons each. A reddish brightness
on one end or both ends tells you that
these great masses ere after all but
fragments, the original mass having
been cut in pieces with the cold chisel
at an expense of thirty to one hundred
dollars per cut. in order to render it
movable by human power. Enter
ing the drift or adit, and .rayersing il
for short distance, you see that, tho
many OF these giant boulders have
been torn from their original resting
places, yet far more remain within
sight, partly embedded in the rock
above or below the drift, whence they
are to be blasted out at the proper
time. They cannot be blasted "a
hundred pounds of powder would
hardly throw a shilling's worth ofcoP-
per; but the rock may be blasted away
from them on every SHE, when they
are ready to be cut into such pieces as
NAV be elevated and taken out Of the
mine. In this way hundreds Of tons
, have been taken out. while thousands
yet remain-how many, who can
, guess9
Nearly all the copper of this region
is Of an admirable quality, usually go
alloyed with silver rs TO render u ex
, ccedingly ductilc and flexible, and 0